Technology Employment, Information and Communication in the Digital Age
103 Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society 101 (January 2023)
30 Pages Posted: 13 Jan 2021 Last revised: 1 Mar 2023
Date Written: January 8, 2021
Abstract
Over two hundred years ago the founders provided in the U.S. Constitution that Congress shall have the power, “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” As a result, patent, copyright and trademark has been available to those responsible for technological advances.
The recent global explosion in Internet usage has enhanced worker productivity and the availability of information to remote and economically disadvantaged population segments unimagined just decades ago. Continued increases in computer processing speeds when combined with decreased production costs has resulted in vast new information technology employment opportunities worldwide. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21 took advantage of relatively new Internet Communication tools such as the Zoom platform to provide education to homebound students worldwide under mandatory quarantine. The pandemic has also had a devastating impact on small businesses and created job loss and food insecurity worldwide. In the face of profound economic hardship, standing almost alone is the need for an additional 3.1 million professionals in the U.S. alone to fill the demand for cyber talent. As 2021 begins, the United States is presented with an ongoing and massive cyber hack of many U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 corporate enterprises.
In the pages to follow, the authors explore living and communicating in a digital world. We present a brief overview of topics such as: the selection and use of different types of computers, desktop and mobile, and many of their supported applications; an examination of the advantages and pitfalls of cloud computing and social networking; cyber security considerations; and projects designed to promote collaborative communication using multimedia and web technology.
Keywords: advertising, collaborative communication, copyright, cyberthreat, digital, electronic working tools, information technology, intellectual property, Internet, jobs, media, patent, social networks, technology, trademark, website creation
JEL Classification: M31, J24, O31, O33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation