Technologie ICT i ich wplyw na zycie czlowieka i spoleczenstwa – wybrane problemy

Purpose: The main objective of this paper is to try to present the impact of ICT on human life in the broadest possible way, taking into account the development of this technology and the changes taking place in the concepts and methods of its use. This impact is shown from two classical perspectives : positive and negative. Methodology: The scope of the research was ICT technologies, their development and evolution, and their application in various areas of both individual and social life. Source material was searched for. Mainly sources in the form of scientific studies were taken into account, and, as a supplement, also websites. Items in both Polish and English were reviewed. Then their selection was made in terms of content. The next steps were the analysis and synthesis of the selected content. The result is the characteristics of selected ICT technologies presented in the study, as well as a discussion of their impact from two perspectives: positive (benefits) and negative (threats). The selection of bibliography items was influenced by the limitations described below. Findings: The article presents the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on human functioning on an individual level and society as a whole. This impact was shown from the perspective of positive effects on the one hand and negative effects on the other. Thus, the main purpose of this paper was realized. Research limitation: Due to quite a rich literature concerning the subject matter undertaken in the study, the author’s subjective selection of issues and literature items constitutes a study limitation. In addition, many materials present the analyzed issues from different perspectives (e.g. industry or geographical), which makes it difficult or even impossible to carry out a comparative analysis and formulate comprehensive conclusions. Also, the lack of cyclically repeated studies in a comparable scope makes it impossible to analyze the variability of the phenomenon. Practical implication: The article presents an aggregate summary of the impact of ICT on people and society. Positive and negative manifestations of the impact were presented without going into the details of each scope. The content presented is summarized in the form of synthetic conclusions. Originality/Value: So far, published materials on the subject are piecemeal and usually presented in a limited scope (e.g., a specific country or region) or concern a narrow specialized field (e.g., education or medicine). For this reason, this article presents the issue from a broader than specialized perspective, giving a general view of the subject under discussion.