Showing papers in "The Information Society in 2004"
TL;DR: This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright and which are likely to be copyrighted.
Abstract: Based on literature from the domains of organization science, marketing, accounting, and management information systems, this review article examines the theoretical basis of the information overload discourse and presents an overview of the main definitions, situations, causes, effects, and countermeasures. It analyzes the contributions from the last 30 years to consolidate the existing research in a conceptual framework and to identify future research directions.
1,336 citations
TL;DR: This article examined three possible explanations for differences in Internet privacy concerns revealed by national regulation: (1) These differences reflect and are related to differences in cultural values described by other research, (2) these differences reflect differences in internet experience; or (3) they reflect the differences in the desires of political institutions without reflecting underlying differences in privacy preferences.
Abstract: We examine three possible explanations for differences in Internet privacy concerns revealed by national regulation: (1) These differences reflect and are related to differences in cultural values described by other research; (2) these differences reflect differences in Internet experience; or (3) they reflect differences in the desires of political institutions without reflecting underlying differences in privacy preferences. Using a sample of Internet users from 38 countries matched against the Internet population of the United States, we find support for (1) and (2), suggesting the need for localized privacy policies. Privacy concerns decline with Internet experience. Controlling for experience, cultural values were associated with differences in privacy concerns. These cultural differences are mediated by regulatory differences, although new cultural differences emerge when differences in regulation are harmonized. Differences in regulation reflect but also shape country differences. Consumers in countries with sectoral regulation have less desire for more privacy regulation.
419 citations
TL;DR: A model of interactivity is proposed to initiate discussion about the concept as a cross-level and multivalent phenomenon—one with both positive and negative consequences—and to spur more socially relevant research.
Abstract: Interactivity has been identified as a core concept of new media, yet despite nearly three decades of study and analysis, we scarcely know what interactivity is, let alone what it does, and have scant insight into the conditions in which interactive processes are likely to be consequential for members of a social system. This article attempts to address this deficiency by critiquing three self-defeating tendencies and an erroneous assumption of interactivity research, then proposes four basic propositions around which systematic knowledge regarding interactivity in society may be built. In the spirit of bridging mass and interpersonal processes, a model of interactivity is proposed to initiate discussion about the concept as a cross-level and multivalent phenomenon—one with both positive and negative consequences—and to spur more socially relevant research. For interactivity to succeed as a concept, it must have some meaningful social and psychological relevance beyond its technical status as a property o...
268 citations
TL;DR: This work uses recent concepts from the IT literature to propose an integrative framework to study the role of ICT in development and suggests that policymakers and donor agencies may find this framework useful in evaluating the potential impact of development interventions using ICT.
Abstract: In development literature, information and communications technology (ICT) has been characterized as having the potential to enable national development. However, ICT has been conceptualized mostly as a monolithic and homogeneous entity. To a great extent, the ambiguous findings and diverse opinions on the role of ICT in national development can be attributed to this limited focus. In order to better understand the role ICT can play in national development, we believe that the ICT artifact needs to be examined in finer detail. We propose that ICT needs to be conceptualized in its many facets, perceptions, and in its manifold impact in societies. We use recent concepts from the IT literature to propose an integrative framework to study the role of ICT in development. Policymakers and donor agencies may find this framework useful in evaluating the potential impact of development interventions using ICT.
263 citations
TL;DR: This article attempts to clarify the murky conceptual water of “interactivity,” arguing that the term refers to two distinct phenomena: interactivity between people and interactivity Between people and computers or networks.
Abstract: This article attempts to clarify the murky conceptual water of “interactivity,” arguing that the term refers to two distinct phenomena: interactivity between people and interactivity between people and computers or networks. The former orients research on the process of interactivity. The latter orients research on the product of interactivity. That two distinct phenomena have been labeled with the same term causes problems when one wants to move from theorizing about interactivity in the abstract to investigating what effects interactivity has and then to operationalizing measurement terms. Studying interactivity-as-process entails a research focus on human interaction. Studying interactivity-as-product entails a research focus on user interactions with technology. In wading into the murky waters of what interactivity is, we must not lose sight of why it matters. In research focused on the opportunities and constraints for citizen participation in the political process afforded by communication technolog...
251 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that studying chatrooms constitutes human subjects research under U.S. law, but that a waiver of consent is appropriate in most cases as obtaining consent is impracticable.
Abstract: In this article we present an empirical study aimed at better understanding the potential for harm when conducting research in chatrooms. For this study, we entered IRC chatrooms on the ICQ network and posted one of three messages to tell participants that we were recording them: a recording message, an opt-in message, or an opt-out message. In the fourth condition, we entered the chatroom but did not post a message. We recorded and analyzed how subjects responded to being studied. Results of a regression analysis indicate significantly more hostility in the three conditions where we said something than in the control condition. We were kicked out of 63.3% of the chatrooms we entered in the three message conditions compared with 29% of the chatrooms in the control condition. There were no significant differences between any of these three conditions. Notably, when given a chance to opt in, only 4 of 766 potential subjects chose to do so. Results also indicate significant effects for both size and the numb...
214 citations
TL;DR: It is made the case that interactivity is an attribute of the technology and not that of the user, and calls for the consideration of ontological aspects that constitute interactivity while specifying its social and psychological effects.
Abstract: Noting that interactivity is often defined but seldom theorized in the literature, this article provides some pointers for developing theories about effects of interactivity, particularly as it applies to Web-based mass communication. It first makes the case that interactivity is an attribute of the technology and not that of the user. It exposes the tautology of studying the effects of perceived interactivity and calls for the consideration of ontological aspects that constitute interactivity while specifying its social and psychological effects. Theoretical explorations may be categorized in terms of three classes of outcome measures—behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive—as we investigate the role played by interactivity in initiating action, changing attitudes, and altering the nature of information processing. These would result in theories about technology rather than psychology in that they help us specify direct and combination effects of interactivity, modality, navigability, and other technologi...
188 citations
TL;DR: A case study of the Association for Credit and Empowerment (ACE), a large NGO in Bangladesh that is currently reviewing its information management systems, forms the main part of the article.
Abstract: This article highlights a set of critical issues for information systems research that can be fruitfully explored through the study of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries. At the same time, the article argues that research on development NGOs needs to draw more fully on the study of information systems. A case study of the Association for Credit and Empowerment (ACE), a large NGO in Bangladesh that is currently reviewing its information management systems, forms the main part of the article. Our analysis identifies contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of information systems and the overall management of NGOs.
92 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that a mutual shaping lens enables a more encompassing account of the joint processes of technological and social change in new media than the diffusion of innovations and social shaping of technology perspectives.
Abstract: This article argues that a mutual shaping lens enables a more encompassing account of the joint processes of technological and social change in new media than the diffusion of innovations and social shaping of technology perspectives. Drawing from recent work in sociology and history of technology, organization studies, social informatics, and computer-supported cooperative work, this article suggests that the shaping and diffusion of media artifacts are so intimately tied that they should be seen as the two sides of the same innovation coin. Using examples from the history of videotex newspapers in the United States, the analysis shows that actors simultaneously pursued interdependent technological and social transformations, that this was an ongoing process in which partial outcomes in the technological domain influenced social events at a later phase—and vice versa—and that such process was influenced by historical developments.
92 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that more attention to the institutional determinants of public policies is needed, and new directions for research aimed at broadening the set of social actors participating in the global governance of new technologies.
Abstract: This article examines the theoretical assumptions generally used in communication and information policy studies, and suggests that more attention to the institutional determinants of public policies is needed. The first part discusses three alternative theoretical approaches: the interest-group approach, the ideological approach, and the technology-centered approach. The second part outlines the conceptual tools of the new institutionalism approach and discusses its application for the study of regime change in telecoms and media. The third part presents an abbreviated example of such application to the case of U.S. spectrum policies and the licensing of digital broadcasting. The conclusion suggests new directions for research aimed at broadening the set of social actors participating in the global governance of new technologies.
71 citations
TL;DR: The results show that CIP now exceeds other social movement issues (women, civil rights, the environment, human rights) as a major concern of Congressional activity, that the issues are becoming more interdependent, and that modes of citizens advocacy have undergone drastic changes in recent years.
