The accumulation of data points for every person on earth continues at an amazing rate, and from an amazing diversity… Read More
Information Technology in a City Enterprise
By David Gancarz on January 19th, 2018 in Commentary, Ethics, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
We must challenge ourselves to transcend our familiar notion of the IT artifact as just an inanimate tool standing by for our use like some sort of mechanical device, neatly separable and distinct from us. It is far more productive to view Information Technology as practice.
Citizen trust and confidence in the public institution and notions of the public good are, in many ways, the bottom line for the public sector.
Market Dominance and Privacy
By Jim Isaak on January 19th, 2018 in Articles, Privacy & Security
Zuckerberg’s acknowledgement of the need to address issues related to election influence, “fake news,” and social media addiction is a significant step.
Raising Teens to Live with Technology Responsibly
By Josh Shipp on January 15th, 2018 in Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Today, over 90% of U.S. teenagers are online. When it comes to social media, 50% of all teenagers log on at least once a day, with 22% logging on more than 10 times a day. We, like our parents and their parents before them, are worried about the effect that technology is having on the development of our kids. The author discussed the five rules for teaching teens to live with technology responsibly.
Where’s the Beef?
By Jim Isaak on January 13th, 2018 in Articles, Environment, Societal Impact
The ability to grow animal muscle from a few cells into meat for the kitchen is a significant technological advance. The book Clean Meat proposes that beef and other meat be lab-grown.
Digital Maturity: Perceiving the Digital-Panopticon
By Christine Perakslis on January 12th, 2018 in Last Word, Magazine Articles, Privacy & Security, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
As technological advances disrupt existing markets and value networks, change can outpace our ability to adapt.
Appointment of the Planet’s Policy Custodian
By Joe Carvalko on January 6th, 2018 in Editorial & Opinion, Environment, Ethics, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact
The Trump administration cannot simply reject current theories of climate change based on nothing more than that it may conflict with a constituency’s self-interest or one’s sheer lack of understanding.
Net Neutrality
By SFIS on January 6th, 2018 in Communication Technology, Podcasts, Privacy & Security, Societal Impact, Video & Podcasts
Cybersecurity expert Yan Shoshitaishvili joins Heather Ross to talk about the cybersecurity and social implications of the FCC’s December 2017… Read More
What would you do with a few million DNA records?
By Jim Isaak on January 5th, 2018 in Articles, Health & Medical
The Wall Street Journal points out that China has collected 54 million DNA records, and the U.S. FBI holds 13… Read More
Pervasive Technology: Aboriginal Communities and Oppression
By Alexander Hayes on December 31st, 2017 in Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Privacy & Security
Australian Aboriginal sovereignty is no longer just about Aboriginal communities retaining rights to their own land. The most brutal types of dispossession are the latest forms of data retention, decreased privacy, and unwarranted use of this personal data as a result of activities being collected, analyzed, and intelligently manipulated by geographically remote entities, all thanks to the Internet.
Social Media Health Impact
By Jim Isaak on December 22nd, 2017 in Articles, Health & Medical
The Wall Street Journal reports that “Facebook Concedes to Effects on Health.” The social media health impact acknowledged is related… Read More
The Unstoppable Changing of the Electricity Guard
By Antonio Gomez-Exposito on December 20th, 2017 in Commentary, Environment, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact
Twenty-five years ago we didn’t know that solar energy, including modular photovoltaic (PV) plants ranging in size from 1 kW to hundreds of megawatts, along with increasingly larger, electronically-aided wind generators (up to 8-MW offshore units), would become in just 25 years the cornerstones of a revolution in power production that is drastically changing the face and fate of power systems.
Planning for the Future
By Paul Cunningham on December 17th, 2017 in Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, President's Message, Societal Impact
While societal change often takes place over extended periods of time, at key times in the history of human society, innovation can be accelerated by a combination of necessity and serendipity. We are currently experiencing such an accelerated transition.
Engineers and Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy
By Nicholas Sakellariou on December 16th, 2017 in Editorial & Opinion, Environment, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact
Unmet local concerns related to renewable energy projects can result in costly project delays or cancellation. Strong political and financial incentives encourage state authorities and renewable energy developers to address issues of social acceptance.
Advanced Frugal Innovations
By Balkrishna Rao on December 16th, 2017 in Human Impacts, Leading Edge, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact
Frugal innovations are all the rage. Their appeal stems from lower costs to society at large.
Jeremy Pitt Appointed New Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine
By terribookman on December 16th, 2017 in Magazine Articles, News and Notes
The IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology announces the selection of Jeremy Pitt, Professor of Intelligent and Self-Organizing Systems at Imperial College, London, U.K., as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, beginning January 1, 2018.
Community Awareness
By Jim Isaak on December 15th, 2017 in Articles, Human Impacts
It is delightful when high profile leaders of high tech companies present the case for positive social benefit
Vintage Technology and Bit Rot
By Jim Isaak on December 8th, 2017 in Articles, Privacy & Security
I’m still looking for a Word file containing the 1995 family history I published. When I find this, it will… Read More
Volcanoes can be a Blast
By Jim Isaak on December 1st, 2017 in Articles, Environment, Social Implications of Technology
It can be easy to explore the dark side of technology while not highlighting the benefits. But over the past… Read More
Web AI Evolution
By Jim Isaak on November 24th, 2017 in Articles, Social Implications of Technology
Web artificial intelligence (AI) evolution is driven, in part, by the evolution of the web. Daniel Dennett, in his recent… Read More