5.1 Positive and Negative Effects

Drones- Effects

Drones are used for military advantages, photography, and delivering things to people. But are drones always good?

  • drones can be harmful- invasion of privacy, other side military advantage
  • People think that drones are very beneficial when it comes to filming movies, photography, search and rescue, and military use, but some worry about their privacy. For an example, with drones, people are able to film others in their homes and backyards by flying their personal drones.

OpenAI and ChatGPT

  • Microsoft created this ChatGPT to compete with Google
  • is very useful with school, writing, knowledge, and more
  • can produce biased data, incorrect data, or out-of-date data
  • will continue to advance

Dopamine

  • Playing video games and being on social media can produce a lot of dopamine to make people feel good and happy
  • People may spend too much time on technology, losing sleep, friends, and health

Automated Telephone Trees

  • save employers money and reduce wait time for customers
  • do not always point you in the correct direction
  • can be frustrating to work with
  • do not always point to human interaction
  • an innovation I would like to see with phone trees= more efficient with saying things and directing= often takes awhile and is annoying to listen to every option and click buttons

5.1 Hacks

  1. Beneficial and corresponding harmful effects of computing:
    1. Venmo (and other similar apps)- Sending Money:
      • Benefits: Venmo allows users to easily send money to each other
      • Harmful effects: money and personal information can be stolen
    2. Online Shopping
      • Benefits: Online shopping is easy, efficient, and allows for more accessibility to items all over the world
      • Harmful effects: users may be scammed, cannot try on items, and do not support local businesses
    3. Business Promotion with Social Media
      • Benefits: Business are able to advertise and promote their products/services on a MUCH larger scale than before with technology and social media (less traveling required)
      • Harmful effects: Social media users have personal adds, spend more money, and may not see the price/quality differences between businesses (especially if a larger company is able to spend more in advertising)
  2. I have definitely felt the boost of dopamine levels when using social media. I can gain confidence and have a laugh all from my phone. I definitely believe that dopamine issues are real. Social media often causes a lot of harm as well such as loss in confidence, comparison, and cyberbullying. Students also spend too much time on social media. When used correctly, people can gain a lot from social media and easily contact friends. Although, in this generation, too many people waste their days away on social media. For an example, I spend way too much time watching Tik Tok when I could be studying or doing homework. I recently set a screen time limit on my Tik Tok so I am alerted when I have used the app for over an hour a day.

5.2 Digital Divide

  • Digital divide= deals with “To Have and Have Not” in relation to Computers, Internet, or Technology in general
  • poorer areas have less or little access to technology
  • some places have internet use restricted (ex. China)
    • contributing factors= money, location, education, religion, etc
  • At school= there are restrictions with internet access in fear of students getting into bad things= limits productivity/access to information

5.2 Hacks

  • In a digital world, one can empower themselves by finding a way to use technology and continue learning about advancements because technology is constantly changing. Everyone should also try to grow and contribute to the digital world.

  • Someone who is empowered with technology and has more knowledge of the digital world can share their resources/learnings with those who are not empowered. For an example, at Del Norte, I could share my computer with someone who does not have access to one, or I could teach them about the current updates with technology or what I am coding.

  • There are definitely things preventing digital empowerment around the world. Voting on paper, sending bills via mail, etc. are all examples of things that could be done digitally. At Del Norte, a great deal of writing is still done on paper when it could be done on a computer. Also, Del Norte restricts digital empowerment by restricting the school wifi.

Our Project

Beneficial Effects

  1. Allows for users to track their workouts and grades easily.
  2. Provides motivation for users to continue to workout.
  3. Gives users ideas of workouts specific to their sport.

Negative Effects

  1. Users may become obsessed with posting their workouts and/or their grades. Users may set unrealistic expectations for themselves which can be unhealthy both physically and mentally.
  2. Users may workout too much and develop sleep deprivation, eating disorders, and/or over exertion of their bodies.
  3. Users may feel that they are unable to complete workouts that are for their sport causing a loss in confidence of their sport abilities. This can be mentally degrading and cause users to lose motivation to workout.

Internet Blockers

  • Pros: Internet blockers prevent students from getting into bad/inappropriate websites at school. This will keep students more productive and away from distractions at school. Also, requiring an admin staff member to sign in to a computer will prevent a student from gaining access to personal/student information.
  • Cons: Blocking the internet can prevent students from using valuable tools and websites for information/editing. This can actually limit productivity. Also, requiring admin members to sign in to their computers slows them down and is inefficient.

Concerns about the Digital Divide

I am concerned that the digital divide will only continue to grow as technology advances. This means that some people in the world will continue to fully integrate with technology and will lose communication with those who are without technology. I think that the digital divide will divide countries and/or people.