Tom Forester

The myth of the electronic cottage

Abstract An enduring theme in the literature on the impact of computers on society has been the prediction of a big increase in home-based activities. This article reviews the evidence on participation across a range of home-based activities and discusses why home working, home banking, home shopping and home information services have not taken off as many theorists predicted. Drawing on case studies and personal experiences, the author argues that writers have consistently underestimated the psychological problems of working at home, and consumers have by and large not found new IT-based services to be cheaper, usable or useful—nor do they fulfil their psychological needs. For these and other reasons, he concludes that any increase in home-based activity is likely to be gradual and that the vast majority of homes will not become the focus of new economic activity.

Megatrends or megamistakes? What ever happened to the information society?

Abstract Most discourse about computers in the media and in the information technology (FT) industry is Utopian, yet there is a growing body of literature pointing to the lack of social transformation arising from computerization. This paper reviews the evidence for and against social transformation in terms of (1) lifestyles and (2) the structure of society, comparing past predictions with current reality. I conclude that most forecasts have gone awry because forecasters have ignored the human factor. I then outline some of the social problems, ethical dilemmas, and psychological maladies created by the computer revolution. These new problems were largely unforeseen and almost all involve difficulties in the way people relate to technology. The conclusion exhorts scientists and technologists to take more account of human needs and abilities when designing IT systems. Researchers, administrators, and business people will derive economic benefit from learning this central lesson of the IT revolution.

Computers in the Human Context: Information Technology, Productivity, and People

From the Publisher: Our technical knowledge about computers is not matched by a knowledge of their social consequences and possibilities. Computers in the Human Context provides a challenging reappraisal of the information technology revolution. It shows that many companies and organizations are using computers ineffectively, wasting much of the over

Computer unreliability and social vulnerability

300 billion that is being spent each year on computer and communications hardware and software. It is clear from the studies reported here that the economic payoff from the information technology revolution has been slow in coming. The euphoria that greeted the arrival of the microchip in the 1970s has been displaced by a more critical assessment of the social benefits of computerization. Several contributors debunk popular notions such as artificial intelligence, the electronic cottage, teledemocracy, and postindustrial society. Others describe the growing ethical problems of the information technology revolution, including computer crime, workplace surveillance, intellectual property rights, and government control of information. Together these contributions are a major statement of the increasing awareness that what decides the success or failure of computer systems in all contexts in the human factor. Tom Forester, Lecturer and Director of the Foundation Programme, in the School of Computing and Information at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, is the author or editor of five books on technology and society.

A INSEGURANÇA DO COMPUTADOR E A VULNERABILIDADE SOCIAL

Abstract Many have argued that industrial societies are becoming more technology-dependent and are thus more vulnerable to technology failures. Despite the pervasiveness of computer technology, little is known about computer failures, except perhaps that they are all too common. This article analyses the sources of computer unreliability and reviews the extent and cost of unreliable computers. Unlike previous writers, the authors argue that digital computers are inherently unreliable for two reasons: first, they are prone to total rather than partial failure; and second, their enormous complexity means that they can never be thoroughly tested before use. The authors then describe various institutional attempts to improve reliability and possible solutions proposed by computer scientists, but they conclude that as yet none is adequate. Accordingly, they recommend that computers should not be used in life-critical applications.

Software theft and the problem of intellectual property rights

Many have argued that industrial societies are becoming more technology-dependent and are thus more vulnerable to technology failures. Despite the pervasiveness of compu ter technology, little is known about computer [ailures, except perhaps that they are alltoo common. This article analyses the sources of computer unreliability and reviews the extent and cost of unreliable computers. Unlike previous writers, the authors argue that digital computers are inherentlyunreliable for two reasons: first, they are prone to total rather than partial failure; and second, their enormous complexity means that they can never be thoroughly tested before use. The authors then describe variousinstitutional attempts to improve reliability and possible solutions proposed by computer scientists, but they conclude that as yet none is adequate. Accordingly, they recommend that computers should not be used in life-critical applications.

JAPAN'S MOVE UP THE TECHNOLOGY ‘FOOD CHAIN’

Computers have brought many benefits to society, but they have also created new social problems such as computer crime, software theft, computer unreliability, invasions of privacy, hacking and the creation of viruses. In turn, these problems pose ethical dilemmas for the youthful profession of computing, which has yet to develop rigid codes of ethics. This is especially the case with software theft or piracy, a widespread phenomenon and a modern version of the age-old problem of intellectual property theft. For lawmakers and the computing industry, the central question is how to reward innovation without stifling creativity - but experts disagree as to whether copyright law, patent law or contract law should be used. They also disagree as to what software actually is.

COMPUTER CRIME: NEW PROBLEM FOR THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Japan is about to overtake the US to become No.1 in information technology, the key technology of our era. Starting four decades ago with transistor radios and televisions, the Japanese had by the 1970s come to dominate most areas of consumer electronics. In the 1980s, Japanese companies targeted and swiftly captured leadership of the critically important semiconductor industry. Along the way, the Japanese have gained a stranglehold over key areas of advanced manufacturing technology; they have come to reign supreme in modern office equipment such as faxes and photocopiers; and they have even become No.1 in the huge global telecommunications equipment market. In computers and software per se, Japanese companies have been steadily moving up the so-called technology “food chain”, quietly building market share in laptop computers, workstations, mainframe computers and supercomputers, and carefully targeting next-generation computing technologies. In this process, they are being aided by fundamental economic ...

The Information Age

ABSTRACT The new information and communication technologies bring many benefits to society, but they also create new social and ethical problems — such as software theft, invasions of privacy, hacking and the creation of viruses. Computer-assisted crime is one of the most serious and its apparent growth in recent years demonstrates clearly how new technologies create new opportunities for criminal activity. The available evidence on the nature and extent of computer crime is reviewed, together with the available data on participation. Techniques for improving computer security are then discussed and the appropriate lessons drawn.

The Information Technology Revolution

A FEW GOOD MEN FROM UNIVAC by David E. Lundstrom (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987—