How the Thumbprint Changed Culture
Introduction
Technological changes and advancements play a significant role in affecting the culture of most people and societies in general. Logically, these improvements have resulted in better and improved ways of doing things from those of traditional ways. One area that has been impacted significantly is the security and identification area. Generally, security and identification among people have remained, since in the past, of substantial importance in different areas and the lives of people. This paper will focus on the role and impacts of fingerprint scanners on the culture of people and societies globally.
Fingerprint scanners work by capturing patterns of ridges and valleys on an individual’s finger(s), or in some cases, on the whole hand. While fingers rest on the touch-capacitive surface, fingerprint scanners work by capturing the charge. Logically, ridges tend to exhibit a change in consideration to capacitance (Ma et al. 2019). Ridges, on the other hand, produce practically no change. As a result, the fingerprint scanner uses all this data to accurately map an individual’s prints. One of the most important facts related to this technology is that fingerprints tend to be unique for all people, thus is no possibility of people having similar fingerprint data or information (Alsmirat et al., 2019).
Over the past few years, modern societies have seen a major increase in the deployment of fingerprint recognition systems. These systems can be used effectively in different applications. As a result, the impacts and roles of fingerprint scanners have remained and continue to be substantial in different areas, thus having a major change on the culture of these areas. There has been an unprecedented leap in the application of mobile biometrics. The technology is considered to be one of the most prominent biometric recognition methods offered in most of the current smartphones used by people globally. Chances did not just attain the massive success related to fingerprint technology (Corradini, 2020). The main reason, in this case, is that it is two years for technological development and particularly current improvements to ensure the success of fingerprint technology.
In 2021, biometric verification and authentication remained important in consideration to the modern technology landscape. As a result, it is a widespread technology in different ways than most users fully understand. Millions of people depend on biometric verifications in their daily lives. As a result, biometric data and authentication continue to be ramped up and used in different aspects related to people’s modern lives. However, more questions continue to arise regarding the safety and privacy of people who supply their biometric inputs to different parties, organizations, and governments. While this has become a culture, it is difficult for people to avoid it and thus are focused on using it in one way or another (Olwig et al. 2019). Nevertheless, the role of fingerprint scans has had a significant impact in answering most questions and doubts that people have. As a result, fingerprint recognitions systems have become widely used. These uses have, in turn, affected people’s cultures and ways of life as they engage in different daily lives activities.
One of the cultural impacts of fingerprint scans can be related to touch and go, identity verification, identification, and access control. These changes simplified fingerprint devices and, most importantly, recognition technology. Unlike in the past, there is no need for people to rush for their identification cards or other identification documents, particularly in the most stressful situations (Alsmirat et. 2019). It only require a pre-established record of people’s biometric identity, a system for fingerprint recognition, and an individual’s touch of a thumbprint to prove how a person is in any situation. Recognition through fingerprints is considered to be the best biometric modality. Besides, it is the only way to provide people with end-to-end solutions, which in modern society, it can be deployed easily and effectively with fingerprint recognition systems that are currently and widely available.
In most cases, all identity and identification verification and, most importantly, access control, which can include digital and physical, requirements can be easily satisfied by using and depending on fingerprint recognition technology (Obaidat et al. 2019). Therefore, this technology has created a culture where, whenever people need cards, passwords, and locks or keys, they can use their fingerprints instead. For example, the technology has resulted in the development of door security systems that can be locked and unlocked through fingerprints. Phones and other devices also have the same technology (Wei et al. 2020). As such, fingerprint scans have evidently removed all the frictions, times wastage, and frustrations, particularly by replacing traditional methods of engaging in such activities.
Consequently, fingerprint scan technology benefits effectively and directly by advancements in technologies like computers, electronics, and other technology-related areas. As a result, standalone fingerprint devices are built for specific application areas. Examples of these include fingerprint attendance systems and time systems (Valdes-Ramirez et al. 2019). Such systems can easily connect to other devices and networks, thus allowing easy exchange of data, particularly over the internet. As a result, the impact, in this case, is a suitable, reliable way for people’s identification, unlike in the past, where it could have taken more time and effort.
Crimes have existed for years. Solving these crimes has been a major challenge for law enforcement agencies globally. Traditional methods of trying to understand and solve crimes have proved difficult and, in most cases, remained impossible. However, the culture has been changed and improved significantly with the development and use of fingerprint scanning systems. In particular, fingerprint scanning systems and technology have become an integral part of forensic operations for centuries. As a result, this technology continues to receive more focus from different experts in technology than other types of biometric technologies (Wei et al. 2020). Logically, advancements in consideration to any technological system depend mainly on the advancement of other sub-systems it runs on for it to be operational. This case means different aspects capable of affecting the performance and efficiency of a system must be improved to ensure the system is also improved. Over the past few years, fingerprint sub-systems have received more important improvements to improve the system in general, thus advancing the recognition system. It has resulted in these systems becoming more effective and reliable, thus improving outcomes of their purposes.
With regular improvements, most current fingerprint systems have become faster, accurate, and most importantly, more secure than other generations in the past. Besides, more improvements continue to be made, which means their impacts on the current culture will also be improved. Fingerprint recognition technology has therefore shown people why we need it and how it impacts people’s culture and daily lives.
