One may find it problematic to abstain from the ambitious claim that technology has changed the world, and there are good reasons for that. The internet became the last of the major inventions in the field of communications, drawing a line under two extremely productive in this context centuries, which saw the rise of telegraph (in this case – the fall, too), telephone, radio, personal computer and mobile phone. In the voting for the most important inventions since 1800 conducted by BBC (2005), the Internet occupied honorable 7th place, trailing only to radio in the communication ‘division’ (notably, bicycle prevailed overwhelmingly having collected 59% of votes). Has the Internet changed the world or not, it definitely made it more convenient and contributed to the process of globalization.
Fast and not depending on distance communication as well as easy access to information is the main features of the Internet, in which both advantages and disadvantages lie. The upside of the Internet is convenience and saving of time, which takes various forms for different groups of concerned: individuals can comfortably keep in touch with friends and relatives, companies have the easier access to the customers, lower transaction costs and possibility to have the distribution option other than physical retailers, ensuring a completely new business model; B2B communication benefits in the same fashion as communication between individuals. Benefits to individuals and businesses are interconnected: social networks (aimed for easy communication and socialization) are built upon business model that allows the companies to target users, seemingly making every stakeholder better off.
Let us take the example of I-phone. One can correctly argue that the I- phone was made for fast pace city like New York. This is the reason the phone takes care of business at the right time. The I-phone has played a major role in the transformation of memory. First, with its features, New Yorkers do not have to remember important information. The I-phone’s remainder sections always aid one to remember important information such as phone numbers, meetings, and a lot of do list. In addition, one has not to remember the phone numbers of bosses, customers, or teachers; it is all set up on the fingertips. The repercussions for this are two. One, it aids with the acquisition of information at the time one needs it. However, the other side is that without the phone, human memory becomes dysfunctional. It is almost possible for one to make the argument that without the I-phone, many New Yorkers will find it really hard to live.
Nowadays, it is not necessary to conduct a sophisticated study to realize that plenty of people have become addicted to computers, especially to social networks, like Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte (a version of Facebook for the CIS countries, notably, with free access to video and audio materials) and Instagram. Social networks can be compared to the computer games: while in the video-games people manage the heroes who most usually fight (and eventually beat) evil, which makes a gamer feel satisfied, in social networks the fictional characters are being created too (though more resembling their creator – his/her nicer, wiser and funnier version). In social networks, by adding friends and posting various content, one aims to raise his/her popularity, which requires significant investment of time that otherwise could be spent on other activities, and numerous studies demonstrate that the net effect on the individuals may be not just negative, but disastrous. One can argue that earning virtual status in online networks, can lead not only to the Internet addiction, but also to loneliness and antisocial behaviour, or even more dangerous psychological disorders. Surveys constructed a survey measuring levels of both Internet addiction and self-esteem and analysed the sample of 1,467 users, reaching the conclusion that two are strongly negatively correlated (higher level of Internet addiction corresponds to lower level of self-esteem.
While the influence of the Internet on the society is debatable, what is important from the marketing perspective is whether segmentation is possible basing on the time users spend in the social networks. The task of this paper is to establish quantitative connection between number of hours spent in the social networks and such variables as GPA and self-reported number of books read during past 12 months, which might be correlated with the IQ of the users and therefore represents valuable information for marketing segmentation. The research question that the advancement of technology has made human life by increasing the amount of time available for activities that could have spent more time on. He gives the example of typing instead of writing, use of Smartphone to keep off boredom as well the idea that technology facilitates finding solutions for human problems. Perhaps the problem with such an outlook would be to what cost? While we enjoy the use of technology as humans, how does it destroy the fabric of social relationship? How much do we talk to each other, and if we do, is it in the way that fosters the humanity’s advancement?
Work Cited
Arthur, Luke, ( 2012).The I-phone 4 and its Impact on Society. E- how Tech, http://www.ehow.com/info_12140021_iphone-4-its-impact-society.html.
Burns, Matt. “The Decline Of Android Foretells The Rise Of A Total Apple Monopoly.” World Press. Com. Aol. Tech, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 July 2012. <http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/26/apple-will-one-day-rule-the-world/>.
Duhig, C., & Kocieniewski’s, D. (2012, April 28). How Apple Sidesteps Billions in Taxes. New York Times.
