Importance of computer systems
Introduction
Computer systems are everywhere today. From business to entertainment, from shopping to education, in our daily lives, communication and in every situation, it is difficult to imagine a world without computers.
Communication
Computer systems are more often than not linked together in networks and the ability to connect with these networks is something we take for granted now. We can now communicate across the planet at a speed that was unimaginable only a few years ago. Using our smartphones, tablets, laptops and personal computers, we can send and receive data from wherever we are. We can do this across the Internet or via the phone network using 3g or 4g.
Business
Businesses make extensive use of computers. Jobs that used to take specialists a long time to do can now be done by a lot of people. For example, many people know how to set up and use spreadsheets for looking after accounts. Word processors are used by many people to write letters. Databases are used to search through millions of records and reorganise them very quickly. Images, video and sound can be manipulated easily now using a variety of packages. All of these types of jobs were done by specialists in the past. Now they are accessible to everyone, perhaps with some degree of training. Computers are used in factories to control operations, to build things using robots and to monitor processes in ways that are far better than humans ever could. Anyone can set-up a business easily online using the Internet now and appear to be a very large company and you can run an online business completely from home, too.
Employment
There have been many changes to employment patterns. Increasingly, people work from home (called 'tele-working'). They can organise their working life around their home life, which might be important if someone has children or a disability. A range of computer equipment now allows someone to do their job and stay in contact with their employers. They might use a computer, a tablet, a printer, a webcam and microphone, a broadband modem and Internet connection, a smartphone and a FAX, for example. If a company is based in Australia, they no longer need to look for employees just in that country for some jobs - they can use tele-workers. Workers can be based anywhere in the world. There are many jobs that didn't exist a few years ago and in the future, there will be many types of jobs that we can't predict today. This is why it is very important for students to learn to be adaptable and to be able to change skills easily.
Education
The way students learn now has changed beyond recognition. Whole libraries of information are available via the Internet. The use of interactive whiteboards, wireless connections, video cameras, smartphones and tablets, for example, have changed the activities in a classroom and exam boards are making increased use of online testing and marking as well.
Entertainment
Many people play computer games, a form of entertainment that didn't exist before the mid 1970s. Computer power means that we can now make and watch 3D films, can carry vast libraries of music and films around with us on portable devices and can access a whole range of entertainment via our TVs and portable devices by streaming films directly to our homes, for example.
Socialising
We now socialise in ways we never used to. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Dating Agencies, chat rooms, forums and so on are all ways which we connect to other people. In the past, we used to socialise with only those people we met whereas now, we can socialise with people from all over the world.
Shopping
We can now shop for any product using the Internet 24 hours a day all year round. We can use the Internet to find a wider choice of products from across the globe. We can look up reviews before we make a purchase and can compare prices easily to save money. We can get some products such as music, books, films and games delivered to us instantly electronically.
Crime
With the increasing use of computers in our daily lives, it was inevitable that criminals would also be harnessing the power of computers. Criminals have hacked into computer networks belonging to large companies and stolen data, including credit card details. They have set up false web sites with amazing deals to try and get people to enter in their credit card details to buy something and have used 'phishing' techniques (sending out large numbers of emails) to try and get people to give them their account details for their bank, for example.