Abstract: This article initiates exploratory empirical research on how civil society collective action has reacted to and affected communication–information policy (CIP), a policy domain that has been reshaped by technological and industrial change. It reviews the relevant theory on social movements, citizens groups, and interest groups from political science. Data are gathered on two dimensions of the research question: (1) We quantify the number of public interest advocacy groups focused on CIP in the United States from 1961 to the present, using organizational ecology methods. (2) We track the number of U.S. Congressional hearings held each year on CIP issues. The results show that CIP now exceeds other social movement issues (women, civil rights, the environment, human rights) as a major concern of Congressional activity, that the issues are becoming more interdependent, and that modes of citizens advocacy have undergone drastic changes in recent years.
TL;DR: Public concern with locational surveillance systems has focused on privacy, but “privacy” may be an inadequate frame through which to understand these issues and to fashion appropriate responses.
Abstract: Over the last 35 years, centralized universal-number (in the United States, 9-1-1) systems have come to be the preferred means of emergency-response dispatching. The creation of these systems has motivated the development of information systems that render the landscape, to those with the right access, increasingly legible. This has been to the benefit of those receiving emergency services, but also to the benefit of police and commercial interests, who have used the improved infrastructure as bases for the creation of geodemographic and other profiling systems. More recently, the creation of wireless telephony has motivated the creation of a further surveillance infrastructure built on and integrated into that landscape. One consequence has been the commercialization of the systems in ways that permit the incorporation of more intimate and detailed data into preexisting systems. Public concern with locational surveillance systems has focused on privacy. However, “privacy” may be an inadequate frame throu...
TL;DR: A comparative study of Bangalore, India, and Ronneby, Sweden highlights the important role that “mediators” such as governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international agencies play in ensuring the success of initiatives launched by national governments andinternational agencies for drawing disadvantaged groups into the information society.
Abstract: While much has been written about marginalization as a structural phenomenon, there is little understanding of how the dynamics of marginalization unfold at the micro level in urban contexts. We seek to understand these micro-level marginalization processes via a comparative study of Bangalore, India, and Ronneby, Sweden. Our analysis highlights the important role that “mediators” such as governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international agencies play in ensuring the success of initiatives launched by national governments and international agencies for drawing disadvantaged groups into the information society.
TL;DR: A number of policy mechanisms used to take advantage of international dimensions of the authors' current environment are presented, tracing the influence of national and international actors, and the implications for national discourse.
Abstract: We often assume that policy and laws are the outcome of national deliberative discourse. As we have seen with other domains such as intellectual property and trade, policies that influence privacy and civil liberties are increasingly resulting from international policy dynamics. This article presents a number of these policy mechanisms used to take advantage of international dimensions of our current environment. These mechanisms include policy laundering, modeling, and forum shifting. Using these mechanisms, policies are being developed outside of national deliberative forums and then adopted locally in the interests of national governments. A number of policy instances are presented, tracing the influence of national and international actors, and the implications for national discourse. The article concludes with discussion of some implications for an open society.
TL;DR: The authors make a distinction between micro-level psychological processes and the macro-level societal effects that emerge from these processes, which is a major step in resolving conceptual ambiguity surrounding interactivity.
Abstract: A major step in resolving conceptual ambiguity surrounding interactivity involves making a distinction between micro-level psychological processes and the macro-level societal effects that emerge f...
TL;DR: This article analyzes World Bank-sponsored studies of rural telecommunications initiatives in Chile, Peru, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Malaysia to identify which lessons the bank draws from them and recommends for other countries.
Abstract: The World Bank has been the largest multilateral source of rural telecommunications financing in developing countries since the mid-1960s. This article analyzes World Bank-sponsored studies of rural telecommunications initiatives in Chile, Peru, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Malaysia to identify which lessons the bank draws from them and recommends for other countries. The World Bank's preference for a “best practice” approach in its research leads it to attribute successes and failures to a narrow scope of factors that tend to agree with its economic policy priorities. Instead, rural telecommunications practices should be analyzed within their broader socio-institutional and cultural contexts in order to enable cross-situational applications, and a broad array of stakeholders should be involved in shaping the lessons learned.
TL;DR: The analysis suggests that liberalization and privatization of the telecommunications sector policies pushed by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, and other international agencies will not by themselves create universal access in countries with rudimentary urban-centric networks.
