9.5 Quality-of-Life Issues-The Environment, Mental Health, Child Protection, & the Workplace

Environmental Problems

  1. Manufacturing computers and circuits can cause pollution
  2. Hazardous toxins are involved in computer manufacture
  3. Wireless devices can interfere in hospital activities and with medical devices
  4. Used computers/monitors contain chromium, cadmium, lead, mercury, PVC, and brominated flame retardants – all toxic substances that must be disposed of properly
  5. Visual pollution (“blight”) is created by the forest of wireless towers, roof antennas, satellite dishes, etc.; birds and bats, other wildlife, and vegetation are affected
  6. Nanotechnology carries possible risks on the molecular level


Mental-Health Problems 

  1. Isolation: computer gamers may substitute online games for interpersonal interaction; videogame and Internet addiction
  2. Online gambling is too easy
  3. Many users find computers stressful and anger-inducing


Protecting Children

  1. Pornography
  2. The Internet has allowed the widespread distribution of sexually explicit material
  3. Online pornographers use pop-up ads, Internet search engines to troll for new customers 
  4. This means that children may be exposed to porn when involved in innocent online searches
  5. Online blocking software, DVD filters, the V-chip, and .xxx web addresses can be used to avoid/filter out pornography


Online Sexual Predators

  1. Prevention Strategies
  2. Monitor children’s Internet use
  3. Be candid to children about threats
  4. Caution children about revealing too much information
  5. Tell them not to engage in sexting (online information and images NEVER go away; they are there forever)

  7. Sexting is use of a smartphone or other mobile device to send sexually explicit photos or videos; sometimes it also refers to sexually charged text messages.
  8. Can lead to dangerous behavior and embarrassing experiences.


Cyberbullies
  1. Another example of how information technology can negatively affect children
  2. When it happens:
  3. Save the evidence
  4. Block messages
  5. Contact an attorney or the police
  6. Cyberbullying can also occur in the workplace

Workplace Problems
  1. Misuse of technology
  2. Playing online games, shopping, writing personal emails, etc. interfere with workers’ productivity and can get them fired
  3. Fussing with computers
  4. Dealing with hardware, software, and network connections can waste a lot of time, as can dealing with spam and the like
  5. Information overload
  6. With so much available technology, people tend to work more hours and get swamped by too much information

Information Overload
  1. Term first used by Alvin Toffler in 1970: he predicted that the rapidly increasing amounts of information being produced would eventually cause people problems.
  2. Although computer processing and memory speed and capacity are increasing all the time, the brain that humans must use to process the information is not getting any faster.

What are some of the signs of information overload?
  1. Increased cardiovascular stress owing to a rise in blood pressure.
  2. Weakened vision.
  3. Confusion and frustration.
  4. Impaired judgment based on overconfidence.
  5. Irritation with others owing to an environmental input glut (which may also account for part of the “brusqueness” that is commonly attributed to big-city dwellers).

What can be done about information overload? For example:
  1. Spend less time on information that is nice to know and more time on information that you need to know now.
  2. Focus on getting relevant information, not on getting information faster, and focus on quality of information, rather than quantity.
  3. Learn how to create better information. Be direct in what you ask people, so that they can provide short precise answers.
  4. Understand the tools you have and don’t switch tasks very often (single-tasking keeps the mind focused on one issue at a time).
  5. Avoid interruptions.
  6. Have quiet periods, when you disconnect.
  7. Take breaks.