Impact of Emerging Trends in Digital Systems

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which term describes the process of workers losing skills because automated systems take over their tasks?

A Deskilling

B Upskilling

2. Is cyberbullying a positive or negative social impact of emerging digital technologies?

A Negative — it causes psychological harm to victims

B Positive — it builds digital communication skills

3. Which of these is a positive impact of emerging digital technologies on productivity?

A Workers are forced to work longer hours

B Individuals and organisations can accomplish more in less time

4. A factory replacing assembly line workers with robotic systems is an example of which impact?

A Cyberbullying in the workplace

B Automation causing job loss

5. Which social impact describes the weakening of face-to-face communication due to increased screen time?

A Decline of physical human interactions and interpersonal skills

B Increased community engagement and social connection

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Automation		A# Using software to automate reports # Collaborating via shared documents # Completing tasks faster with AI tools
2Cyberbullying		BWrong — digital communication does not replicate face-to-face skills. Non-verbal cues, empathy and active listening are harder to develop through screens
3Productivity increases when digital tools help individuals accomplish more output in less time		CHarassment or intimidation of individuals through digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps or online games, causing psychological harm
4The decline of physical human interactions means people have fewer face-to-face conversations and weaker interpersonal skills as screen time increases		DThe use of digital systems to perform tasks that humans previously did, increasing efficiency but potentially causing job loss and deskilling
5# Automation is always good because # it creates more jobs than it removes		E# Texting instead of talking # Video calls replacing meetings # Social media replacing social events
6# Digital communication builds # the same interpersonal skills # as face-to-face interaction		FWrong — automation can cause significant job loss and deskilling. While new roles may emerge, displaced workers often face long-term unemployment

Definitions

deskilling

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

__________ replaces human labour with systems

_____________ is online harassment via digital platforms

__________ means workers lose expertise over time

____________ increases output per unit of time

Automation causes ___ ____ by replacing workers

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A # Automation always creates more jobs than it removes

B # Deskilling occurs when workers lose expertise

C # Job loss is an economic impact of automation

Question 2

A # Cyberbullying only occurs in face-to-face settings

B # It causes psychological harm to victims

C # Social media platforms can enable cyberbullying

Question 3

A # Productivity improves when digital tools are used

B # Automation can increase output per worker

C # Productivity always harms workers and society

Question 4

A # Deskilling is an economic issue of automation

B # Workers lose expertise when systems do their tasks

C # Deskilling means workers gain more advanced skills

Question 5

A # Digital communication can reduce face-to-face time

B # Over-reliance on messaging may weaken social skills

C # Physical human interaction has increased due to technology

Answer Key

Impact of Emerging Trends in Digital Systems

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Deskilling

A — Negative — it causes psychological harm to victims

B — Individuals and organisations can accomplish more in less time

B — Automation causing job loss

A — Decline of physical human interactions and interpersonal skills

Section B: Match the Pairs

Automation → The use of digital systems to perform tasks that humans previously did, increasing efficiency but potentially causing job loss and deskilling

Cyberbullying → Harassment or intimidation of individuals through digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps or online games, causing psychological harm

Productivity increases when digital tools help individuals accomplish more output in less time → # Using software to automate reports # Collaborating via shared documents # Completing tasks faster with AI tools

The decline of physical human interactions means people have fewer face-to-face conversations and weaker interpersonal skills as screen time increases → # Texting instead of talking # Video calls replacing meetings # Social media replacing social events

# Automation is always good because # it creates more jobs than it removes → Wrong — automation can cause significant job loss and deskilling. While new roles may emerge, displaced workers often face long-term unemployment

# Digital communication builds # the same interpersonal skills # as face-to-face interaction → Wrong — digital communication does not replicate face-to-face skills. Non-verbal cues, empathy and active listening are harder to develop through screens

Section C: Definitions

deskilling — The process by which workers lose skills or become less capable as automated digital systems take over tasks that humans previously needed to learn and perform themselves

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

automation replaces 
human labour with systems

cyberbullying
 is online harassment 
via digital platforms

deskilling
 means workers lose
expertise over time

productivity
 increases output
per unit of time

Automation causes 
job loss
 by replacing workers

Section E: Spot the Error

A — Automation does not always create more jobs than it removes. While new roles can emerge, many jobs are permanently displaced, leading to net job loss in some industries. Line 0 is wrong.

A — Cyberbullying occurs through digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps and online games — not in face-to-face settings. Face-to-face harassment is a different issue. Line 0 is wrong.

C — Productivity does not always harm workers and society — it is a positive impact of digital technology that allows individuals and organisations to accomplish more in less time. Line 2 is wrong.

C — Deskilling means workers lose skills as automated systems take over tasks they previously had to learn. It does not mean gaining more advanced skills — that would be upskilling. Line 2 is wrong.

C — Physical human interaction has not increased due to technology — a key social impact of emerging digital systems is the decline of face-to-face communication and the weakening of interpersonal skills. Line 2 is wrong.