Global Perspectives on the Information Society

Abstract

This chapter surveys issues and priorities being raised internationally by governments, civil society and the private sector in conceptualizing a global information society. Examinations of social, ethical and policy implications of information and communication technologies are often limited in scope, by region, constituency, issue, or other social dimensions. It is critically important, given growing global interdependencies in terms of labor, trade, communications resources and other factors, that social informatics and community informatics research begin to include more international perspectives and analyses. Efforts initiated within the United Nations sphere and other international bodies in recent years are offering unique opportunities to develop such perspectives. This chapter examines the body of issues being raised through these processes. This chapter seeks to show the diversity of perspectives that exist globally on these issues. Global perspectives on social, ethical and policy implications of information systems introduce the consideration of both the common and the diverse needs of the world’s many cultures, regions and nations. Information and communication technologies are seen in this context as both enabling solutions to the world’s many social problems and as potential sources of threats to labor, environment, culture, and other facets of society.