Thoughts on the future of ICTs, human social behaviour and global governance.

Abstract

For many of us today, life is dictated by the content of an electronic inbox and its pace is set by the speed of a broadband or wireless connection. As the technologies we use change, so do our behaviours and the impact of our lives and actions. Even minor changes in the technology available to individuals inevitably alter the structure of the societies that contain them. How many of us really understand the direction in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are taking our societies? The answer is probably none. Broadly understood, ICTs are everything from the internet to the iPod, the shortwave radio to the telephone. The newest phase of what has been called a digital revolution, the concept of a technological revolution that jumpstarts social change is not a new one, and has happened many times throughout history. From the printing press to the telegraph, there have periodically been technological advances and inventions which have dramatically redefined both the institutions of the human endeavour as well as the human endeavour itself. While the lessons to be learned from history often seem more abstract than enlightening, there is always the certainty –to quote the famous viral youtube video– that “change happens.” In the private sector, many industries are migrating their services online – a different kind of outsourcing. It is happening in the traditional sectors: banking is slowly becoming e-banking, many ticketing agencies and airlines operate almost exclusively online; in the retail sector generally speaking there has been a tremendous increase in online activity, and to the delight of ‘lazy’ consumers, groceries can be ordered online and delivered directly to your door. Online existence is also often the central pillar to many new sectors: some of the most wide reaching organisations, such as MySpace or Facebook, have higher membership counts than developed countries have citizens. And what’s more, these new kinds of organisations need only minimal staffing to manage their operations, whereas traditional organisations that cater to such large audiences would require numerous managerial layers simply to coordinate operations. Strictly from an administrative point of view, if a business can augment efficiency and simultaneously reduce costs and uncertainty factors, then it is probably a choice to make.