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Digital Planet, an Analysis:

Society and Their Technological Awareness

Kirsten Collingwood
040 771 086

BUS2302: Information Technology and the Business Student

Darin McRae
September 22nd, 2014

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

II

Survey at a Glance

III

The Purpose
i.

The Topic

ii.

The Objectives

The Method

i.

Approval and Consent

ii.

The Method of Administration

iii.

Population Surveyed

iv.

Administration

The Survey

VI

The Analysis

12

VII

The Conclusion

15

Bibliography

18

IV

Apendix I

Digital Planet: Executive Summary

Survey at a Glance

A survey has been conducted to determine our younger

generations awareness of the technology that surrounds them and
the potential hazards associated with the technology, both on the
environment and on the user.

The Topic

The survey covers data on associated health risks, negative effects

of computers on the environment, and emerging technologies for
input, output, and user verification. The survey takes a look into
the amount of knowledge that the 1990s generation possesses on
the technology that they have grown up around.

The Purpose

To determine how knowledgeable the younger demographic is on

the negatives of technology and to see if their knowledge is a
major factor on the amount of time spent using technology.

The Method

A young demographic, both males and females aged 14 24, were

surveyed via online multiple choice questions that were posted for
a week online.

The Results

The study revealed that this generation falls unaware of the hazards
of the technology that surrounds them and that the lack of
awareness greatly affect their amount of personal computer use.

Digital Planet: Survey at a Glance

The 2014 Society and their Technological Awareness Survey is a survey conducted in
collaboration with Algonquin Colleges Information Technology and the Business Student
course. For the 2014 survey, the survey was conducted on the 1990s generation, males and
females aged 14 24 years. The focus of the 2014 Society and their Technological Awareness
Survey is on technology (including emerging input, output and biometric (user verification
devices)), the effect of technology on the environment, as well as health issues associated with
extensive computer use. The survey provides information about the 1990s generation and
whether their knowledge of these effects, both environmentally and physically, affects their dayto-day technological usage.

The 2014 Society and their Technological Awareness Survey is restricted to a population of 40
people surveyed in Canada. Included are graphs, applicable percentiles, and the average answer
among the people surveyed.

Digital Planet: The Purpose

The Topic
The survey covers data on the associated health risks related to extensive computer use, the
negative effects of computers on the environment, and emerging technologies for input, output
and user verification. Specifically, emerging technologies presents society with new, innovative
technologies and applications in a variety of fields that range from displays and input devices, to
innovations in the medical industry. With the growing needs of society and the fast paced
technological innovations that todays society presents, we wonder how much generations that
have grown up around these technologies know about their harmful effects. This survey looks
into the amount of knowledge that the 1990s generation possesses on technology and these
effects and determines whether their inherent or lack of knowledge is connected to the amount of
day-to-day computer use.

The Objectives
The primary aim of the 2014 Society and their Technological Awareness Survey in Canada was
to assess the knowledge of the 1990s generation on the technology that they have grown up
around and the effects of the emerging technologies in todays society, and to see if there is a
connection between their knowledge and the amount of time spent using technology.

The objectives were:

1. To determine the overall knowledge of the specified population on the health risks
associated with computer use.

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2. To determine the overall knowledge of the specified population on the negative effects
that computers have on the environment.
3. To determine how much they know about emerging technologies for input, output, and
user verification (biometrics).
4. To report on possible trends associated with the knowledge of these specific areas of
technology and the amount of time the population spends using technology.
5. To further inform the population surveyed of the different technologies and provide them
with detailed information if they were unaware.

Digital Planet: The Method

Approval and Consent

Approval for the 2014 survey was granted by Darin McRae, professor of Information
Technology and the Business Student on September 9th when this assignment became available.

Consent from individual people was obtained at the time of the survey, whether or not
parental/guardian consent had already been obtained. Since the survey was posted online and
answers were anonymous, consent by individuals was implied in the completion of the survey.
The survey introduction was provided to give the population surveyed background information
on the purpose of the survey and that the survey was confidential, completely voluntary, and
anonymous. If participants were unsure of the answer or did not feel comfortable providing an
answer, there was a skip button available, while still being able to submit the survey to the
surveyor. At the time of completion, and only after being submitted, the responses of the people
surveyed became available.

The Method of Administration

The 2014 Society and their Technological Awareness Survey was conducted via an online
questionnaire. Approved participants indicated their responses by selecting the appropriate
answer on the screen. The content of the questionnaire was based on technology and comprised
of 10 multiple-choice questions. Prior to the survey being conducted, information was requested

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on the year of birth, the demographics, and the gender of the person(s). Through this process, we
were able to ensure that the people answering the survey questions fell in the appropriate age
range (14 24) and lived in Canada.

To determine if there was a correlation between the knowledge of the individuals and their
computer use, the survey also inquired about the amount of time the user spends on the
computer, on average, in a day.

