G3 Computing Textbook Chapter 13
G3 Computing Textbook Chapter 13
13 Impact of Computing
481
482
13.1 Impact of Computing on Different Industries
LEARNING OUTCOMES
5.1.1 !"#$%$&'()*$+%,-%./$%"()'0.%,-%0,()1.$2+%"3%./$%-,**,4"35%"361+.2"$+7
8% 9,((13"0'.",37%':"*".;%.,%0,33$0.%)$,)*$%'36%:1+"3$++$+%,#$2%*,35%6"+.'30$+
8% <610'.",37% $'+;% '00$++% .,% ,3*"3$% 0*'++$+% '36% *'25$% '(,13.+% ,-% "3-,2('.",3% #"'% ./$%
"3.$23$.
8% =2'3+),2.'.",37% 4"6$+)2$'6% '00$++% .,% 3'#"5'.",3'*% +$2#"0$+% #"'% !*,:'*% >,+".",3"35%
?;+.$(%@!>?A%'36%$($25$30$%,-%+$*-B62"#"35%#$/"0*$+
8% C$.'"*7%(,2$%2$*"':*$%.2'0D"35%,-%'#'"*':*$%+.,0D%'36%$($25$30$%,-%+$*-B0/$0D,1.%0,13.$2+
Over the past few decades, there have been sweeping changes to society and the daily lives of people all
over the world due to rapid advancements in computing technology. Significant milestones in this journey
include the introduction of electronic computers in the 1940s, the invention of the World Wide Web in 1989,
and the current widespread availability of smart devices and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.
Today, computing is an important part of not just the technology sector but almost every aspect of the
economy, including the communications, education, transportation and retail industries. In this section,
we will examine the impact of computers on these industries in greater detail.
The most important ways computers have impacted the communications industry are summarised in
Table 13.1.
Area Description
Digitalisation Before computers, communication methods, such as using telephone wires and
radio waves, were usually analogue in nature. This meant that any interference
or noise would directly affect the clarity of the message (e.g., voice) being
transmitted.
483
Area Description
This has allowed for more face-to-face meetings to be replaced by cheap and
effective video conferencing calls, especially during the worldwide COVID-19
pandemic.
Then Now
As of 2024, about 60% of views on the web are done using a mobile device
compared to about 40% from desktop devices.
Then Now
13:34
Monday, 23 July
Accessibility and The Internet has enabled diverse cultures to interact and share ideas with each
globalisation other, allowing for the seamless exchange of information across borders. This has
had profound implications for culture, business, and politics, leading to a more
interconnected world.
484
Area Description
Social media and The Internet has enabled the rise of social media, which has transformed how
misinformation information is disseminated and consumed. Unlike traditional media such as
newspapers and television which have limited audience participation and high
entry barriers, social media allows anyone with Internet access to produce
content, fostering two-way communication between content producers and
consumers.
While social media has democratised content creation and fostered community
building, some people use it to reinforce their existing opinions or to spread
rumours and misinformation. The way that social media sites promote content,
based on how much they elicit responses and not by their accuracy, can also
amplify the reach of false information (see section 13.2.1).
Security and The digitalisation of communication has made it easier for messages (that may
privacy risks include personal data) to be accidentally or maliciously copied and disclosed to
unauthorised parties. Digital communication methods are also susceptible to
cyberattacks that may compromise security and privacy (see Chapter 11).
Furthermore, the widespread use of the Internet and advanced data analysis
has made it easier to track the online movements and preferences of users. This
allows websites and services to tailor content and advertisements to users, but
these capabilities may also be misused to compromise the privacy of individuals.
The most important ways computers have impacted the education industry are summarised in Table 13.2.
Area Description
Communication In line with how computers have impacted communications in general (see
and section 13.1.1), computing has introduced new tools that teachers and students
collaboration can use to communicate and collaborate for learning. These new tools include
emails, forums, video conferences and collaborative documents (e.g., Google
Docs).
