Study guide · 7.2
Be aware of the physical and environmental impact of digital tools and technologies
Digital tools affect our bodies and the planet. Using them well means protecting your posture, eyes, hearing and sleep, and reducing the energy use, waste and resource demands that devices and online services create.
A study feature written by ExamDragon, not part of the real exam. Each heading is one of Certiport's skills for this objective.
7.2.1Identify the physical impact of digital tools and technologies
- Poor posture and long periods at a desk can cause neck, back and wrist pain; adjust the chair, screen height and keyboard position.
- Repetitive strain injuries can develop from constant typing or mouse use; take short breaks and vary tasks.
- To reduce eye strain, use comfortable brightness and text size and look away from the screen regularly, for example at something far away every 20 minutes.
- Listening at high volume for long periods can damage hearing; keep headphone volume moderate.
- Heavy screen use late at night can disturb sleep, and long sedentary periods affect overall health, so build in movement.
Example: A remote worker raises her laptop on a stand, adds an external keyboard, sets a reminder to stand and stretch every hour and stops using screens an hour before bed.
7.2.2Identify the environmental impact of digital tools and technologies
- Electronic waste (e-waste) contains hazardous materials such as lead and mercury and valuable metals that can be recovered, so it should never go in ordinary rubbish.
- Use certified e-waste recyclers or manufacturer take-back schemes, and wipe data first.
- Making devices uses raw materials, water and energy, so keeping a device longer through repairs and updates reduces the overall impact.
- Devices, networks and data centres consume electricity; use power-saving settings, turn off unused equipment and choose energy-efficient products.
- Reduce digital waste too: delete unneeded files and stream at a lower resolution when high quality is not needed.
Example: A school collects old laptops, wipes them, donates working ones to a community centre and sends the rest to a certified recycler instead of a landfill.
Key terms
- Ergonomics
- Designing a workspace and habits to fit the body and prevent injury.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)
- Pain or damage caused by repeating the same movement many times.
- Eye strain
- Tired, dry or sore eyes after long periods of focusing on a screen.
- E-waste
- Discarded electronic devices and their parts.
- Energy efficiency
- Doing the same work while using less electricity.
Easy to confuse
- Throwing batteries or electronics in household rubbish can cause fires and pollution, and may be illegal in many places.
- Recycling a device without wiping it first can expose personal data.
- Online services are not free of environmental cost; storage and streaming use energy in data centres.
After this guide: You can identify the physical and environmental effects of digital technology and take practical steps to reduce them.