Abstract: The concept of universal access, which originated in the United States, is now part of the telecommunications policy frameworks of many developing countries. This article uses the case of Bangladesh as a vehicle for examining the transferability of the universal service concept to developing countries. The analysis suggests that liberalization and privatization of the telecommunications sector policies pushed by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, and other international agencies, will not by themselves create universal access in countries with rudimentary urban-centric networks. The policymakers need to incorporate build-out obligations when licensing operators and also develop cross-subsidy mechanisms even though they are now out of fashion in the industrialized world.
TL;DR: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has been criticized for granting too much power to copyright holders, offering them new technological controls that may harm the public interest as mentioned in this paper. But by considering this exclusively as a copyright issue, we overlook how the DMCA anticipates a technological and commercial infrastructure for regulating not only copying but every facet of the purchase and use of cultural goods.
Abstract: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has been criticized for granting too much power to copyright holders, offering them new technological controls that may harm the public interest. But by considering this exclusively as a copyright issue, we overlook how the DMCA anticipates a technological and commercial infrastructure for regulating not only copying but every facet of the purchase and use of cultural goods. In upholding the law in Universal v. Reimerdes, the courts not only stabilized these market-friendly arrangements in cultural distribution; they extended these arrangements into realms as diverse as encryption research and journalism, with consequences for the very production of knowledge.
TL;DR: This article offers a descriptive analysis of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society and the involvement of civil society organizations in it.
Abstract: This article offers a descriptive analysis of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the involvement of civil society organizations in it. Theoretical and empirical literature on global civil society, a “third sector” distinct from government and business, makes it clear that its changing role in international governance processes raises important political issues. This article examines what WSIS tells us about how this dynamic is playing out in communication and information policy.
TL;DR: The study shows that over time the open source-inspired networks developed by companies gradually come to resemble classical corporate networks.
Abstract: The open source software movement has become a threat to corporate software development. In response, companies started to develop products and services related to open source software. Subsequently, they also tried to come to terms with the processes that are characteristic of open source software development. This article examines the efforts made by companies to use open source principles and practices for corporate purposes. The study shows that over time the open source-inspired networks developed by these companies gradually come to resemble classical corporate networks.
TL;DR: The authors tracked web sites posting or linking to software known as DeCSS over a 26-month period coinciding with a U.S. lawsuit that found posting and linking to the DeCSS software to be illegal.
Abstract: This research tracked web sites posting or linking to software known as DeCSS over a 26-month period coinciding with a U.S. lawsuit that found posting and linking to the DeCSS software to be illegal. Results showed a decrease in the number of web pages posting the DeCSS software, and a decrease in the number of web pages linking to DeCSS. Seven web sites retained their DeCSS posting for the entire 26-month study period. An increasing number of sites posted nonexecutable forms of DeCSS, and results show a large percentage of web sites contained political speech. The persistence of DeCSS linking and posting was surprising given the prohibition on linking and posting within the United States and given the obsolescence of DeCSS as a DVD decrypter. We suggest that DeCSS linking and posting persists primarily as a political symbol of protest.
TL;DR: An analysis of local resident's engagement with their council's pilot project to develop a computer facility in their community center suggests four patterns of individual engagement with the computer project: reflexive, utilitarian, distributive, and nonparticipatory.
Abstract: Evidence demonstrates that the digital divide is deepening despite strategies mobilized worldwide to reduce it. In disadvantaged communities, beyond training and infrastructural issues, there often lies a range of cultural and historically formed relationships that affect people's adoption of ICTs. This article presents an analysis of local resident's engagement with their council's pilot project to develop a computer facility in their community center. We ask, to what extent can people in poor urban communities, once trained, be expected to volunteer to work on furthering community education and development in ICTs in their local area? Findings indicate four patterns of individual engagement with the computer project: reflexive, utilitarian, distributive, and nonparticipatory. It is argued that local people engaged with the intervention in historically patterned and locally distinctive ways that served immediate personal and pragmatic ends. They did not adopt the long-term strategic goals of the council ...
TL;DR: I was giving a talk about communication networks and social networks at the Sunbelt Social Network conference and Rob eagerly asked good, sharp questions about the extent to which telephone communication was substitutable for – or complementary to – face-to-face contact.