Using these tools, teachers and students can communicate with each other and
engage in collaborative learning without the need to be at the same location or be
online simultaneously.
485
Area Description
Access to Before the Internet, obtaining information typically involved visiting a library
information or consulting with experts. With the Internet and digitalisation of both new and
existing materials, students now have unparalleled access to vast amounts of
information and educational materials as long as they have a computer. The
widespread availability of Internet access has also extended these educational
opportunities to learners from disadvantaged backgrounds who might not had
have such access previously.
Then Now
Personalised In traditional classroom education with static learning materials, teachers need
learning to expend a significant amount of manual effort to provide instructions that are
customised to each student.
But with the integration of computers and digital learning materials, lessons can
be more readily adjusted and customised to suit the individual needs of students.
Using data analysis and technologies like AI, such customisations can even be
automated for thousands of students, enabling personalised learning without
excessive manual intervention.
In this way, students can more easily direct their own learning and progress at
their own pace instead of having to follow the pace set by a teacher.
Interactive and Before computers, classroom instruction primarily relied on learning materials
multimedia tools with static text and images. With the widespread use of portable computing
devices, teachers can now effortlessly employ interactive and multimedia tools
to enhance the learning experiences of students. Using resources such as videos,
interactive simulations and virtual environments, lessons have become more
engaging and relevant to students, both within and beyond the classroom.
Then Now
486
Area Description
Distance and In distance learning, teachers and students are geographically separated, and
online learning students are not required to be physically present in a school or classroom for
lessons. Before computers and the Internet, such lessons were usually conducted
via mail, resulting in significant delays for students in receiving learning materials,
submitting assignments, and receiving feedback.
Then Now
Assessment and In the past, teachers manually graded assignments, investing significant effort to
feedback customise tasks and provide individual feedback to students.
With data analysis and technologies such as AI, assignments can also be made
adaptive such that the difficulty of tasks is automatically adjusted to match each
student’s skill level. This approach ensures that students are not discouraged
by overly challenging questions and enhances the accuracy of assessing the
student’s learning progress.
Need for digital The widespread adoption of computers has revolutionised society and the job
literacy market, necessitating countries to revise their education systems accordingly. In
addition to the traditional curricula, schools must now also teach students the
digital literacy skills essential for everyday life and the contemporary workplace.
487
U
DID YO
O W ?
K N
In Singapore, a significant way that computers have had an impact on education is with the introduction
of the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS). The SLS is an example of a Learning Management
System that facilitates online learning, manages assignments, and tracks student progress. It also
serves as a repository of high-quality multimedia learning resources and has features to support
personalised learning for students.
The most important ways computers have impacted the transportation industry are summarised in Table
13.3.
Area Description
Navigation and Before computers, navigation was primarily reliant on printed maps, which were
GPS inconvenient and static. Today, detailed digital maps and real-time information
on public transportation, traffic conditions and street-level photographs of
neighbourhoods worldwide are readily accessible through mobile computing
devices (e.g., smartphones). Some map services even provide 3D maps to display
individual buildings in greater detail or to make geospatial data more accessible
and useful to users.
Then Now
488
Area Description
Some mobile devices also have access to the Global Positioning System (GPS)
that utilises satellite data to determine the user’s location. This allows a user to
easily obtain navigational directions to get from one location to another in real-
time. However, these navigation features typically require access to GPS satellites,
the Internet and electricity. In situations where all three elements might not be
available, printed maps may still be necessary.
Smart and Advancements in computing technologies such as AI have led to the development
autonomous of smart vehicles capable of operating with reduced human intervention. These
vehicles vehicles are typically equipped with advanced sensors, cameras, and computers
that continually collect and process data to navigate roads, detect pedestrians
and make real-time decisions. There are also different levels of automation
available, ranging from basic assistance (e.g., helping drivers stay in lane) to full
automation where no human intervention is needed for the vehicle to operate.
