It is a fair assessment to say that technology changes the way people live, work and play. Generally speaking, most technology has the intention of making life better, but sometimes there are consequences that technology creators do not always foresee. There are social and ethical implications to almost every new, major invention, and in the modern era, some of the most significant hail from the field of information technology.

While you might associate the terms ‘social issues’ and ‘ethical issues’ with something negative, the growth of IT is anything but. Granted, the Internet has its share of problems (piracy, identify theft and a loss of traditional social interaction), but it has a great number of social benefits too. For example, the Internet effectively erases national borders, cultural barriers and communication challenges. For the sake of this Discussion, what do you think is the most important social issue raised by the growth of IT? How do you think societies can best address the issue?

To complete this Discussion:

Post: Create an initial post in which you analyse what you think is the most important social or ethical issue raised by the explosion of IT in modern society. In your post, summarise this issue and explain why you believe it is so significant. Also, analyse how IT gave rise to your selected social/ethical issue and explain how you think societies can best address it.