Computers have improved our lives

About fifteen years ago the computer in Poland was a novelty and a sing of modernity. Poland lagged behind other European countries which were already undergoing a computer revolution. Polish people seemed to be conservative and unwilling to innovate. But since the beginning of 1990s computers have been used more and more frequently. Today many people in Poland use them every day. But what influence have computers on us? Have they improved our lives?

Computers in Poland are being increasingly used at work. They are revolutionizing the design, printing, manufacturing, accountancy, banking, telecommunication, energetics and many others. That’s why things can be done quicker and more precisely. Computers make employees work more efficiently. They also force other people to learn new skills as the ability to operate at least some basic computer programs is a major requirement when applying for a job.

Today an integral part to computers is the Internet. Thanks to it (and of course computers) in an hour’s time we can buy a car, study the weather report or even get married. The most popular way of using the Net is e-mail. The system enables the holder to send information to the other hemisphere in just a second. This telegram costs only as much as a local telephone connection and is the fastest in the world. In medicine computers are used in surgery an so-called tele-surgery. When connected to the Internet computers make it possible for a doctor to perform surgical operation on patients by remote control. There are also many Internet shops. Buying there is comfortable because you don’t have to go out, and cheap because the goods offered are not stored so their price is lower.

Computers are widely used – especially by children – as a kind of entertainment. For instance, there are many computer games they can play. Computer can be also used as a video player or hi-fi set.

From the foregoing it is clear that computers have a great influence on our lives and have also improved them as we have more possibilities and more free time. But they also force us to learn new skills because it seems that in a few years’ time the inability to operate a computer will be treated as a kind of cultural illiteracy.