Smart vehicles offer convenience and may indeed be safer than human drivers,
who due to fatigue or other factors, can be susceptible to accidents. However,
if an accident does occur, there are ethical concerns over tasking software to
make complex moral choices such as deciding whether the safety of the vehicle’s
occupants should be prioritised over the safety of pedestrians and other drivers.
Additionally, it remains unclear whether the responsibility for an accident should
rest with the vehicle’s owner or the software developer. As automation becomes
more commonplace, some people who drive for a living may also lose their jobs.
489
Area Description
Traffic In the past, traffic conditions were monitored mainly through manual methods
monitoring (e.g., radio reports from traffic helicopters). Now, with the widespread use of GPS
enabled mobile devices, many mapping services can gather location data from
these devices to track the number and speed of vehicles on the road, allowing
them to offer more accurate traffic condition estimates in real-time.
On the negative side, there are privacy concerns about how such location data
might be misused to track the movements of individuals or to reveal personal
details such as home and work addresses that users may wish to keep private.
Enhanced public Today, contactless payments have replaced physical tickets and fares are
transportation automatically calculated based on where passengers enter and exit the public
transport system. Real-time information on schedules and delays are also readily
available on public displays and mobile devices.
The most important ways computers have impacted the retail industry are summarised in Table 13.4.
Area Description
490
Area Description
Checkout Purchasing items in retail stores used to be a manual process which required
process payment by cash and the manual entry of prices into a cash register. However,
using barcodes and NFC tags, the total cost of purchased items can now be quickly
and accurately determined without the manual entry of prices.
With computers and mobile devices, many stores also accept cashless payments
where transactions are approved over a computer network by the customer’s
bank. The customer’s identity is verified by checking if the customer has a
physical card or by biometric authentication using a mobile device. This offers
greater convenience to customers but increases the risk of fraud.
In some stores, there are automated kiosks that allow customers to perform the
checkout themselves by scanning the barcodes or NFC tags of the items they
wish to purchase. These self-checkout counters reduce wait times and the need
for cashier staff, but they also inconvenience customers and increase the risk of
shoplifting.
Then Now
491
Area Description
E-commerce With the Internet and cashless payments, customers are no longer limited to
making purchases solely in physical stores but can also buy items online. As they
are not limited by physical space, e-commerce sites are often accessible outside
of regular business hours and offer a wider range of products than physical stores.
Many e-commerce sites also track the purchase histories of customers, allowing
them to make personalised recommendations for other products that customers
may be interested in.
While convenient, some customers may prefer physical stores so they can
physically inspect items before purchasing them or to save on shipping costs.
There are also security and privacy concerns regarding whether the information
collected by e-commerce sites (such as purchase history and payment details)
could be made public or misused due to cyberattacks. Many scammers also
pretend to run legitimate online businesses but become uncontactable after
payment is made. As such, it is important to always check the reputation of an
e-commerce site before proceeding with an online purchase.
Then Now
SORRY WE’RE
CLOSED 6pm
Mon-Fri 9am - )
Sat-Sun (close
QUICK
E C K 13.1
CH
1. State whether each of these statements is true or false:
a) Analog communication is more resilient to noise than digital communication.
b) Multiple types of media (e.g., text, images, video) can be transmitted via digital communication.
c) A large amount of manual effort is needed to personalise learning if static learning materials are used.
d) Collaborative learning over the Internet requires all participants to be online at the same time.
e) GPS location requires the visibility of GPS satellites.
f) It is not possible for autonomous vehicles to cause a traffic accident.
g) Self-checkout counters reduce wait times but inconvenience customers.
h) Physical stores typically have a wider range of products than e-commerce stores.
