1: Inclusion and Exclusion in the Information Society
Key concerns of both policy makers and scholars in the EU centre on issues of social exclusion and inclusion, and in particular on the possible consequences of the informatisation of society for marginal and minority groups. This concern is reflected in three sessions of the Conference:
Community: research is investigating how minority groups in Europe have appropriated both new and old technologies in their projects of self-expression and development. In an increasingly multi-cultural European culture, how are émigré and ethnically distinct groups using media and communication technologies, and with what consequences for their own culture, their relationship to their host societies and to European culture as a whole?
Exclusion: large proportions of Europe's population are thought to be in danger of being by-passed by the information society. The disabled and the elderly are clearly key concerns. But what are the realities of social exclusion and how far do new technologies and services perpetuate existing patterns of exclusion, ameliorate them or create new ones?
Citizenship: participation in the information society is not just a matter of access to new technologies and services. It requires the creation and sustaining of a political culture and a range of skills and competences amongst its citizenry. What role will new technologies and media have in enhancing democratic participation in the information society?
2: Living and Working in the Information Society
A second key concern is that of the new ways of living and working which are seen to be possible in the information society. This agenda is reflected in four sessions of the Conference :
Flexibility: flexible working arrangements are becoming increasingly prominent in the shift towards the information society. Flexible patterns of work will affect different groups of the population in different ways and have a wide range of so far unexamined consequences on the relationship between home and work, on the management of time and on the quality of life. So in what ways and with what consequences?
Domesticity: the household is a principle site for the emerging information society, and the quality of private life is crucially affected by the ways in which individuals and families access, and participate in, electronically delivered culture and commerce. How will households respond to the new opportunities and with what consequences for the relationship between public and private space, as well as for the future of the family?
Consumption: e-commerce is set to expand rapidly, but it is far from clear who will be the innovators, and how far and how fast different markets will emerge. E-commerce will have profound consequences for patterns of consumption and for life-style choices across the Community. Young people are a key group in the emergence of e-commerce. How will these new patterns of consumption develop amongst this key group, and with what consequences both for commerce and for the quality of life?
Quality of life: when ICTs disappear in the background. Over the next decade Information and Communication Technologies are expected to move from being commonplace to being both ubiquitous and embedded, as described by the notions of Ambient Intelligence and Ubiquitous Computing. These developments are likely to impact significantly on our everyday lives, especially in relation to mobility and smart homes. How can the potential of these new developments be mobilised effectively to enhance the quality of life of the European citizen and consumer and what are the social consequences of ubiquitous and embedded technologies?
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