ict and society

ICT is everywhere in the modern UK home. It has affected the way we go about our daily lives.

For example, entertainment. ICT has provided many ways of whiling away an hour or two

Multi-channel digital television




There are now many digital channels to choose from - you can either use the Freeview service or choose to subscribe to a satellite service. These services also include dozens of 'radio' channels such as Radio 1,2,3 and 4.

Good points: Choice - There are so many transmission channels now available, that broadcasters create special interest channels to attract an audience e.g. Sports, Science, Cooking, Travel and so on

Bad points: Quality - With so much 'air time' to fill, it is hard for broadcasters to find good quality material to fill all those hours of viewing.

Computer games

In recent times, computers have become so powerful and low cost that many of us play computer games for entertainment. You can buy specialised games machines that hook up to a television.

or you can use the Internet to play online games with thousands of other people who are also online with you.

Good points: Very involving and good fun to play with your friends

Bad points: Can be so distracting that 'real life' relationships and demands on your time can suffer. Addictive - there have been news stories reporting that gaming can be a very serious problem for some people who are not able to balance this form of gaming with 'real life'.

Music.

Back in the 50's there were vinyl records and the radio. There were no affordable recording methods. Today we listen and gather our music in a number of new ways.

The invention of the Compact Disc made a huge leap in sound quality - no more hiss crackle and pops that the old vinyl records suffered from. We are able to record our music straight on to a computer. We can pay for a music track in an online music store and download it to our personal MP3 player.

Good points: Many ways of listening to our music - on the move or through our living room Hi-Fi.

Bad points: The music industry is so concerned about illegal copying that Digtial Rights Management (DRM) methods have become common. These sometimes cause a problem when trying to listen to perfectly legal music.