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I met with Sangeeta Sharma on the Net many years ago; it was our mutual focus on Human Beings and ICT that brought us together. We exchanged thoughts and research experiences with passion. Sangeeta contributed with a chapter in a Festschrift in 2011 to honor my lifelong research in the field (Haftor & Mirijamdotter, 2011). She was preparing to join the great celebration event arranged by Linnaeus University in Sweden at the release of the Festschrift. About 70 invited guests from around the world had gathered and most of them being chapter authors in the great book. However unrest occurred at the University of Rajasthan which prohibited Sangeeta´s presence in Sweden, but words of wisdom from her hand was presented at the banquet. The first time for our personal meeting was at the IADIS conference on “ICT, Society, and Human Beings” in Rome in 2011. One of the highlights was a panel session on “ICT and Human Rights” where Sangeeta participated. It is a great pleasure to contribute in this special issue the International Journal of ICT in Human Development.
“Possibilities and Risks” at the introduction and use of ICT have been the topic of many conferences, books and articles. The risks are evident and the opportunities are unlimited and concern all levels of analysis. There are desirable efforts to build societal structures and ICT as well as the related internet infrastructures, to promote human rights. At the same time human rights become threatened by the use of ICT e.g., surveillance and control.
A short “human manifest”: ICT should be used to deepen the humane qualities to promote what is often entitled “love,” to help us to meet others the way we want to be met ourselves might be one way to clarify that goal “The Golden Rule,” (Confucius 551-479 B.C.). The utmost goal is to create prerequisites and structures that facilitate the personal growth towards maximizing the love, care, and empathy that exist in the human mind and soul.
The rationalization of working life – products and services – has gone so far in many countries so we can afford to have people in health care, child care and social work. The global matter is an allocation of resources, material and non-material.
The rest of this article is mainly built on my chapter “The Convergence Theory on ICT, Society and Human Beings: Towards the Good ICT society” (Bradley, 2010a) in the Festschrift.