CS5038 The Electronic Society

1
CS5038 The Electronic Society
Lecture 1 Introduction to CS5038 Course
Organiser Frank Guerin E-mail f dot guerin at
abdn dot ac dot uk Course Website
www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/fguerin/teaching/CS5038
2
What is E-Society About

• How IT and (especially) Internet/Web are/could
  change society
• E-commerce, e-government, etc
• Non-technical issues that limit or affect this
  change
• Legal, ethical, policy

3
E-Society in the News

• From BBC news web site
• UK government responds on Phorm
• Crackdown on 'suicide websites'
• Computer games drive social ties
• Web 'must separate rumour' from science

4
Topics

• First half sectors
• E-commerce, e-govt, e-learning, e-health,
  e-science, e-entertainment
• Second half issues
• Legal, ethical/professional, organisational,
  policy, digital divide

5
Course structure

• Schedule
• See web page
• Tutorials sign up on Level 5 notice board
• Staff
• Frank Guerin (course organiser)
• TBA (demonstrator)

6
Reading

• Information page on course website
• Books, websites, seminars
• All background/optional
• No course textbook as such
• http//www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/fguerin/teaching/CS5038
  /information/

7
Assessment

• 75 exam
• Topics from lectures, tutorials, assessment
• NOT just what's on powerpoint!
• 25 coursework
• Essay (15)
• NOT just what's on powerpoint!
• Debate (5)
• Oral presentation (5)

8
Introduction What is eSociety About?
9
Introduction What is eSociety About?

• Electronic
• Technology

Human Society
10
Some definitions

• Technology the art or science of applying
  scientific knowledge to practical problems
• Technology a broad concept that deals with a
  species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts,
  and how it affects a species' ability to control
  and adapt to its environment
• Society an extended social group having a
  distinctive cultural and economic organization
• Society a grouping of individuals, which is
  characterized by common interests and may have
  distinctive culture and institutions.

11
Technological and social developments through
the ages
12
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Development of farming

13
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Settlement

14
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Settlement
• They interact and feed each other technological
  and social development

15
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Development of money

16
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Specialisation

17
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Specialisation
• Some unexpected, like traders

18
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Development
• of Writing

19
Technological and social developments through
the ages

• Specialist knowledge
• Mathematics
• Scribes
• Education
• Classes
• So technology is the motor for major social
  changes
• Now technological change is so fast and profound
  ? interesting times for society
• We are only at the beginning of this social change

20

• phone
• screens
• fast data transmission and processing
• large databases
• search
• Encryption
• Specific technologies were necessary for specific
  sectors
• Sometimes one is driving the other
• Much has been discovered very recently

21

• Freedom of information
• Censorship
• Freedom of speech
• Blogging
• Technology provides a new opportunity society
  makes use of it (in unforeseen ways)
• Society changes
• Society has a new need
• ? Technology fills the gap

22

• Music
• Movies
• TV
• Web 2.0
• Again
• Technology provides a new opportunity society
  makes use of it (in unforeseen ways)
• Society changes
• Society has a new need
• ? Technology fills the gap

23
Why study eSociety?

• Learn about effects on society
• Learn about new/old needs of society
• Learn about non technical challenges
• Looking at the big picture maybe you can see the
  pattern
• helps you predict
• how technology will change
• how society will change
• business opportunity (Google, eBay, Amazon,
  Youtube)
• social engineering opportunity

24
Topics Sectors

• E-Society sectors
• E-commerce
• E-government
• E-learning
• E-health
• E-science
• E-entertainment
• Potential benefits? Barriers?

25
E-Commerce

• Potential benefits
• Shop open 24/7
• Customers all over world
• Unlimited catalogue
• Issues
• Business models (organisational change)
• Security/privacy/trust
• Legal barriers to international sales

26
E-Commerce

• Potential benefits
• Shop open 24/7
• Customers all over world
• Unlimited catalogue
• Issues
• Business models (organisational change)
• Security/privacy/trust
• Legal barriers to international sales

27
E-government

• Potential benefits
• Info is easily accessible to all
• Easier tax forms, voting, etc
• Issues

28
E-government

• Potential benefits
• Info is easily accessible to all
• Easier tax forms, voting, etc
• Issues
• Unfair to people who lack access to web?
• Poor, elderly, deprived

29
E-Learning

• Potential benefits
• Distance learning
• Material can be customised to student
• Issues

30
E-Learning

• Potential benefits
• Distance learning
• Material can be customised to student
• Issues
• Ownership/use of material?
• Many people want face-to-face teaching
• Interaction with peers

31
E-Health

• Potential benefits
• Sharing medical information (eg, AE)
• Fewer medical errors
• Detect disease outbreaks, etc, better
• Issues

32
E-Health

• Potential benefits
• Sharing medical information (eg, AE)
• Fewer medical errors
• Detect disease outbreaks, etc, better
• Issues
• Security/privacy of medical data
• What happens when computers crash?
• Natural diasasters?

33
E-Science

• Potential benefits
• Universal access to scientific papers and data
  sets
• Better collaboration, sharing of resources
• Issues
• Organisational researchers judged by research
  papers in conventional journals
• How detect bogus material

34
E-Science

• Potential benefits
• Universal access to scientific papers and data
  sets
• Better collaboration, sharing of resources
• Issues
• Organisational researchers judged by research
  papers in conventional journals
• How detect bogus material

35
E-Entertainment

• Potential benefits
• Much broader range of material
• Interact with people around world
• Issues
• Privacy (esp of children)
• Rights to material (IPR)

36
E-Entertainment

• Potential benefits
• Much broader range of material
• Interact with people around world
• Issues
• Privacy (esp of children)
• Rights to material (IPR)

37
E-Society

• Internet/web/IT can change society for the better
• But these changes require many non-technical
  barriers to be addressed.

38
Standard for new tech

• To effectively use cars, society needs
• Infrastructure roads, petrol stations
• Public policy (speed limit, age limit)
• Laws, regulations, licenses
• Professional bodies (AA), training (BSM)
• Mechanism to deal with failures
• Police, ambulances, etc for crashes
• Much more than actual vehicle