The technology has also helped to improve the anti-spoofing mechanism. In most cases, spoofing and presentation attacks have been considered to be the greatest challenges related to biometric systems. However, these challenges have been solved through fingerprint scans. These technologies have allowed effectiveness in the advancements of spoofing detection technologies, which was a major issue in the past. Although the technology is not 100% percent effective, expected improvements in these systems promise more positive performance and impacts. Improved anti-spoofing mechanisms have significantly affected the culture where people’s safety is of major concern.
Besides, times have always been of significant consideration for most people. In the past, biometric identification was slow and, in some cases, unreliable. Fingerprint scans have therefore played a critical role in improving this culture. This case has been achieved particularly through improved processing speed considering recent improvements in fingerprint technologies (Valdes-Ramirez et al. 2019). These improvements include both hardware, efficient algorithms, and, most importantly, refined software. Practically, a 1:1 verification considering most of the currently available fingerprint systems of recognitions takes less than 0.1 seconds. However, the time can increase based on different factors like the system’s complexity. However, the time taken for biometric identification has been improved significantly, unlike in other types of biometric identifications (Corradini, 2020).
A culture of accuracy has also been created. Logically, technical improvements in fingerprint recognition systems have played a major and important role in improving accuracy. The accuracy of current fingerprint scans is astonishing. Besides, these systems have also been seen to be more tolerant to both environmental conditions and, most importantly, to users’ behaviors. Power efficiency has also been achieved. The power efficiency of these systems can be related to the use of LEDs which play a critical role in saving power, unlike traditional lamps. Some of the current use fingerprint processors can manipulate processing frequency, thus ensuring a low power consumption (Olwig et al. 2019).
Another important cultural impact and change related to fingerprint scans involves ease of integration. Currently, people use different applications. With the power and impacts of fingerprint systems, most people have integrated fingerprint systems in these applications, most of which used to take more programming efforts in the past. Besides, most device manufacturers tend to offer their customers fingerprint SDK and API, which allow effectiveness in integrating their devices with custom applications, including those built on different programming languages or platforms.
Different industries also depend on these fingerprint systems when dealing with their customers. Some industries that use these systems daily include healthcare, law enforcement, immigration, border control, and small/ medium-size businesses and enterprises. Logically, millions of people globally use fingerprint recognition regularly, particularly as most modern smartphones have been integrated with hardware and software to support such activities. This case has, in turn, affected people and made their daily lives easier in different ways (Kloppenburg & Van der Ploeg, 2020).
The advantages of fingerprint scans have helped to impact, transform and change the general culture where people’s daily lives have been improved and made easier in different ways. This technology has improved different processes and activities that were either slow or difficult in the past, thus ensuring effectiveness and positive outcomes in the ability of people to engage in specific activities.
However, every technology has its challenges. Some challenges of fingerprint scans include bias, data breaches, and in some cases, high costs of these systems. These challenges stills have negative impacts on the current culture. Some people have been victims of these issues, although they are not common. More advancements on fingerprint scans continue to be made to solve these issues with the primary aim of improving their performance and reliability. However, these systems’ positive impacts and roles are far much greater than their negative impacts (Tanwar et al. 2019). This case means that cultural outcomes of fingerprinted scans are mainly positive as they have helped improve people’s lives in different and reliable ways.
The future of Fingerprint Scans
There is no doubt that the impacts of this technology on the lives and culture of people have been significant in modern societies. However, this does not mean that the advancement is enough, thus calling for the need to develop better and stronger systems further. As a result, the next generation is most likely to grow up in a world where using fingerprint scans to access or control different applications is second nature. While these systems are not 100% efficient, more studies continue to be made with the primary aim of improving their performance and impacts, particularly on ensuring security and making the lives of people much easier. This case means that the future of these systems will even play a greater integral role in people’s daily lives with more impacts on the current culture. It is evident that more people are excited to head the way on innovations considering the use and application of these systems. As a result, expected cultural changes will be huge in different areas. The primary focus of future improvements is to improve people’s experiences in using these technologies and, most importantly, the impacts of these technologies in ensuring improved satisfaction of people involved. This case means that with the expected increase of this technology, the culture and use of biometrics as applied in different areas will also increase and possibly have more positive and desired outcomes on the users and involved industries.
Conclusion
Technology is one of the fastest developing areas globally than any other thing developed by people. Fingerprint scans and recognitions are also not an exception. Generally, the impact of technology on the culture and lives of people come in different and significant ways. With recent years experiencing significant changes in fingerprint technologies, people’s cultures have also been changed. These changes come in the form of how people use and depend on the technology, improved security, and its wide application in different applications and industries.
Further improvements propose more positive outcomes and the ability of the future system to respond and solve common challenges associated with the current use of fingerprint scan technologies. As a result, more people depend on these systems and have become part of their days as they apply them in different areas. Fingerprint scans can be used flexibly in different applications. As a result, their uses, capabilities, and efficiency have remained critical and effective in improving its users’ performance and general satisfaction. Therefore, technology has been widely accepted in most societies, and millions of people depend on it in one way or another. Besides, fingerprint scan technology as a biometric technology shows unprecedented growth. This growth and improved designs have attracted the use of more people in consideration of these technologies, thus ensuring effectiveness and positive outcomes in influencing positive cultural outcomes. Technically, technology has become part of people’s daily lives as they apply it in different areas to meet and satisfy different needs and desires.
References
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