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

"we shape our tools and they in turn shape us.” Slavery of machine and implications Marshall McLuhan, 1911 - 1980

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

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

Topics Broadly a 2-way split Sectors Issues E-commerce, e-govt, e-learning, e-health, e-science, e-entertainment Issues Legal, ethical/professional, organisational, policy, digital divide

Course structure Schedule Staff See web page Tutorials: sign up via Web Staff Frank Guerin (course organiser, co-teaching) David Pym (co-teaching) Matt Dennis (demonstrator)

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/

Assessment 75% exam 25% coursework Topics from lectures, tutorials, assessment NOT just what's on powerpoint! 25% coursework Two articles (25%) Oral presentation – not marked, but could help article

Introduction: What is eSociety About?

Introduction: What is eSociety About? Electronic Technology Human Society

"we shape our tools and they in turn shape us.” Slavery of machine and implications Marshall McLuhan, 1911 - 1980

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.

Technological and social developments through the ages…

Technological and social developments through the ages…

Technological and social developments through the ages… Development of farming

Technological and social developments through the ages… Settlement

Technological and social developments through the ages… Settlement They interact and feed each other – technological and social development

Technological and social developments through the ages… Development of money

Technological and social developments through the ages… Specialisation

Technological and social developments through the ages… Specialisation Some unexpected, like traders

Technological and social developments through the ages… of Writing

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

fast data transmission and processing large databases search 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

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 Unforeseen – text msg Or ebay/amazon Or advertising

 Technology fills the gap 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

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 Successful companies: google good example

Topics: Sectors E-Society sectors Potential benefits? Barriers? E-commerce E-government E-learning E-health E-science E-entertainment Potential benefits? Barriers?

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

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

E-government Potential benefits Issues Info is easily accessible to all Easier tax forms, voting, etc Issues

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

E-Learning Potential benefits Issues Distance learning Material can be customised to student Issues

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

E-Health Potential benefits Issues Sharing medical information (eg, A&E) Fewer medical errors Detect disease outbreaks, etc, better Issues

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

Reflect: Systems Thinking Systems, which perform functions and provide services, are complex assemblies and combinations of technological, human/social, economic, and policy components. How can we organize our understanding? How can model systems so that we can explore and reason about all of the interacting and conflicting components and requirements? How do systems fail? Systemic failure, component failure, individual culpability? Security examples.

E-Science Potential benefits Issues 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

E-Science Potential benefits Issues 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

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

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

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

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

"we shape our tools and they in turn shape us.” Electronic Technology Human Society "we shape our tools and they in turn shape us.”