Beneficial & Harmful Effects (College Board AP® Computer Science Principles): Revision Note
Beneficial & harmful effects of computing innovations
What is a computing innovation?
A computing innovation is something that uses computing as a key part of its function (e.g., a smartphone app, a self-driving car, a social media platform)
People create computing innovations
Once released, innovations change how people complete tasks and interact with the world
Anticipated and unanticipated effects
The way people complete tasks often changes after the use of new computing innovations, and these changes are not always anticipated by their creators
Not every effect of a computing innovation is anticipated in advance
An innovation's full impact may only become clear after it is widely used, sometimes years after release
Beneficial and harmful perspectives
A single effect of a computing innovation can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful by different people, or even by the same person
Whether an effect is seen as beneficial or harmful often depends on the perspective of the person experiencing it
Example: social media platforms connect distant friends and family (beneficial) but can also contribute to misinformation and reduced privacy (harmful)
Computing innovation | Beneficial effect | Harmful effect |
|---|---|---|
Social media | Connects people across distances and supports communities | Can spread misinformation and reduce privacy |
Online shopping | Provides convenience and wider product access | Reduces foot traffic for local businesses |
GPS navigation | Helps users reach destinations efficiently | Can lead to over-reliance and loss of map-reading skills |
Creativity across fields
Advances in computing have generated and increased creativity in other fields, including medicine, engineering, communications, and the arts
Computing innovations make new kinds of work possible that could not exist without them (e.g., digital animation, gene sequencing, computer-aided design)
The impact of a single innovation often spreads beyond its original field into many others
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Exam questions often present a computing innovation and ask you to identify both a beneficial and a harmful effect; remember that the same effect can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful by different people, or even by the same person.
For the CPT, you must describe the beneficial and harmful effects of your program in your written response; be specific about who benefits and who might be harmed, rather than describing effects in general terms.
Worked Example
A new fitness tracking app collects detailed data about a user's daily activities and shares progress with friends. Which of the following best illustrates that a single effect of a computing innovation can be both beneficial and harmful?
(A) The app encourages exercise by sharing progress with friends, which can motivate some users and embarrass others
(B) The app uses GPS to track running routes
(C) The app requires a smartphone to use
(D) The app's battery drains the phone quickly
[1]
Answer:
(A) The app encourages exercise by sharing progress with friends, which can motivate some users and embarrass others [1 mark]
Sharing progress is a single effect that some users experience as beneficial (motivation) while others experience as harmful (embarrassment), illustrating that the same effect can be viewed differently depending on perspective.
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