1. Unit G042: ICT solutions for individuals and society
Task 7: The impact of the availability of electronic information on individuals and society

2. Availability of information report
Produce a report that explains the impact of the availability of electronic information on individuals and society, and the effect on those who do not have access to ICT
words
½ page on own experience
1 page on business experience
½ page on digital divide

3. Assessment evidence grid
Mark Band 1
Mark Band 2
Mark Band 3
The candidate describes how the availability
of electronic information affects people and situations they are familiar with, such as the candidate and their family;
The report may contain errors in spelling,
punctuation and grammar;
The candidate explains clearly how the availability of electronic information affects people and situations they are familiar with, such as the candidate and their family, and
society in general and individuals within it, including people and situations outside their normal experience;
The report will contain few spelling, punctuation and grammar errors;
The candidate explains in detail how the
availability of electronic information affects
people and situations they are familiar with,
such as the candidate and their family, and
society in general and individuals within it,
including people and situations outside their
normal experience, including how
organisations now communicate with
individuals and society and the effect on
those who do not have (or want) access to
ICT;
The report will be consistently well-structured and there will be few, if any, spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.
0-3
4-5
6-7

4. Characteristics of work
Mark Band 1
Mark Band 2
Mark Band 3
Candidates describe the effects of the availability of information in
personal terms, such as their ability to access information on this
qualification by accessing the OCR website, or the ability of their parents to find train or flight information and book tickets on-line – the
report will be made up of examples, with little attempt to explain the
effects;
Candidates provide some explanation of the impacts of the availability
of electronic information on themselves and their family and then
broaden the scope of their explanations to include individuals and situations outside their normal experience – this may include: people
with disabilities, people who live in remote locations, early warning
systems, earthquake detection systems, introduction of wireless
access in Africa, political restrictions on access, etc.;
Although some errors may be present, these should not be of the type that a spell or grammar checker would identify;
In addition to evidence generated for Mark Band 2, candidates include in their more detailed explanations the increased use by organisations of , websites and other ICT to communicate with their customers individually, and with society in general, through ICT-based advertising;
They explain in detail the effects of this increased use of electronic
communication on those who do not have (or want) access to ICT;
There will be very few errors in the report, which will be well-structured with headings and sub-headings and with explanations presented in a logical order.

5. Positive impacts
Businesses – cost savings, efficiency, access to prospective customers
Users – fast, easy access to information
Available 24/7
More leisure time?
The environment – less paper

6. Negative impacts Impact on health Spam Less social contact
Obesity, lack of fresh air, repetitive strain injury
Information overload leads to stress
Spam
Less social contact
Advertising and resulting peer pressure
Security, privacy and threat of viruses
Coursework – copying, plagiarism, copyright
Music, video & software – piracy
Cyber bullying – anonymous
Credit card fraud and Phishing

7. People who don’t want electronic information
The Plymouth Brethren
See BBC website for information
Forbidden activities include:
Watching TV, listening to radio, going to university
The Amish
Reluctance to adopt modern convenience
No electricity, phones, cars
Older people who don’t want to use computers
Sir Clive Sinclair, inventor of the ZX80 computer
See article on The Guardian website

8. Some companies/services require the public to have electronic access
Online banking and electronic billing – pay less if paperless and use direct debit
Some retailers are online only e.g. Amazon
Access to education e.g. The Open University
Transport
Cheaper to buy tickets online
Some airlines only take bookings online e.g. Ryan Air
Insurance – cheaper online
Government – online tax returns etc.
Schools – use of VLEs for homework

9. The digital divide Old vs young
Schools that spend money on ICT vs those that don’t
Able bodied vs disabled
Middle classes vs lower classes
Gordon Brown article in Guardian 22/3/10
…market-driven process which would "create two nations: one digitally privileged, one digitally deprived“
Developed world vs developing/third world