ICT AND SOCIETY 2 PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN THE DIGITAL AGE Answer these questions. a. Can you list some advantages and disadvantages of living in the digital age? b. Can you think of any illnesses derived from the prolonged use of ICT? c. What effects does ICT have on education and the environment for you? to affect: influenzare, riguardare to be hooked: essere dipendente to convey: comunicare to deceive: ingannare to gamble: giocare d azzardo to get stuck on: bloccarsi su qualcosa to grasp: afferrare, capire to lack: mancare mood swing: sbalzo d umore to quarrel: litigare tiny: minuscolo 22 Thanks to technology, the world has been transformed into a tiny global village, and we can now communicate with anybody, anywhere in the world. The impact of technology on the communication process has both positive and negative aspects. Positive aspects: No barriers: communication is now easy and global. Strengthened relations: technology has made it easy to keep in touch with old contacts and create new ones, and has strengthened relationships. Better solutions: technology has promoted the exchange of thoughts to find better solutions to any problem since on the Net you can find possible answers to almost any question or suggestions for a different approach, if you get stuck on a problem. E-schools: new integrated platforms have made it possible to give better education systems and methods to students providing new learning resources and communication tools. Business development: new economic and faster decision-making opportunities have emerged thanks to developments in ICT. Negative aspects: Negative impact on interpersonal communication: the current generation sometimes lacks essential interpersonal skills, as the ability to express the ideas and thoughts to others face-to-face, because of the increased frequency of communication by texting and chatting. Loss of power of non-verbal communication: the lack of face-to-face interaction has reduced the nonverbal grasping power of individuals since online interaction lacks some additional information conveyed or reinforced by nonverbal signals. Virtual distance: Teenagers are often hooked on social networks: they are apparently closer to online friends, but farther from their parents and real people. Addiction: some people have become addicted to the Internet and their smartphones and this has led to many anxiety disorders that are treated as gambling pathologies because, if not taken care of, they can lead to depression, loneliness, irritability and mood swings. Fake people: some people abuse social networking sites by pretending to be someone else to deceive, to seek attention or to profit from it. Module 1 FLOWCHARTING