What are ICTs? Characteristics, Advantages and Disadvantages

There are several areas, such as information and communication, which have been gaining ground and notoriety thanks to the great development of technology in recent years, creating what is known as Information and Communication Technologies. Therefore, you must know what ICTs are and everything that surrounds them.

These ICTs that have emerged over the last few years have opened a huge universe of possibilities in which distance is not a barrier or a problem to communicating and carrying out activities through networks.

This is why the new generations are much more familiar with these tools. They are also used with terms like community manager, digital marketing, or social media. 

Therefore, the world changes, and with it the concepts and our way of seeing the world around us and, above all, the digital world, which a few years ago seemed unknown to us but which today has become quite a reality.

Do not lose detail and join us because in this article we have discussed the definition, pros and cons, and characteristics of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies).

What are ICTs?

ICTs are those technologies whose base is mainly focused on the fields of computing, microelectronics, or telecommunications in general and which will give way to the formation of new ways of communicating.

Therefore, you must know what ICTs are because it is a set of tools or technological resources that will allow you to issue access, and process information, using a series of varied codes, such as texts, images, or sounds.

Contrary to much more rudimentary times, ICTs allow us today to have almost instantaneous communication over geographical distances of thousands of kilometers, overcoming any border and promoting intercommunication worldwide.

What types of ICTs are there?

There are many types of technologies that we could classify as ICTs, but we don’t want to bore you by telling you one by one because, on the one hand, it would be tedious, and on the other, you will surely get bored and stop reading. 

So, we are going to summarize the types of ICTs in two large groups so that you know how to distinguish them:

According to its technological focus

• Equipment: They are electronic resources that will be attributed to the acquisition, maintenance, and exposure of the information that we are handling and, also, its dissemination.
• Services: These are benefits based on the field of electronics, which facilitate the acquisition, storage, treatment, and display of this information. 

This classification, if you do not know what ICTs are, will allow you to know the substantial differences between electronic equipment and what will allow the processing and transmission of the information we handle.

According to the market for information and communication goods and services

• Telecommunications market: It includes mobile and fixed telephony.
• Audiovisual market: Televisions and radios.
• Computer services market: Block to laptop computers, internet communication networks, servers, etc.

Have we not fused your brain with such a list? These are the two types of ICT that we believe are important for you to have an overview of what these technologies are.

What characteristics do ICTs have?

As you have already seen, ICTs encompass many technologies and many fields. Within them, there are a series of characteristics that define them as such. We are going to show you a few so that you have an overview and know what they are when you are going to drive them.

So, here are the characteristics of ICT that you should know:

• Immateriality: You know that the information you handle is immaterial, that you can move it from one place to another instantly to different places.
• Interactivity: ICTs will provide you with an exchange of information between you, the user, and a computer, if you do not know what ICTs are, you will know that this fact allows you to adapt the resources used to your characteristics.
• Interconnection: It is a link between various technologies. The clearest example is the union of communication and computer technologies, which gave rise to email.
• Instantaneity: The characteristic of transmitting certain information over a long distance and with extremely fast speed.
• Digitization: All the information we process is in a single universal format. The photos, texts, audio, etc. They can be transmitted by any means.
• Innovation: ICTs have been developed under the protection of development and the need to innovate. This has caused, in the social field, the creation of new means to further enhance communications. 

These are the main characteristics that define well what ICTs are. Comfort, interactivity, or connection are one of the hallmarks of Information and Communication Technologies.

What examples are there of ICTs?

You have thousands of examples of tics, as many as you can imagine, but most will not be missing in your day-to-day. Therefore, we are going to show you the clearest examples of what are the ICTs that you will manage without problems:

• Electronic commerce: More and more are the services or products that are offered in the network or smartphone applications, thus allowing the development of a wide immediate commerce network.
• Virtual communities: These are networks of users who share information on topics in which they are interested or want to expand their network of contacts. 
• Instant messaging: Services for computers or mobile phones that allow fluid, fast and instant communication.
• E-mail: It is the digital version of conventional mail and no matter how hard you try, it doesn’t go out of style. It allows you to exchange information, files, photos, or videos and it reaches the receiver instantly.

These are the clearest examples of ICTs that you will find in your daily life and those that you will need when it comes to communicating, relating, and making purchases through the network.

What advantages do ICTs have?

The advantages that ICTs can have are innumerable and we could write 3 articles talking about them. Its comfort, higher speed, and distribution capacity allow millions of users in different parts of the world to connect with their computers or smartphones.

If you do not know what ICTs are, you have to know that they also allow you to carry out transactions from anywhere in the world, it allows you to be in Madrid and be able to purchase from a Japanese company with just one click, a real advantage that a few do.

We did not have years and that has allowed us to open up the digital market to the world.

On the other hand, ICTs have inaugurated more specific work areas and with it, new forms of consumption of goods and services such as community managers or remote freelancers. 

With tic’s, you can be connected with anyone, anywhere in the world, and quickly connect, buy or exchange information with just one click.

What are the Disadvantages of ICTs?

I’m sorry to say yes, although it may not seem like it, tics have certain disadvantages like everything in this life, right? 

ICTs have been gradually promoting the disposition of information, without cataloging it correctly and it translates into a huge disorder in the content, causing premature access to it. This translates into ignorance and irresponsibility of the public, who do not know what information they handle or how to deal with it.

If you do not know what ICTs are, you have to know that there is a great disadvantage concerning the enormous exposure to personal life and the almost obligatory connection with virtual communities, giving rise to unnecessary behavior, social isolation, or hyperstimulation of children. desired.

Only you can convert those disadvantages into advantages, ensuring at all times that the information you are handling is correct and adapts to your needs, otherwise, you will only waste time and not get anything of value in your search.

Are ICTs important for companies?

Naturally, they have great importance within companies. With their arrival, they have led to considerable savings in money, and new communication channels and have facilitated daily tasks within companies.

The processes that have been developed thanks to ICTs are automated business processes that have reduced costs and time and have also revolutionized big data, where large companies use all that massive data to boost their brand or projects.

Another good example is the emergence and consolidation of e-commerce, social networks, or blogging that allows users to interact. Therefore, you must know what ICTs are and how they have influenced in promotion of digital marketing.

To what extent have ICTs broken into our day today?

As you have seen throughout the article, ICTs are present in practically all our lives, from the time we get up until we go to bed. They have influenced positively in many aspects and not so positively in many others.

They have made it easier for us to communicate with any part of the world, at any time, to be able to interact with different people, exchange information, and be able to see content from other countries through our laptops. They have helped us to be interconnected at any time of the day.

However, they are so present in our lives that they have not created a need, that needs to be connected at any time of the day. We have become accustomed to putting our data, narrating our lives almost daily, saying where we are at all times, and, also, using information that may be empty and not contribute anything.

All this is a problem because we expose ourselves too much to the network, which is very wide, sometimes hosting horrors and it can be expensive to take the wrong step.

To conclude, we can tell you that, if you know what ICTs are, if you know how to manage them, how to order them and you use them well, you are facing some tools that are essential to move around the network and achieve your goals, whether business or personal.