2. Give two examples of the impact of computers in each of the following industries:
a) Communications industry
b) Education industry
c) Transportation industry
d) Retail industry
492
13.2 Proliferation of False oods
LEARNING OUTCOMES
5.3.1 <&)*'"3%4/;%./$%)2,(,.",3%,-%+,0"'*%($6"'%),+.+%:'+$6%,3%$35'5$($3.%2'.$%/$*)+%.,%6$*"#$2%
2$*$#'3.%0,3.$3.%.,%1+$2+%:1.%0'3%'*+,%*$'6%.,%./$%)2,*"-$2'.",3%,-%-'*+$/,,6+E
5.3.2 <&)*'"3%/,4%./$%>2,.$0.",3%-2,(%F3*"3$%G'*+$/,,6+%'36%H'3")1*'.",3%I0.%@>FGHIA%$3':*$+%
./$%5,#$23($3.%.,%.'0D*$%./$%+)2$'6%,-%-'D$%3$4+%:;7
8% $+.':*"+/"35%-"3$+%'36J,2%)2"+,3%.$2(+%-,2%$35'5"35%"3%)2,/":".$6%'0."#"."$+K
8% ,).",3'**;%2$L1"2"35%,M$36$2+%.,%)1.%1)%'%0,22$0.",3%3,."0$%,2%.,%.'D$%6,43%./$%-'*+$/,,6K%
'36
8% "6$3."-;"35%+".$+%./'.%2$)$'.$6*;%+)2$'6%-'*+$/,,6+E
ERMS
As discussed in section 13.1.1, the Internet has enabled
the rise of social media where users can create and share
KEY T
content (i.e., posts) with other users. For many social Engagement rate
media sites, users do not always have full control over A measure of how much other users
which posts they see. Instead, social media sites typically actively interact with a social media post
use algorithms to determine which posts are promoted
and featured prominently in the feed where content from Feed (social media)
other users are displayed. A feature of social media sites where
posts from other users are displayed as a
One key factor considered by these algorithms is a post’s continuously updated stream of content
engagement rate that measures how much other users
actively interact with a post, such as by clicking on it Post (social media)
to view more details, commenting on it, sharing it with Any content (e.g., text, pictures, videos,
other users, “liking” it and so on. Assuming that users links) shared by a user on social media
are more likely to interact with posts that are relevant to
them, a post’s engagement rate thus measures how likely
the post is of interest to other users.
Social media sites promote posts based on engagement rates for three main reasons:
Prioritising posts with high Prioritising posts with high The main source of revenue
engagement ensures that users engagement rewards creators for most social media sites
see posts that they are more who make interesting content is advertising. Engagement
likely to find interesting. This with more visibility and a larger is evidence that users are
helps the social media site audience. This incentivises paying attention to a post and
deliver more relevant content, creators to produce content social media sites can charge
increasing the site’s potential that users are interested in and advertisers higher rates for
value and usefulness to users. are likely to engage with. placing ads around content
with high engagement rates.
493
U
DID YO
KNOW?
While these reasons
make sense, the practice
of promoting posts with
high engagement rates
has sometimes led to the
Most social media sites do not solely rely on a single overall engagement unintended consequence of
rate to determine which posts to promote. Instead, they analyse each proliferating harmful content
user’s past interactions with various posts to construct a profile of (e.g., abuse, harassment)
each user’s preferences and interests. Based on this profile, social and falsehoods. This is
media sites can curate and prioritise content that that has the highest because high engagement
engagement rate for similar users, making promoted posts even more does not imply desirable or
personalised. accurate content.
These profiles are also useful for social media sites to increase For instance, some posts
advertising revenue by charging advertisers higher rates if they wish attract users interaction by
to target their ads to users with specific interests or online behaviours. provoking outrage or other
Advertisers are willing to pay these higher costs in exchange for strong negative emotions.
reaching a more engaged and interested audience, resulting in a better As a result, some unethical
return on their advertising investment. creators are incentivised
to post falsehoods or half-
Additionally, an unintended consequence of featuring content based truths that deliberately omit
on user preferences is that some users may find themselves in a crucial context to garner
“bubble”, where their social media feed only contains content that they attention. They may also
agree with. These users are thus at risk of underexposure to alternative post controversial opinions
viewpoints and become susceptible to communities that propagate that are intentionally divisive
misinformation. or insensitive to entice user
comments.