Population Surveyed

The population surveyed consisted of males and females between the ages of 14 24 that live in
Canada. This population was surveyed to determine how much the generation (1990s) that grew
up around the emerging technologies knows about how harmful technologies are, both
environmentally and physically, and to determine whether that knowledge relates to their daily
computer use.

Administration

The survey was administered via online software, specifically SurveyMonkey. Through this
website, I was able to create and publish the online survey and gain a lot of response in the time
frame allotted. This survey was posted from September 14th September 21st, 2014 via online
questionnaire.

Digital Planet: The Survey

Please indicate your age:

0 14

14 24

25 35

36 +

Please indicate your gender:

Male

Female

Please indicate your average daily amount of computer use:

Less than 1 hour

1 3 hours

3 5 hours

5 + hours

Questionnaire:

1. When it comes to extensive computer use, are there any health risks involved? If
yes, what are the associated risks?
a. No, there are no associated health risks involved.
b. Carpal tunnel syndrome and obesity are associated with extensive computer use.
c. Yes, musculoskeletal (muscle soreness and muscle fatigue) and vision problems.
d. Stress disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, and vision problems.
e. C and D.
2. On a scale of 1 5, how would you rate your knowledge of technology?
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3. Facial thermography is a biometric technology that enables the user to detect heat
patterns to detect when a person is lying.

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a. True.
b. False.
4. Computers can be disposed of in the garbage.
a. Yes, they are considered normal garbage and go out with the trash.
b. Only computer monitors can be thrown in the trash, towers contain hazardous
materials that are unsafe for the environment.
c. No, computers cannot be disposed of in the garbage because they are considered
to be hazardous to the environment and to our health.
d. Only laptops and cellphones can be thrown out because they are considered to be
less hazardous and are safe to be disposed of in the regular garbage.
e. No, computers contain hazardous and non-biodegradable materials, they have
toxic materials that can cause cancer, and they need to be disposed of using
special methods.
5. When it comes to computer use, smaller devices, such as tablets and smart phones,
are less harmful to your health.
a. True.
b. False.
6. What are biometric devices?
a. The device used to study biological data.
b. A measurement system, like the metric and imperial systems.
c. A database that stores DNA data, such as fingerprints, voice patterns and hand
measurements.
d. A database that scans, compares and stores DNA data.

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e. All of the above.
7. A device used to put information onto a computer is called an input device. Which
of the following are input devices?
a. Mouse and keyboard.
b. Bridge and touch screen computer.
c. The user.
d. Light pen and optical mark reader.
e. A and C.
f. All of the above.
g. A, B and D.
8. Computer Vision Syndrome is a condition that is caused by people staring at a
computer for too long.
a. True.
b. False.
9. Disks, CDs, hard drives, cell phones and DVDs are all considered to be input and
output devices.
a. True.
b. False.
10. Computing devices, such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart phones, and
computers, all cause pollution.
a. True.
b. False.

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Digital Planet: The Analysis

As addressed earlier, the population surveyed consisted on males and females, aged 14 24, that
live in Canada. We were able to assess that the persons completing this questionnaire fit into this
category by forming pre-survey questions, as seen in the sample survey above. Overall, there
were a total of 40 people surveyed from September 14th September 21st, females accounting for
60% (24/40) of the people surveyed. The results are as follows:

Question 1: When asked about the potential health risks involved, 20% stated that there were no
associated health risks, 60% were aware that carpal tunnel syndrome and obesity were both
associated with extensive computer use, and only 20% were aware that carpal tunnel syndrome,
obesity, musculoskeletal (muscle soreness and muscle fatigue), stress disorders, and vision
problems were all health risks associated with extensive computer use.

Question 2: When asked to rate their knowledge of technology on a scale of 1 - 5, the average
answer, accounting for 85% (34/40) of the people surveyed selected 5.

Question 3: When inquiring about facial thermography only 30% knew what it was and
answered the true/false question correctly. Out of the 12 people surveyed that answered correctly
75% (9/12) were female.

Question 4: Graph dictating how people responded to the statement Computers can be disposed
of in the garbage:

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Disposal of Computers
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
a) Yes, they are
b) Only computer
c) No, computers
considered normal
monitors can be
cannot be disposed
garbage and go out thrown out, towers of in the garbage
with the trash.
contain hazardous
because they are
materials that are
considered to be
unsafe for the
hazardous to the
environment.
environment and to
our health.

Male

d) Only laptops and

cellphones can be
thrown out because
they are considered
to be less hazardous
and are safe to be
disposed of in the
regular garbage.

e) No, computers
contain hazardous
and nonbiodegradable
materials, they have
toxins that can cause
cancer, and need to
be disposed of using
special methods.

Female

Question 5: When inquiring about the size of devices and how harmful they are to ones health,
the majority of people answered correctly with 55% (22/40) answering false, but it was close
with 18 people saying small devices were less harmful in comparison to their larger counterparts.

Question 6: What are biometric devices?

What are Biometric Devices

a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

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Question 7: When inquiring about input devices, the average answer was a. mouse and keyboard
accounting for 65% (26/40), followed by e. A and C at 17.5% (7/40), f. all of the above at 10%
(4/40) and c. the user at 7.5% (3/40).

