Personal computer, famously known as a PC used to be a rare gadget back then in the early 2000s. Rarely anyone possessed it at home! People used to go to cyber cafes to do every single project or to fill forms at a minimal rate at which services were offered. It used to be costly enough as well as people took time to adapt to the new digital environment. They were not ready enough in terms of their children’s security to possess it at home. But as time finds ways to let everything seep and settle in, so did it find a way for this too. As compared to the previous data off 2005, with the one of 2020, we find a huge rise in the graph of the same. People are rapidly changing their lifestyle. Every family has as many numbers of mobile phones as many hands in the family which is quite progressive when compared to the previous data.
So, let us have a glance at how personal computers have changed lives for many and how every day has changed with its emergence and active use.
1) EASE OF COMMUNICATION: No doubt when you have a personal computer, you get to interact with immense ease with all your relatives and friends. And unlike cellphones, you can be connected with them all at once! Right from an email to a video call, there's nothing one can't do with a computer. If there's a message you want to spread virally, you can just spread it through your free of cost advertiser- that is your PC! Amazing! Right? Those PCs which have an inbuilt microphone are the ones which can be easily used for calling on landline numbers or any phone. This is what technology has brought in the scene, the ease of communication with all your long lost friends!
2) INFORMATION CHANNEL: I have been the happiest to receive this amazing personal computer from day 1 since it has been my most authentic information channel! With the arrival of the internet, people have started googling things in just a jiffy! And with a personal computer at hand, it seems really easy to search for anything. Whether it's a project that I have to make or it's about taking a doctor's appointment online, it is all a game of a second! Not just that, there are several files which can be read offline too by clicking on to the download option. It feels as if I have an entire virtual encyclopaedia running with me 24/7.
3) FUN AND RECREATION: When you own a computer, you are never going to get bored for sure. There are zillion options to amaze you online and offline both! There are games, novels, comics, movies, web series, digital artwork software, social media and the list goes on to being unreckonable. These things can make you interact with many new people holding on to the same hobbies and interests as you. Isn't that interesting? Thou it has been a hotly debated topic whether computers are as good as conventional games. But concluding the same, we know that each of them has its own values and relevance. So, yes for fun and recreation, for having a group that inspires you online, you can make good use of computers.
4) EASE OF ECONOMY: Yes, it may seem and sound ironical that computer enhances ease of economy. But it is true! One may wonder how can a device so costly ease down monetary budget? It is a kind of product concept of commerce. It is of such an advanced quality that it acts as your asset and saves you from doing unwanted petty variable expenditure. You do not need to go to market for books very often, you do not need to buy many gaming equipments, you do not need to go to places for checking out your business aspects. Rather you can google it all on the internet with the help of your personal computer! One device and it's all sorted!
5) EASE OF OPERATION: No doubt there are several other devices which facilitate the same features and activities that a computer does. But can they all provide it to you at a big screen with differentiated keys? No! That's what makes computers still hold on to their importance in the market. It makes it really easy for users to operate their data on a wider screen. Whether it's about office documents like spreadsheets or it's about school PowerPoint presentation, one can enjoy making the same on a big screen with least chance of mistakes commission. So, that way it's an amazing device allowing you a minute range of vision to all your important documents!
6) PRIVACY ASSURANCE: When we say the term personal computer, we mean it! Of course, it can be used by many members of a family, but you always have a sense of privacy with features like personal folders. Also, before the affordability of personal computers, people used to roam around in search of cyber cafes to have one single form filled. But now that I and people like me around can afford to buy the same, it has become very easy and private for people to keep their data safe and access the same as and when required.
7) QUALITY ASSURANCE: One thing that personal computer grants all its users is quality assurance. Whether it's a project or a presentation, you have a big screen, a quick responder to facilitate you with all the information required. Also, one thing that I have realised post buying my own personal computer that the quality of your projects improve drastically once you start making it on your PC. You can envision things better and clearer since you can see it all at once. You do not need to scroll the screen data from left to right just to see what you have typed yet. This gets you less tired and allows you to have a better quality of work that you do.