Another tactic employed by unethical creators to generate posts with high engagement involves
impersonating notable individuals or companies. They may also use AI to produce realistic yet fabricated
media depicting situations or events that never actually occurred, making it difficult for users to discern
truth from falsehoods (see Chapter 14).
To defend against the proliferation of falsehoods, users should practice good media literacy skills when
browsing social media. Before taking the content of a post at face value, it is important to assess the
source’s trustworthiness, seek supporting evidence from other sources and to read beyond the headline
for additional context.
If you believe that you have found a harmful post, many social media sites provide ways for users to flag
content that is inaccurate or misleading. This is one way that social media sites try to disincentivise creators
from manufacturing high engagement through harmful means.
To tackle the spread of fake news, in 2019 the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act
(POFMA) was passed by the Parliament of Singapore. The law specifically targets false statements of fact
that are communicated in Singapore through the Internet and are against the public interest. It is not
intended to cover opinions, criticisms, satire or parody.
If an offender is found to have engaged in prohibited activities under the Act, they may be subject to
imprisonment, a fine or both.
494
In most cases, the offender may be issued with a “Correction Direction”. This requires them to put up a
correction notice against the original post that provides a warning about the falsehood and a clarification
of the facts.
In more serious cases, the offender may be issued with a “Stop Communication Direction”. This requires
them to take down the original post with the falsehood.
The Act also lets the government blacklist sites that repeatedly spread falsehoods (i.e., by spreading 3 or
more different falsehoods which are the subject of active Directions within the preceding 6 months). These
identified sites are called “Declared Online Locations” and will not be allowed to profit from spreading
falsehoods in Singapore.
QUICK 3 . 2
K 1
CHEC
1. A social network has a feature that marks some user accounts, mainly journalists and celebrities, as “verified”.
The process to gain this “verified” status requires manual verification and assessment of noteworthiness.
a) Suggest why this feature exists and what it may be designed to prevent.
b) The social network decides to change its policy so any user account can obtain the “verified” status by
having a credit card associated with the account and by paying a monthly fee. Suggest some benefits and
risks to users with this change in policy.
2. An online news site is found to have published false information that contravenes POFMA.
a) Suppose this is the site’s first offence. State two possible consequences.
b) Now suppose that the site has committed such offences repeatedly. What additional consequence may
there be?
W
REVIE
E STI ON
Q U
1. Explain how the growth of mobile computing has impacted the accessibility of communication tools.
2. Describe two ways in which the introduction of the Internet has impacted the accessibility of education.
3. Autonomous vehicles present some ethical challenges. Describe a possible ethical challenge that society may
have to face when fully autonomous vehicles that operate without human intervention become commonplace.
4. Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of self-checkout counters for retailers.
5. Social media sites typically promote posts with high engagement rates.
a) Suggest two statistics that a social media site might measure to determine the engagement rate of a post.
b) Suggest one ethical approach and one unethical approach to producing content that is likely to have a high
engagement rate.
495
ANSWER
496
ANSWER
Pg. 495-Review Questions
1. Mobile computing has made communication devices smaller and more portable, allowing people and
businesses to be contactable anywhere and anytime, significantly increasing communication accessibility.
b) Any ethical approach out of the following (accept any possible answer):
• Creating content that is informative, entertaining and/or inspiring to generate interest among users.
• Being inclusive, sensitive and/or respectful to avoid driving away users.
Any unethical approach out of the following (accept any possible answer):
• Spreading falsehoods or half-truths that purposely leave out important context to attract attention.
• Posting controversial opinions that are intentionally divisive or insensitive, so users are enticed to comment.
• Impersonating notable people or companies.
497