Topic 1: Ethics in Turbulent Times
Read Pekka Himanen's paper "Challenges of the Global Information Society" and write a blog review.
Originally prepared for the Finnish Parliament's Committee for the Future, Himanen's paper looks at the challenges to the global development of the information society and suggests one alternative for meeting these challenges: the model of the information society combined with the welfare state.
Himanen defines the idea of the information society as a creative society that is based on interaction. He emphasises that the most important to the information society is not new technology but a new way of doing things. From a theoretical perspective, the key concepts include network form of organisation and growth that is based on innovations. He comes to the conclusion that the most critical aspect in the development of the information society is the development of the deep-set structures of society - the development of technology will help only when it is combined with changes in the underlying structures.
He identifies ten major trends in the global development of the information society (including the new global division of labour, population ageing, increasing pressures on the welfare society, the rise of cultural industries, a deepening global divide, etc) and describes the problems of the three existing development scenarios: the "Silicon Valley model", i.e. the American neo-liberalist model, the "Singapore model", i.e. the Asian state-run model in which the objective is to attract multinational companies to the region, and the "Finnish model", i.e. the European combination of the information society and the welfare state.
There is also a fourth scenario, the "Himanen's model", which implies that it is possible to combine the welfare state and the information society also in the future if only we have courage to revise this model appropriately. The welfare state is best defended by those who speak for its reform through innovation by moving from a reactive to a proactive policy: we should no longer focus on reacting to something that has already happened, instead we should act beforehand and boldly lead the way.
According to Himanen, there are ten important values to serve as the basis for the continued combination of the welfare state and the information society: caring, confidence, communality, encouragement, freedom, creativity, courage, visionariness, balance, and meaningfulness. He apposes these values on the Maslow's pyramid of man's psychological needs.
Although Himanen's original report focused on the challenges related to the reform of the "Finnish model", the main ideas presented in the report apply more universally: the global development of the information society has reached a phase that requires new actions from us all. Value-based actions must be taken in order to respond to global trends. A successful reform requires value-based management.
Topic 2: Towards the Information Society
Study Theobald's question of 'mind-quake', find a real-life example and describe it.
Pick one of Handy's paradoxes, find a good real-life illustrative case and describe it.
Pick one of Castells' features of network society and write a short analysis.
These three may well be bound into a single blog post.
In Theobald's vision, the word "mindquakes" is formed as a parallel to "earthquakes". It is better if our shifts in thinking are small and frequent rather than large and catastrophic. All of us must become more competent at managing mindquakes. We must keep up with the pace of change - or the unpleasantness of the process increases dramatically. We must learn to turn the Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times" into a blessing. Although a number of real-life examples could be found, the closest I can personally relate to at this very moment is the shift from work-orientated life back to the work and study combination, which is more than capable of creating an exploding mindquake, unless a good time management plan and a sound reasoning why this is important for me is inculcated. The vast array of different master courses, from which each introduces new interesting methods and innovative applications to carry out homework, can drive you up the wall if faced all and too much at once. A wise suggestion, applied to almost anything we do in life, is also applicable here: start early, work gradually through the changing conditions, rather than confronting them extemporary and unprepared when it is already too much to handle.
Handy's paradox of time opposed to/compared to Castells' timeless time. According to Handy, "The application of modern technology means less time is needed to make and do things. People should have more spare time. But time has become a competitive weapon and getting things done quickly is imperative. As a result, many of those who work have less time than ever before." This is true. However, Castells (being a true Spaniard) knows time is relative and brings in the timeless time feature of network society: "Time and space are related in society as is nature and their meanings and manifestations in social practice evolve throughout histories and across cultures. The network society is organised around new forms of time and space: timeless time and the space of flows." In a networked society, time becomes relative (e.g. we can chat in real time with someone from the other side of the globe - they have morning while we have evening). This feature can be exploited in both personal and work-related time management issues. As one of my first jobs, I was employed at Hilton Reservations Worldwide - a call center for Hilton hotels across the world. Tallinn office operated from 8 am till midnight local time to answer the booking requests of many "timeless" travellers. Most of them had no idea they were talking to someone in Tallinn, Estonia while arriving at the airport of New York or Sydney, looking for a hotel to stay and calling on a local toll-free number. To conclude, it is necessary to realize that time, while being a competitive weapon for (international) businesses, is crucial. However, from a relative perspective of networked society, time has a whole new meaning. The present time gives us the advantages of new technology, time becomes relative, but at the same time, it confronts us with responsibilities. Taking responsibility comes with making decisions. It's up to each one of us to make this advantage work. Sometimes we also have to disconnect to connect: see a video on Youtube. Applying the paradox of time to personal life, I would like to quote Himanen: "Life is not totally serious - a moment of play can radically raise the effectiveness."
Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and wellbeing. Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world. Many of life's puzzles can be solved by simply understanding our own time perspective and that of others. People saying "I'm busier than I was last year" or "I sacrifice friends, family and sleep for my success" is no news to us. Stop! Rewind. When there is no time, we have to take time!
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