The Good Ict Society

6.2 From an information society for all to quality of life for all -- 6.3 The humane element - humanization -- 6.4 What is a Good ICT Society? -- Bibliography -- Appendix 1 (Chapter 6) -- 7 Tree of Action -- 7.1 Trees of action -- 7.2 Different manifestos -- 7.3 Towards an information society for all -- 7.4 Where do we go from here? -- 7.5 Manifesto - the top 10 principles for the Good ICT Society -- 7.6 Manifesto - the top 10 actions towards the Good and Sustainable ICT society -- 7.7 Summary of the Good ICT Society - from theory to actions -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgements -- Bibliography -- Index

As a discipline, Informatics has developed over the years from its initial focus on data processing and software development, towards a more recent emphasis on people’s use of technology and its impact on their working and private lives. Gunilla Bradley, an internationally recognized expert in this field, has researched this area for many years and here, authors this indispensable volume on the topic. Providing a broad and deep analysis of the relationship between people, ICT, society and the environment, Bradley examines the impact on/change in organizations and individuals, both in the workplace and in the home. Taking a firmly humanistic view she also looks to the future as ICT increasingly transforms and impacts on our lives, and explores issues including stress, power, competence and psychosocial communication. She proposes normative research questions for the future and presents actions to achieve the Good ICT society. This thought-provoking book will be of interest to students and academics studying social informatics, computing and MIS as well as organizational behaviour, sociology, psychology and communications. Research-based and cross-disciplinary, Bradley's book is a valuable, and topical, resource.

What is Quality of Life in a society that has embraced information and communication technology (ICT)? What is Wisdom in this kind of society? And what things are helping or hindering us from having both wisdom and a good quality of life in ICT societies? Taking the reader through a quick analysis of the current social and psychological changes in the Information and Communication Society, Bradley challenges us to avoid becoming victims of technology - whether we are professionals, policymakers, parents or citizens. Indeed, she introduces a theoretical model based on four decades’ worth of research to help the reader to understand this complex, technological world. In addition to focusing the reader’s attention on convergence and acceleration, this model describes the interplay between technology, societal structure, organizational design and human roles, thus leading to what Bradley describes as a "good ICT society". Emphasising the necessity of a co-operative parallel between the automation and humanization of society, this innovative volume will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers interested in the subjects such as Information and Communication Technology and Social Change, Psychology and Sociology, Computer Technology and Media Technology.

Information and Communication Technologies, Society and Human Beings: Theory and Framework addresses the extensive area of effects of ICT on human beings and the interaction between ICT, individuals, organizations, and society. This premier reference source features contributions from over 45 distinguished researchers from around the world, each presenting high quality research on Social Informatics, Human Computer Interaction, Organizational Behavior, and Macro-ergonomics. This unique publication is perfect for students, teachers, researchers, engineers, practitioners, managers, policy-makers, and media alike.

This book focuses on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on organizations and society as a whole. Specifically, it examines how such technologies improve our lives and facilitate our work. A main aspect explored is how actors understand the potential of ICTs to support organizational activities and hence, how they adopt and adapt these technologies to achieve their goals. The book collects papers on various areas of organizational strategy, e.g. new business models, competitive strategies, knowledge management and more. The main areas dealt with are new technologies for a better life, innovations for e-government, and technologies enhancing enterprise modeling. In addition, the book addresses how organizations impact society through sustainable development and social responsibility, and how ICTs employ social media networks in the process of value co-creation.

In times of global capitalist crisis we are witnessing a return of critique in the form of a surging interest in critical theories (such as the critical political economy of Karl Marx) and social rebellions as a reaction to the commodification and instrumentalization of everything. On one hand, there are overdrawn claims that social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc) have caused uproars in countries like Tunisia and Egypt. On the other hand, the question arises as to what actual role social media play in contemporary capitalism, crisis, rebellions, the strengthening of the commons, and the potential creation of participatory democracy. The commodification of everything has resulted also in a commodification of the communication commons, including Internet communication that is today largely commercial in character. This book deals with the questions of what kind of society and what kind of Internet are desirable, how capitalism, power structures and social media are connected, how political struggles are connected to social media, what current developments of the Internet and society tell us about potential futures, how an alternative Internet can look like, and how a participatory, commons-based Internet and a co-operative, participatory, sustainable information society can be achieved.

This book represents an important voice in the scientific discourse on what constitutes a sustainable information society, and provides a new comprehensive and forward-looking approach to such a development. This approach is based on the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by the main stakeholders of society, including individuals, enterprises, and public administration, who should use ICTs in order to build the welfare of present and future generations, ensure economic growth and socio-cultural development, increase participation in public life, permit personal development, and build the wisdom of society. As such, the book mainly focuses on the role ICTs play in transforming business, public administration and everyday life in the context of the sustainable information society. This volume will appeal to both researchers and practitioners, as it provides significant areas and directions for research on the sustainable information society, and suggests important issues for programming, building and adopting such a society. The book will allow the reader to answer such critical contemporary questions as ‘What is the sustainable information society and what role is played by ICTs in this society?’; ‘What are the challenges and tasks of people, enterprises, and public administration that lead towards the sustainable information society?’; ‘How can ICTs support people, enterprises, and public administration in programming, building and adopting such a society?’; ‘What are the factors affecting ICT adoption by people, enterprises, and public administration in this context?’; ‘What are the areas that should require a primary focus in order to achieve the most satisfying results of ICT adoption by people, enterprises, and public administration?’; and ‘How can ICT adoption by people, enterprises, and public administration be measured here?’

This book makes an important contribution to the recent evolution in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that are human-centred and socially desirable, environmentally sustainable, and ethically acceptable. It introduces the concept of moral, equitable and environmental limits in the ICT domain and proposes a Slow Tech approach to face the challenges of these limits, laying out a set of principles that can be applied in real-life business settings. With the launch of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the growing interest in the circular economy, Slow Tech and ICT - A Responsible, Sustainable and Ethical Approach is a timely tool for forward-thinking businesses.