Having taken a glance at the advantages that having a personal computer gives me, now let's move ahead to the disadvantages of the same.
1) SCREEN ADDICTION: The personal computer, due to being personal and at an ease of access, can make you really addicted. Even scientists have approved of the phenomenon called screen addiction! Yes, it is true and it happens! The wires of the brain get so used to of the digital rays that after a certain time, it becomes habitual of the same. And post that your brain lacks interest in the real world around rather it loves wandering virtually! So, this is one fine advantage of having a personal computer. Thou it is not as effective on all age groups because of the idea of the world. By this, we mean that the old aged people are less interested and addicted to devices than the younger ones. The young mind is more prone to such things as they have seen less of the real world and are directly going ahead with the virtual one. While the old aged people already have their mind well wired to be indulged in to a new world so much. So, beware of overtime on screen. It can ruin concentration and interaction skills in kids too.
2) ABSOLUTE DEPENDENCE: Possessing a personal computer makes you extremely dependant. Since the very day that I have brought it, I have become absolute dependant on it for every other information. Right from filling my electricity bills to watching movies, the computer is all I log in to! At times it seems like a boon but can be one hell of a bane when you become dependent. You avoid going out and socially interacting with people and choose to enjoy things online at home. Ahead of that, you forget substitutions of certain things as you think PC is the only way you are going to get every information. For instance, apps like Grammarly can make you dependant to check every write up of yours for mistakes. This limits your sense of learning and makes you a dull learner. So, that way it makes you a servant rather than a master!
3) LOSS OF PRIVACY: This is one debatable fact. It seems like whatever we store on our personal computer is at privacy. But is it really that safe? There is data available online that approves of the fact that what we store online or in our computer is stored somewhere that we have no idea of. Every computer is connected to one large system where all these information find their home! Also, all these information are at quick risk of being hacked. Any potential hacker can hack your account or do something that is famously known as identity theft. This identity theft can allow them to access all your credit cards, social media profiles etc with just one click. This can not just cause you loss of money but a loss of reputation too! Ahead of that, there are several viruses that can affect the files stored on your PC. This can replicate the files, delete something important etc. There are several anti-virus software one can buy but all this is a real-time taking task. So, that way having a computer is one hectic deal.
4) WASTAGE OF TIME: As good as it is, it can be as disadvantageous too! Computers have a loss of information stored on them and this can kill a lot of your productive time. You are doing one work and there's another link that pops up, clicking on which you lose out on another one hour. Also, when we come to social media like Facebook and Instagram, there's such an overload of information on them that it can eat up a lot of your brain space and it's time. This overload of information is one fine strategy of public engagement by platforms like Facebook but at the same time one big havoc for us. It becomes so addictive that you tend to read several articles at one go which is not just bad for eyes but also for the brain!
5) PHYSICAL ISSUES: Yes, if you have a computer with you, you are sure to have physical issues like migraine, backache etc. According to a survey report by a team of doctors from the US , it has been found out that 90 out of 100 individuals who use personal computers are prone or affected by issues like survical illness, mental illness, short temperament etc. These issues do not come in a day! Rather it is caused due to a habitual engagement on the computer for long hours without any break. Ahead of that, the computer engages people so much that they do zero physical activity or interact with the real world. This makes them even more lackadaisical making their health even worse.
6) DEPRESSION AND MENTAL HEALTH: It may seem like depression is something far off from you. But having a computer exposes you to all such possibilities where you are sure to get depressed. Social media trolls, like on Instagram or Facebook comments or hacking profile and exploiting someone; these are some of the things that are often seen online. And now that you have a personal computer and you operate it enough to be active on all such platforms, you become too much at risk of all such exploitations. The trolling trend on social media is something that has caused many people to suicide and several others to fall into depression. When one joke goes online, people don't realise that their single like on the same can cause someone to end their life. There is a strong need for amendment in cybercrime act before we can actually enjoy being with our personal computer so much!
In a nutshell, it is an open card that " Technology is a bad master but a good servant". But having said that it's us who needs to decide whether we grant it the place of a master in our lives or a servant. So by striking a balance between our virtual and real-world, technology can really be an absolute boon!s.