GEN 110: Computers and Society

Dr. R. M. Siegfried

Assignment #2 - Are computers worth it?

Due Friday, October 2, Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Most new technologies make our lives easier in many ways, but frequently carry a "down" slide. For example, television viewing is blamed for lowering literacy because so many people are more interested in watching the "boob tube" instead of reading for pleasure. Similarly, the photocopier makes it easier to mass-distribute all kinds of documentation, but has led to an enormous amount of waste.

Computers allow us to produce flawless documents and art work, perform all kinds of complex calculations, communication at low cost with people all over the world and access information from all over the world. But it has also led to wholesale, easy forgery, lower math literacy, and the widespread dissemination of hate literature and intellectual garbage.

Write a 2-3 page paper where you demonstrate why the world is a better place because of the computers. Try to convince the reader that the problems are far less important than the good that its invention has done.

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