The far-reaching changes taking place as a result of ICT developments touch many aspects of our lives.ICT now provides us with the means to process, store, retrieve and communicate a vast amount of information in digital form. This digital information is communicated irrespective of whether it encodes text, data, sound or video. This has hugely enhanced the variety and quantity of information that individuals and organizations can communicate on a virtually instantaneous basis.
The following illustrates just some of the changes that the digital revolution is bringing to our lives:
- An ever-growing number of businesses and families at home are profiting from high-speed computer links (via modems using standard phone lines, TV cables or ADSL, via digital interfaces to ISDN or Ethernet networks, or via mobile GSM or GPRS technologies). This will enable much easier and richer access to new services such as distance learning. With physical distance from the teacher no longer a constraint, individuals and educational institutes alike can 'attend' lectures taking place far away and access information stored elsewhere, thereby broadening the scope and possibilities of education. Distance learning complements the increasing focus on life-long learning for all, as it makes it easier for people to follow education and training courses without having to move or leave their current employment.
- The convergence of satellite, cellular telephony and computer technologies means that we can communicate with people all around the world -while we ourselves are on the move. This is already possible using GSM (within Europe) or dual-mode (for transatlantic journeys) cellular phones, notebook computers for connecting with colleagues based in offices all around the world, or satellite phones for more extreme applications.
- It is increasingly easy for us to live and work where we choose, rather than being forced to commute to particular locations, such as city centres. Those of us who are unable to leave the house, or who live in a geographically isolated region, can now be fully integrated into the labour market. This helps fight de-population of rural areas.
- Teleworking is helping to improve Europeans' quality of life. With more people able to work from home - or from almost any other location that they choose - traffic congestion in overcrowded city centres may be reduced. The range of employment options available to us will also rise, along with the range of choices within each job.
- Most Europeans can access important services without having to travel to a particular location. For example, we can now pay bills, check a bank balance or communicate with our bank manager without having to travel to a bank outlet. This increases the convenience of such services. But ICT is also increasing the quality of important services. Telemedicine, for instance, gives doctors greater resources that include health applications networks linking patients and their local doctor with specialists all over the world, who will have been able to study laboratory results, X-rays and other medical information sent to them electronically. Patients therefore benefit from the advice of the top medical experts, wherever they are located.
- People with special needs, such as people with physical disabilities and the elderly, can now access a multitude of information and entertainment services from around the world. This can help alleviate problems caused by a reduction in mobility. As electronic commerce becomes more common, distributors can now more easily sell products across the world and - if need be - around the clock, in a truly global market that is not constrained by geography or time-zones. Electronic commerce provides smaller companies with a very practical and cheap medium through which to advertise and sell their products, and gives enterprises around the world a larger market to aim at. The consumer is also benefiting. From work or the home, we can 'shop' for a range of goods and services from around the world, giving us greatly expanded choices and lower prices.