Abstract: I was giving a talk about communication networks and social networks at the Sunbelt Social Network conference. This was well before the Internet. No one cared about this except for this rather big, red-headed guy who was leaning forward with interest, nodding and frowning as I went on. I immediately knew that he would be Questioner #1. I was right. Rob eagerly asked good, sharp questions about the extent to which telephone communication (that’s all we used then) was substitutable for – or complementary to – face-to-face contact. It was a dialogue, rather than a one-shot Q&A.
TL;DR: This study argues that language difference is an important, though often neglected, element in contemporary flows of audiovisual media and organizations' efforts to influence them through policy and advocates for increased attention to language-related concerns within and across those areas by policymakers and researchers alike.
Abstract: This study argues that language difference is an important, though often neglected, element in contemporary flows of audiovisual media and organizations' efforts to influence them through policy. Because linguistic issues overlap a number of policy areas, including trade, culture, language, and communication, this study advocates for increased attention to language-related concerns within and across those areas by policymakers and researchers alike. Various developments associated with globalization have contributed to the significance of the transnational media trade, and are discussed in light of language difference. Special emphasis is given the handling of language in media by the European Union and North American Free Trade Agreement, two trade regimes that have treated language difference distinctly. The probable expansion of both trade regimes is likely to increase the salience of linguistic diversity among participant societies in the future.
TL;DR: This article compares four European information and communication technologies (ICT) development projects spawned by national and EU initiatives to create the “European information society.”
Abstract: This article compares four European information and communication technologies (ICT) development projects spawned by national and EU initiatives to create the “European information society.” These projects, which sought to support learning and better use of ICT, were all the result of opportunities opened up by political initiatives. The analysis indicates that the main problems that afflict these projects stem from varied expectations and interests of the major actors. These problems can be mitigated considerably if a feeling of ownership is generated among the participants. This sense of belonging, however, is difficult to foster in a “top-down” project. Hence there is a need for a better balance between the “top-down” and “bottom-up” influences in the development of such projects.
TL;DR: How one stakeholder group, the library community, frames the policy debates around IIs in four Central and Eastern European countries is examined, to gain a better understanding of political and cultural differences in the development of IIs.
Abstract: Information infrastructures (IIs) are a complex arrangement of people, technology, institutions, content, and conduits. Their development is shaped by the environment in which they evolve and the visions ascribed to them by the various actors. This article examines the assumptions, meanings, and definitions associated with IIs in four Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. In particular, it focuses on how one stakeholder group, the library community, frames the policy debates around IIs. In-depth interviews were conducted in 1999 with 49 library policymakers in 37 institutions. The data shed light on the respondents' collective story and visions and help us gain a better understanding of political and cultural differences in the development of IIs.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: It is argued that the best place to begin looking at the process of interaction is at the level of the neural circuit, a realm far below discussions that center at the interpersonal or cultural levels.
Abstract: A major step in resolving conceptual ambiguity surrounding interactivity involves making a distinction between micro-level psychological processes and the macro-level societal effects that emerge from them. The proposition cuts against the epistemological grain of social sciences, such as psychology and sociology, which have ontological commitments to a particular level of analysis. The position advanced here suggests theories where processes operate at one level and generate effects that emerge at a higher level. Further, it is argued that the best place to begin looking at the process of interaction is at the level of the neural circuit, a realm far below discussions that center at the interpersonal or cultural levels.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, a model of interactivity is proposed to initiate discussion about the concept as a cross-level and multivalent phenomenon - one with both positive and negative consequences - and to spur more socially relevant research.
Abstract: Interactivity has been identified as a core concept of new media, yet despite nearly three decades of study and analysis, we scarcely know what interactivity is, let alone what it does, and have scant insight into the conditions in which interactive processes are likely to be consequential for members of a social system. This article attempts to address this deficiency by critiquing three self-defeating tendencies and an erroneous assumption of interactivity research, then proposes four basic propositions around which systematic knowledge regarding interactivity in society may be built. In the spirit of bridging mass and interpersonal processes, a model of interactivity is proposed to initiate discussion about the concept as a cross-level and multivalent phenomenon - one with both positive and negative consequences - and to spur more socially relevant research. For interactivity to succeed as a concept, it must have some meaningful social and psychological relevance beyond its technical status as a property of media systems or message exchanges.
TL;DR: Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
Abstract: The Irvine School refers to an intellectual perspective on information technology in complex organizational settings that emerged at the University of California, Irvine, over the last three decade...