Question 8: Most people, 85% (34/40) of those surveyed, thought that Computer Vision
Syndrome was not a condition caused by people staring at a computer for too long.

Question 9: When inquiring about input and output devices, 95% (38/40) of those surveyed knw
that disks, CDs, hard drives, cell phones and DVDs were all input and output devices.

Question 10: The average answer in regards to pollution was that most people surveyed (72.5%)
were aware that computing devices, such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart phones and
computers, all cause pollution.

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Digital Planet: The Conclusion

When it came to this survey, the primary goals were to determine the surveyed
populations knowledge of technology and the negative effects they can have on society.
Through this study, I have successfully been able to determine, through a small questionnaire,
that a large percentage of people are unaware of some of the emerging technological innovations
and how much strain technology can put on the environment. Specifically, most people, despite
feeling that their knowledge of technology could be rated as 5/5 before the questionnaire began,
failed to achieve the correct answer, with only 7.5% (3/40 people) answering the 9 questions
correctly. This did not prove to be very surprising to me, as I fall into the category of the
surveyed demographics and was unaware of a few of the answers myself. In an age of fast-paced
technological innovations, it becomes difficult to keep up to date on all technologies. In addition,
a lot of people do not think to research into the harmful effects of computer use and the proper
ways to dispose of computers. Although only 3/40 people surveyed answered all the questions
perfectly, a lot of other users scored high by knowing some of the associated health risks, having
a basic knowledge of the proper disposal of computers and what biometric devices are, knowing
what input and output devices are, and being aware of the pollution that is caused by computing
devices and technology. Some people are still unaware of all the risks involved and how
disastrous technology, if used incorrectly or in excess, can be on our health and environment.
Through this survey, I have found that it is essential that people are educated on these matters so
that they can make an informed decision as to whether or not they want to take on those potential
risks through the use of technology.

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In addition, through this survey and the responses of the individuals, I was able to verify
that there is a correlation between the amount of computer use and the knowledge of the
individual in regards to the negative effects computers can have on the environment and on their
health. However, I was surprised to find out that the conclusion drawn was the opposite of my
assumption. I thought that the less educated people were on the harmful effects of computers, the
less they used computers, but the information provided from the research proved to be the exact
opposite. In fact, 2 of the 3 people that scored perfect on the survey spend, on average, over 5
hours on the computer daily.

Through the results of this study, a few generalizations that can be made consist of:

Males are more aware of the effects of technology on the environment and the proper
way to dispose of computers.

Females are more aware of technological innovations and what they are.

People are not educated enough on the potential health risks involved with extensive
computer use.

The challenges I encountered during this assignment consist of finding the proper way to
conduct the survey and to ensure the population of people surveyed werent related to me, the
best way to format the questions and what questions to ask, and how to format my responses.
First, I had difficulty deciding on how to conduct the survey, originally I was going to survey
people via social networking, but I did not want it to just be a population of my friends and
relatives, so I decided on online surveying to ensure that there was a diverse population being
surveyed. Second, I had difficulty determining the format of my questions and the questions to

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ask as there are a plethora of questions that could be asked on the given topics and I wanted to
ensure that I made wise decisions. In addition, the decision on the format of the questions was
difficult for me because I know a lot of people do not like short answers, but having all yes/no
and true/false would not provide me with very accurate answers in the case that people guessed
they would have a 50% chance of getting it right, so I chose to go with a combination of multiple
choice and true/false questions to identify if the people surveyed had no knowledge, a basic
knowledge, or extensive knowledge on the questions asked. Finally, the format of the report and
determining the layout for my responses I thought would be difficult to do, but once the answers
were there, it became very easy and I felt less overwhelmed. Overall, I think I completed this
assignment successfully. However, if I were to re-conduct this survey, I would probably change
the website used to conduct the survey because it was difficult to figure out how to enter in the
questions that needed to be answered prior to the completion of the survey and I went through
some technical issues with the results, as 73 people actually completed the survey, but I was only
able to obtain the results of the first 40.

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Appendix I: Bibliography

Computer Vision Syndrome - expert advice. (n.d.). Health Site. Retrieved September 12, 2014,
from http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome-expertadvice/

Create Surveys, Get Answers. (n.d.).SurveyMonkey: Free online survey software &
questionnaire tool. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/

Emerging Biometric Technologies. (n.d.).Uniclox Technologies. Retrieved September 12, 2014,

from http://www.timeclocks.co.za/content/emerging-biometric-technologies-0

Health risks in computer (ab)use. (n.d.).Inquirer News. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/371499/health-risks-in-computer-abuse

How Technology can Harm the Environment. (n.d.). Green Computing. Retrieved September 12,
2014, from http://www.carnegiecyberacademy.com/facultyPages/environment/issues.html

Survey Research. (n.d.). Survey Research. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/survey.php

biometrics. (n.d.). What is Biometrics?. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/biometrics