Evolution of new technology in the information and technology industry

Because of new and innovative social media and collaborative online tools, the evolution of new technology in the information and technology industry is fast changing the business sector, allowing organizations to globalize their operations while still running them from a centralized location (Yang & Li, 2016). After all, collaboration is not a new concept in the workplace, but these devices allow employees to stay linked in real time but from different physical areas. Because of quicker internet connections and cloud computing, numerous people nowadays want to work from home (Cassidy et al., 2016). Use of collaborative tools among students is becoming increasingly relevant from working on class projects during weekends and summer holidays without necessarily having to meet in persons. As collaborative tools continue to grow, relevance in learning institutions, developers are putting more emphasizes in sharing of physical characteristics of users, (Leimeister, 2014). These tools include:

Skype

Making a phone call to family, colleagues and friends become a natural means of communication in today’s world. However, charges on phone calls would limit time spent by individuals on conversations (Cassidy et al., 2016). That is when Skype was introduced into the market and caught the imagination of millions of users globally who were already feeling the pinch of making calls particularly international calls. Skype allows users to make free voice calls to other users in the network.

Advantages of using Skype

Channels of communication

Skype offers multiple channels of communication, for example, users have a choice of video conferencing, chat or integrating one-to many voices in real time (Leimeister, 2014). This comes in handy when circumstances do not allow an individual to avail themselves in person to an early meeting point, take for instance a class assignment that has to be submitted Monday morning when the only time available is on the weekend, and the students cannot meet physically during that period.

Cost

Skype allows users to make free voice calls to other users on the network, and this came in handy at a time when many phone users were unhappy about the cost of making international calls. The introduction of a tool that could offer free voice calls meant a break through resulting in millions of Skype being installed by users (Leimeister, 2014). Collaborators say Skype offer them longer and frequent interactions while limiting cost.

Ease of use and reliability

Today the communication app can be downloaded into iPhones and Android phones for free, while most organizations and individuals use smart phones and tablets, the app ensure they are always contacted with colleagues even on the go.

The tool is easier to use and learn from, the user needs to install the software from Microsoft store or apple store, with mail account, user name, and internet connection the individual will be able to link to other users (Cassidy et al., 2016). The tool also offers suggestions to new on who to connect with from their contacts making it easy for integration into individual contacts.

Recording capabilities

Skype also offers features such as recording capabilities which have been intensively exploited by users in the research filed to create educational podcasts that are later shared with the contacts and helping to communicate their findings to their links without necessary being there in person.

A pie chart showing benefits of Skype

Source: http://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/skype-for-business-pbx-integration-vs- replacement/

Disadvantages of Skype

Technical problems

The communication just like any other online communication platform is associated with technical issues that could result in failures at one time. These could be drop in connections, camera malfunction and sound quality leading to a choppy video that can make video conferencing frustrating (Cassidy et al., 2016). Moreover, Skype technology requires 3Gor Wi-Fi network services to run smoothly, hence need for investment in equipment that can present the financial challenge to certain individuals.

Loss of interpersonal skills and insecurity

Frequent use of online platforms such as Skype could result into loss of interpersonal relationships among users that require physical interaction by individuals as they only engage in charts from screens.

Online communication leaves their users at the mercies of hackers and Government who occasionally take full advantage of users to wiretap their conversations causing a security breach into the system. Although governments deny wiretapping, cyber bullying is increasingly becoming common within online platform users.

Twitter

As Skype focuses on to bring everyone together despite his or her location, twitter, on the other hand, is focusing on sharing ideas of what a group of society in proximity thinks, thereby supporting micro-interactions.

Ease of use and cost

Twitter is incredibly easy to use, after successfully opening an account, which is free all details that you need are always at your fingertip. From the home page your welcome by tweets from other accounts that you follow, moreover, your messages and notifications are easily accessible. Therefore, you can start promoting your business or sharing your ideas.

Availability and reliability

Opening twitter account is free to all users. Interested individuals are free to download the application for smart phones such as iPhone and Android phones, or computer. All the users need is an internet connection.

A picture showing twitter ease of use

Source: http://www.techsnapr.com/category/twitter/

Advantages

The Twitter account gives users immediate feedback in real-time. It is fast, when you post on it, the people following your account receive the tweet immediately. Therefore, offering business owners a feature to test their new campaign strategies and get the instant reaction (Cassidy et al., 2016). As a result, many companies now buy twitter followers to increase their sales.

A picture showing twitter accessibility

Source:https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/styles/large/public/media/HiRes%20%2839%29_0.jpg?itok=2Cs1thPl

Disadvantages

Text based communication channel

Twitter is mostly text-based since it does not offer its users ability to upload videos to their accounts, but instead one can only add the link to different sites. Therefore, those who like sharing videos and photos not find it ideal and competitive as other online tools like Skype.

Character limitations

To use twitter account actually, one should be able to articulate their ideas in 140 characters, since that is the limited tweet style available to users (Cassidy et al., 2016). To use more than 140 characters, you must consider third party applications; hence, if you have the problem expressing your thoughts in just 140 characters, you will find twitter challenging to use.

Google Docs

Not long ago collaboration to work on the same document meant passing the material back and forth between authors making the process tedious and time wasting, but now Google docs offer the collaborators opportunity to work on shared document in real time on an online platform (Yang & Li, 2016). This is creating an opportunity for students and researchers for real-time peer editing and collaborating on projects.

A picture showing accessibility Google docs

Source: http://s3.amazonaws.com/heroku-ldatschool/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/30193715/Google-Docsgroup.jpg

Reliability and cost

According to Yang & Li (2016), Google docs are available free to users even as some cloud computing services charge fees and the documents are stored on Google servers, so one does not need to worry even his or her computer’s hard drive crashes.

Disadvantage

Like other online platforms Google Docs faces technical challenges such as network connection, one must connect to the network. While on the other hand, certain companies and individuals prefer having physical documents where they are in control unlike having their necessary credentials host remotely somewhere else (Yang & Li, 2016).

Conclusion

As a student, I prefer to use technology that will integrate into my activities more naturally and gives me an opportunity to what I want and to communicate to anyone I want to talk to within my time and space. Therefore, it should be readily available and user-friendly. Skype offers me an opportunity to communicate with colleagues in college and family at favorable low cost. However, online platforms come with limitations and Skype, twitter, and Google docs are not excluded, to use these principles one’s needs, connected devices such as smart phones or computers and internet connections. Computers are becoming cheaper to afford today than in the past due to competition in the hardware manufacture industry while software prices remain high.

References

Cassidy, A., Fu, G., Valley, W., Lomas, C., Jovel, E., &Riseman, A. (2016). Flexible Learning Strategies in First through Fourth-Year Courses.Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 9, 83.

Leimeister, J. M. (2014). Kollaborationswerkzeuge (Collaboration Tools).Collaboration Engineering, 12, 209-260.

Yang, S. Q., & Li, L. (2016).Online Collaboration Tools.Emerging Technologies for Librarians, 3, 249-268.