balu142 (/people/balu142) | Student, Undergraduate | Honors

Posted March 26, 2010 at 4:43 AM via web

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of computers?

17 Answers | Add Yours

pohnpei397 (/people/pohnpei397) | College Teacher | (Level 3) Distinguished
Educator
Posted March 26, 2010 at 4:45 AM (Answer #1)

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The advantages of computers are quite clear. With computers, you can ask this question and I can answer it. That
helps both of us. With computers and the internet, businesses can sell their products to people far from where they
are. Computers can be used to help create and test new products.
The disadvantages of computers are harder to see. Somer are environmental. Computers use a great deal of
electricity and they can be dangerous when disposed of improperly. Some disadvantges are social -- things like child
pornography and stalking are made easier by the internet.

William Delaney (/people/billdelaney) | (Level 3) Educator Emeritus

Posted January 11, 2013 at 1:08 AM (Answer #12)

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The advantages of computers are obvious and have been covered by the previous answers. I would like to discuss the
disadvantages.
Computers have put millions of people out of work. For example, they have ravaged the book-selling business. Book
stores are closing all across the country because it is so much more convenient to buy books online and so much easier
to find the books you want. But in many cases it is possible to read books on the monitor or to print them. Computers
have created jobs but not as many as they have displaced. They are only in their infancy, too. More and more shopping
is being done online. Even the supermarkets are being affected. It looks as though the cities are going to be
transformed in coming years, and many small towns are already being wiped out of existence.
Another disadvantage of personal computers is that they are addictive. Everywhere you go you see people staring into
their laptops, and you may wonder, as I do, what they are thinking and what they find so hypnotic.

ako6777 (/people/ako6777) | Middle School Teacher | (Level 1) Associate

Educator
Posted March 26, 2010 at 4:53 AM (Answer #2)

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The advantages of computers are many. One advantage is their time saving nature. It is much quicker to type a letter
than to write one with a pen. The connection to the internet is of great use. The ability to research something or ask
questions in real time is amazing. The amount of data that can be stored, manipulated, and retrieved is phenominal.
Using the computer save natural resources by limiting our need of paper and pencils.
A disadvantage of computers is when they break down. Most people do not know how to fix them and have to take
them to be repaired. Our growing dependence on computers is concerning. Everything is run by computer now and
when one goes down it impacts many. Another disadvantage of computers is that some children spend too much time
on them. Due to this, their social development may be stunted.

akannan (/people/akannan) | Middle School Teacher | (Level 3) Distinguished

Educator
Posted March 26, 2010 at 7:05 AM (Answer #3)

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Given the fact that our world is generated by computers (including enotes), this might represent a large advantage.
The presence of computers demands an understanding of it. In understanding it, one possesses a distinct advantage in
"cracking the code" of information and processing it. The presentation, organization, and storage of information is
another clear advantage of computers. At the same time, the reality of identity theft and electronic frauds represent a
poor usage of computers, and this helps to constitute a distinct disadvantage of it. On a more theoretical level, I think
that the dependence on computers could help to constitute a disadvantage, as anything that generates dependence can
be dangerous.

krishna-agrawala (/people/krishna-agrawala) | College Teacher |

Valedictorian
Posted March 26, 2010 at 3:01 PM (Answer #4)

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Advantages of computers:

Increases speed of computing and processing information in any other way.

People can use sophisticated statistical and mathematical tools for decision making and further purposes
without learning in details the algorithms used for computing. This way people can use much more
sophisticated analytical tools that would have been possible with only manual information processing.
Computers can store large volumes of information without occupying too much space, as is in the case of
information stored in form of books and paper documents.
Computer processing eliminates the human errors of computing and information processing.
Information once entered in computer system can be easily accessed by the same person or other persons at
different times for different persons. This reduces the work load of capturing same information multiple times
for different purposes. It also makes it possible for different person to work with same information, avoiding
the possibility of different persons using different versions of the same information.
The work of entering and editing information is made mush more easy and simple by software that offer many
powerful user friendly features for performing these tasks.
Computer now offer sophisticated and powerful software for representing information in rich formats with
visual and video facilities.
Computers combined with communication technology offer very fast speed and rich communication facility at
low cost.

Computers, with all these features are now used for automating all kinds of equipments and processes.
Disadvantage of Computers

The cost of computer and associated equipments is falling steadily. Still these equipments are and continue to
be much more costly as compared to manual processing equipments like pen and pencil. Also technological
complexity of these equipment makes it more difficult to learn and maintain these equipments as compared to
equipments of manual information processing.
Use of computers require additional infrastructure, such as power supply and software back up. This
increases the chances of problems due to failure of infrastructure. For example, a computer will not work
where there is no electric power supply. Even a laptop with a battery will work without power supply only
for a limited period.
Failures of computer system can be more serious and difficult to correct. For example, one scratch on a hard
disk can make the complete data on the disk inaccessible. In comparison, manual system faults have
comparatively limited impact. One page torn from a cabinet full of documents has no impact on other
documents.
Computers generally reduces the errors of processing. However if there is an error in input data, it can result
in major blunders in the processing which the computer system is unable to detect. In manual systems the
chances of such blunders passing undetected and corrected is much less.

