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The Official Journal of the Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS)

Table 12 Summary table on positive and negative societal impacts of ICT penetration

From: Asymmetric relationships between information and communication technology (ICT), globalization, and human development in India: evidence from non-linear ARDL analysis

Positive impacts

Negative impacts

ICT enhances the educational benefits of the students by offering resources for the teaching and learning process as well as the skills required in a society (UNCTAD 2011)

ICT causes stress, anxiety, depression, sleeping disorder, internet addiction, and modern diseases (obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease) (Gunduz 2007; Quaglio and Millar 2020; Johnson 2020)

ICT in forms of electronic health records (e-health), m-health (use of mobile phones for health purposes), telemedicine, e-learning, and e-journals improves health care facilities for the people (UNCTAD 2011)

Recycling e-waste which is produced from e-health-related activities has adverse health impacts (UNCTAD 2011)

ICT in terms of e-government facilitates democratic processes and increases the participation of citizens (e-voting) through the use of e-mail, social networking sites, and mobile phones (UNCTAD 2011)

Overuse of the internet such as engaging in online games, watching and spreading images of pornography, cyberbullying, hacking, e-fraud, e-crime, copyright infringement, and security and privacy concerns negatively affect individuals and communities (Ogbuabor 2017; UNCTAD 2011)

ICT saves time and money through online shopping, e-banking, e-tourism, social media, and e-government (UNCTAD 2011)

ICT in the form of e-commerce removes the unskilled workers from the e-commerce economy and gives more preference for an expert system like robots in some industries (the automobile manufacturing industry) (Ogbuabor 2017)

ICT has a potential impact on the empowerment of women, minorities, and socially disadvantaged groups through their electronic access to relevant public information on rights and benefits (World Bank 2009)

More use of the internet also gives rise to the risk of isolation from society (Gunduz 2007; Quaglio and Millar 2020)

It makes transportation easier for the people through online booking of tickets, online payment, detailed information about travel, communication with travel patterns, and safety and security

It becomes difficult for people who are digitally illiterate and not skilled in booking tickets and making payments online. In other words, it widens the digital divide

ICT in the forms of the internet, remote sensing, geographical information system (GIS), and satellite-based communication systems prevents and mitigates natural calamities through forecasting (Rao 2020)

It leads to loss of privacy (Ing and Rodrik 2022)

ICT in the form of mobile applications prevents suicide through monitoring depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation through the use of text messages, social media posts and telepsychiatry (Forte et al. 2021)

Social media increases suicide risk factors and suicide-related behaviours