These volumes explore a number of significant and interdisciplinary questions relevant to the wider debate regarding the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a variety of research fields, including management, education, science, and the media. Bringing together research from European countries currently in a state of transition, all three volumes mark a significant contribution to the wider discussion on the role of ICT in today’s world.

The industrial nations of the world have become Information Societies. Advanced technologies have created a communication revolution, and the individual, through the advent of computers, has become an active participant in this process. The "human" aspect, therefore, is as important as technologically advanced media systems in understanding communication technology. The flagship book in the Series in Communication Technology & Society, Communication Technology introduces the history and uses of the new technologies and examines basic issues posed by interactive media in areas that affect intellectual, organization, and social life. Author and series co-editor Everett M. Rogers defines the field of communication technology with its major implications for researchers, students, and practitioners in an age of ever more advanced information exchange.

Information and Communication Technologies in Real-Life Learning presents the results of an International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) working conference held December 2004 in Melbourne, Australia. The working conference was organized by IFIP Working Group 3.2 (Informatics and ICT in Higher Education) and IFIP Working Group 3.4 (Professional and Vocational Education in Information Technology). The papers in this book present a cross-section of issues in real-life learning in which Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays an important role. Some of the issues covered include: education models for real-life learning enabled by ICT; effective organization of a real-life learning environment; the changing role of the student; the changing role of educational institutions and their relationship with business and industry; the changing role of teachers and their use of ICT; and managment of ICT-rich education change.

Technology was once thought of only in relation to machines, manufacturing or the military. Now it pervades every aspect of our lives.In Technoculture, Lelia Green focuses on the technologies of communication, from things we don't even think of as technology, like the alphabet or electricity, to the rapidly-developing world of cyberspace. She argues that technology is never neutral, rather, it is closely linked to culture, society and government policy.Green looks at what drives technological change, and demonstrates that the adoption of new technologies is never inevitable. She also explores how a variety of technology cultures coexist and interact: industrial culture, media culture, information culture, and now 'technoculture'. Some communities reap the benefits of technocultures, while others are bypassed or even damaged.Technoculture offers a broad and accessible introduction to the complex issues surrounding technology, communications, culture and society for students and anyone else interested in making sense of one of the key issues of the twenty-first century.

Information and Communication Technologies, Society and Human Beings: Theory and Framework addresses the extensive area of effects of ICT on human beings and the interaction between ICT, individuals, organizations, and society. This premier reference source features contributions from over 45 distinguished researchers from around the world, each presenting high quality research on Social Informatics, Human Computer Interaction, Organizational Behavior, and Macro-ergonomics. This unique publication is perfect for students, teachers, researchers, engineers, practitioners, managers, policy-makers, and media alike.

The social, political and technological implications of the information revolution are the focus of this textbook. It explores the major social and technological issues surrounding the introduction of information technology (IT) into everyday life; presents historical and comparative perspectives on the social and technological processes involved in the uses of, control of and access to IT; and critically examines the assumptions underpinning technological development. Divided into five sections, each with a detailed introduction, the book provides a comprehensive overview of information technology, and its implications for all of us. Contributors place the debates around IT in an international context, illustrating the imp

What shapes the role of Information and Communication Technologies in our everyday life? Despite the speed with which information and communication technologies such as the PC, mobile telephone and internet have found their way into society, there remains a good deal of debate surrounding their adoption and use. Through empirical studies covering a broad range of everyday life and work settings, this volume provides grounded insights into the social dynamics influencing how ICTs are both shaped and experienced. Specifically, the book examines the contributions of diverse disciplines to our understanding of these processes, the symbolic nature of technologies, the influence of design on the experience of ICTs, the role of users in influencing that design, the social constraints affecting the use of those technologies, and strategies for evaluating the social consequences of ICT innovations.