jdellabadia (/people/jdellabadia) | Elementary School Teacher | Honors

Posted April 11, 2010 at 11:51 PM (Answer #6)

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There are many advantages of having a computer, however there are some disadvantages, take it from a computer
teacher.
One advantage is using a computer to write you papers, letters, notes and anything esle you can think of. IF this was
before computers you would need to write each one by hand and if you made a mistake you would have to start all
over. By using a computer to do this it save you time and energy. If you have changed you mind about something you
can easily go on the computer delete it and write what you would like.
Another advange with in that is spelling and grammer, its not perfect but it does help having spell check and grammer
check there for you. If points out most items not everything but its better than nothing.
Another thing is why it is great is that you are able to communicate with other people who do the same thing as you or
need help on the same topic where you would not be able to do this if wqe didnt have the internet.
However a disatvanage is that students do not know how to write essays or research papers, because they feel it is
okay to just copy. That does become to be a problem becasue they always want to copy and paste information to
make their life easier, however using the internet for research has already made things easier for them yet they dont
see that becasue its what they are used too.
Another problem could be virus. Or even when the computer breaks people have no idea what to do with out it. This
how people are overly dependted on it.

pricecomparison (/people/pricecomparison) | Student , Undergraduate |

Honors
Posted June 28, 2010 at 1:54 PM (Answer #7)

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Disadvantage
1. It destroys your social life and interactions with humans if you do not maintain the balance.
2. It may effect to the destruction of your eye sight due to radiation.
3. It may cause pimples and wrinkles.
4. It may damage your studies and life.
5. Too much time in front of monitor may adverse effect your eye sight and can also make you fat.
6. The way it distracts and can deviate our thoughts and activities towards unproductive activities.
7. It could cause violation of privacy, impact on labor force, health risks, impact on environment, distraction from work,
and possible antisocial influences.
8. getting away from their real life and getting into bad lines
ADVANTAGES
1. It helps you automate various tasks that you can not do manually.
2. It helps you organize your data and information in a better way.
3. It has much more computing and calculating power then an ordinary human.
4. It may help your work to be a lot easier.
5. It may be the storage of your important data and files.
6. It may be your handy book.
7. It may help you solve problems faster than an ordinary human being can do.
8. It has speed, storage, reliability, consistency and communications.
9. It helps you to find useful information using the Internet.
10. It helps in businesses, factories, offices, schools and homes.

jjrichardson (/people/jjrichardson) | Student , College Freshman |

Valedictorian
Posted August 19, 2012 at 3:56 AM (Answer #8)

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With the advent of technology, computers can now make many well-informed decisions that managers or office
workers may deem unnecessary for a human to make. These decisions may include crunching profit numbers to
determine future layoffs or gauging whether certain global offices should remain open or not. If you are evaluating
whether computerized decision making is right for your organization, there are advantages and disadvantages to
implementing the technology into your corporate strategy. While human brains can contain a high level of information
to use in making a decision, a computer's "brain" can contain even more data and information, depending on the
storage space it is connected to. With a higher capacity for more data, especially data that a human brain might not
retain, such as complex equations, more information can be incorporated into the "brain" or algorithm of the computer
in its decision making, leading to better results.
Computers can process information much faster than a human brain. One advantage to computers making decisions is
that you will have decisions made faster and more accurately than a human brain, which may get hung up with
different factors involving the decision, leading to slower overall results. Also, unlike people who can become tired or
suffer from a lack of concentration and deliver inaccurate decisions, a well-tuned computer is always alert and can
process reams of information without growing bored or tired, leading to more precise results.The high cost of
purchasing the right computer equipment, including a high amount of computer memory and store, is one disadvantage
to computer technology in decision making. Also, the cost of a computer professional to write the algorithm you'll need

for your type of decision can come at a high price. By the time your equipment is purchased and your algorithm is
written, it may also already be obsolete since technology is constantly advancing and building on what already works to
make it better

sweetskittles24 (/people/sweetskittles24) | Student , Grade 11 | Salutatorian

Posted September 22, 2012 at 7:58 PM (Answer #5)

