Knowledge Work
With advances in technology, there will be an increasing organizational interest in the topic of knowledge management in recognition that knowledge assets will become the most important asset that a company will own.
Entrepreneurship
More businesses will come on-line as doing business over the Internet will become the norm. Electronic commerce will be widely accepted by the public and contribute significantly to revenue and profit with the help of better encryption products. The future development of the Internet infrastructure will need the capital of businesses to succeed.
Loyalty to Institutions
Workers will constantly upgrade themselves in terms of knowledge and skills as the business environment becomes increasingly competitive. They will attach less importance to any one company and become better equipped to survive in their respective industry.
Americanization
As some theorists have argued, globalization is strengthening those that are in power and bringing about devastating destruction of local traditions. The only solution is to build more information infrastructure so that more people and culture can participate. Until then, with the US leading the way in terms of technology and economic dominance, American culture will continue to dominate.
Impact of English
English will continue to dominate but as more advanced translators become widely available, the Internet will become more multicultural and multilingual. Language in a way will no longer be of concern to users as documents in any language can be easily translated to the language of the user.
Telecommuting
Telecommuting will change the way people work and live and it will become more and more common as the economy becomes more service oriented and more information or knowledge based so that there is lesser of a need for employees to work in a fixed location.
Teleactivities
Teleactivities require a certain acceptance of changing societal norms. Interactions that would previously have been carried out face-to-face will be mediated by computers. Social functions served by direct human contact will require alterations and modifications to fit into our increasingly digital world. Telesocializing and teleshopping will take over traditional methods and gain acceptance as they accomodate better our increasingly busy lives.
We have seen from the materials presented above that computer technology has such a profound impact on everything we do. It facilitates a nation's transition from being an industrial economy to one that is based on information. Information is now more easily accessible and rapidly transferred, resulting in an increase in knowledge and the collaboration of it. This increases efficiency and profitability which is why many companies alocate huge portions of their budget towards knowledge and knowledge management.
Technology has also been quite an influential force in the way firms conduct business by introducing things such as virtual corporations and E-commerce to make them more efficient, competitve and ultimately better equipped to provide better services to consumers. The Internet has allowed companies to reach markets and cross boundaries which would have been impossible and/or unprofitable by traditional methods and media. The importance of the Internet and its seemingly limitless potential is evident by the number of multibillion dollar Internet related corporations which have surfaced within the past five years, that are yet to show a profit e.g. Amazon.com. However, there are a couple of issues such as privacy and security which have made a number of people hesitant about using the Internet.
As firm's become more computer dependent, potential and current employees have been forced to become more computer and technology literate. With the rapid change in technology, employees and firms have to cope with the additional costs of keeping up to date. It changes the learning process and introduces constant learning so that workers can always stay on top of the game.
Technology has also affected our social lives. One can't get by in today's society without coming in contact with technology. Technology has helped to bridge the gap between people of various cultures and nationalities. On the Internet for example, one can chat with someone in Germany, keep in contact with relatives in China and buy a rug from a merchant in India. There is one drawback to it though, it's not as easy to surf the Internet if you are not literate in English. Approximately 90% of the web sites are in English. There are however a few sites that provide translations. A number of everyday activities can now be done from the comfort of your own home as a result of modern technology. Examples include working, banking, shopping and even dating.
There is no doubt that computer technology will become an even greater force in shaping our lives in the future as our world becomes increasingly digitalized. Everyone will want to take part in the process as those who don't, will be left behind and forgotten.
Cyberspace
Domain
Electronic Commerce
E-mail
Encryption
Flaming
Internet
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Knowledge Work
Knowledge Worker
Netiquette
Productivity
Search Engine
Server
Teleactivity
Telecommuting
Teleshopping
Telesocializing
Usenet
Virtual Corporation
Web
World Wide Web