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The Computer
The computer is a very popular technological invention. It was invented in the mid-twentieth century. It has very
quickly ascended to the top of peoples list as to what they need to survive the day. The computer is a very famous
and [sometimes, usually] helpful invention to all. It is used by millions of people around the world, for different
purposes. There are some positive points to its uses, but also some negative points. In this essay, I will talk about the
negative points. The three negative points of using a computer are: it may harm your eyes, it can take time away when
you can be doing more beneficial things, and too much information written on it about yourself can be dangerous.
Long hours at a computer can harm your eyes, say experts. They advise frequent short breaks every half hour or so to
minimize the damage. Studies have shown that eyestrain and other vision problems can be found in as much as nine
out of ten people using computers often, say Kerry Beebe, an optometrist and spokesman for the American
Optometric Association. The most common symptoms are eyestrain, blurred vision, double vision, excessive tears, dry
eyes and excessive blinking or squinting. Visual problems can also result in physical problems such as headaches and
neck or shoulder pain, reported Health Central. So this means you must never use a computer non-stop without taking
any breaks you should always take breaks to reduce the risk of any of these eye and body problems.
The computer may waste a lot of time for you you are capable of using your time way more wisely. It wastes time
because there are many things on it that distract you when youre trying to do something, like pop-up ads. Youre
trying to get somewhere, and then one of them comes up and maybe tempts you to click on it. This is an example of
wasting your time on the computer. Little things like this can make you even lazier to finish the work that you actually
had to do, so you dont really get across completing it. Then again, you choose if you want these things to affect you.
If you actually wanted to finish what you had to do, you wouldnt have let these things influence you.
The last negative thing about computers is that if you put out too much information about yourself, it might be very
dangerous. There are many people who say theyre somebody that theyre not, and anybody that is not too careful can
easily be tricked into believing them. Internet stalkers have killed at least four teenagers in the past three years, and
law enforcement authorities count about 5,000 reports of attempted sexual predation over the Internet in the past year,
according to Parry Aftab, who is the executive director of Wiredsafety.org, which is an Internet safety organization.
According to this information, you could easily become one of those victims. This is why you must take caution when
using the computer.

courtypoo111 (/people/courtypoo111) | Student , Grade 10 | Honors

Posted October 28, 2012 at 4:05 PM (Answer #9)

Disadvantages-

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1. It can have negative effects on your social life and interactions with other people if you do not mantain the time
online and offline
2. It may have a negative effect on your eyesight due to radiation
3. It may cause pimples and wrinkles
4. It may distract you from your studies
5. Too much time in front of the monitor may adversely affect your eyesight
6. Sitting in front of the computer too long without excerise can cause a weight gain
Advantages1. It helps you automate various tasks that you cannot do manually
2. It helps you organize your data and imformation
3. It has much more computing and calculating power than a human being
4. It may help your work be a lot easier
5. It can help you communicate with friends, coworkers, and other contacts
6. It has many search engines that can help you find information quickly

user1754155 (/people/user1754155) | High School Teacher | eNoter

Posted December 15, 2012 at 1:41 PM (Answer #10)

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every invention is advantageous to our way of life. the human mind is such it always works adversely. the planet is
suffering a lot due to sadist minds..nothing is wrong with any invention..

user2182070 (/people/user2182070) | College Teacher | eNoter

Posted December 26, 2012 at 7:03 AM (Answer #11)

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Advantages are : communication is improved, pay bill's online, people have access to things they would not have had
before (for instance old people who cannot leave the house they can buy groceries online) Computers make life easier.
The disadvantges are: scams, fraud, people not going out as much, we do not yet know the effects of computers and
pregnancy or the emissions that computers make,. bad posture from sitting too long at a desk, repetitive strain injuries
and the fact that most organisations expect everyone to own a computer.

wmcfaul (/people/wmcfaul) | eNoter

Posted March 13, 2013 at 10:08 PM (Answer #13)

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The advantages to computers are the following:

1. Communicate globally
2. Communicate quickly
3. The use of different programs available for education, entertainment, business
4. Creating and storing documents
The disadvantages to computers are the following:
1. Parental controls need to be set for children or they may encounter material they are not ready to filter
2. They take away from time spent outside exercising
3. When they don't work, many companies cannot function
4. They break

tladler22 (/people/tladler22) | eNotes Newbie

Posted March 16, 2013 at 4:56 AM (Answer #14)

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Computers are changing the face of the world. the ability to gain access to information regardless of where one is ,
has got to be one of the biggest advantages. We can learn so much more infomation in a quicker period of time
However computers also help take away some of the ingenuities of man. People can easily use a computer to figure
out a math problem, find an essay or learn how to build a bomb. Nothing is original anymore , nothing is safe.

arjun (/people/arjun) | College Teacher | Valedictorian

Posted April 27, 2013 at 7:27 AM (Answer #15)

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There are so many advantages of computer .It has made our work easier and connected with the world.So,we dont
find any disadvantage except following the negative deeds.

acompanioninthetardis (/people/acompanioninthetardis) | Student ,

Undergraduate | Valedictorian
Posted May 17, 2014 at 3:34 PM (Answer #16)

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The advantage of computers is that they allow information to be easily accessed and stored, whereas the disadvantage
of computers is what people can choose to do with this information. also another disadvantage is that computers and
modern technology turn addicting for some people and eventually the face to face conversations, and contact with the
outer world lessens. Another advantage may be that it introduces to us a world of infinite possibilities, computers
encourage us to imagine new things, teach us new ways etc..

parama9000 (/people/parama9000) | Student , Grade 11 | Valedictorian

Posted May 31, 2014 at 3:41 PM (Answer #17)

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Pros: faster communication, Greater accessibility, freater range of informatiom to be accessed, generally it is covered
under these big groups. Information tracking is also much easier
Cons: addiction to games, Greater access to drugs, explicit materials

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