Information Technology and Society examines the social, political and technological implications of the information revolution. The book explores the major social and technological issues surrounding the introduction of information technology 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; 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 - in the workplace, in education and in the home. Key issues, from technological determinism to globalisation, privacy to labour relations, and telework to disability, are discussed from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. The collection also examines future applications of the technology including advanced telecommunications and virtual reality. Contributors place the debates around IT in an intemational context, illustrating the importance of social values as well as government policy. Providing a complete overview of the issues that inform any discussion about the impact of information technology, this is an invaluable resource for teaching and research on information technology. Information Technology and Society is Course Reader for the new Open University Course THD204
Dr Hugh Mackay is an Honorary Associate of the Faculty of Sociology at Open University
Introduction - Nick Heap PART ONE: DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES Introduction - Ray Thomas The Social Shaping of Technology - David Edge The Hacker Crackdown - Bruce Sterling Evolution of the US Telephone Network Theorising the IT/Society Relationship - Hugh Mackay The Roots of the Information Society Idea - David Lyon A Gendered Socio-Technical Construction - Anne-Jorun Berg The Smart House Access and Inequality - Ray Thomas PART TWO: IT IN THE WORKPLACE Introduction - Geoff Einon Robotics, Automation and a New Industrial Revolution - Paul Kennedy The Pursuit of Flexible Specialization in Britain and West Germany - Christel Lane Computerized Machine Tools, Manpower Consequences and Skill Utilization - Gert Hartmann, Ian Nicholas, Arndt Sorge and Malcolm Warner A Study of British and West German Manufacturing Firms Technological Change and the Future of Work - Peter Senker Technological Change at Work - Ian McLoughlin and Jon Clark PART THREE: IT AND LEARNING Introduction - Robin Mason Do Companies Need Technology-Based Training? - David Hawkridge Computer Supported Collaborative Learning - Anthony Kaye The Educational Value of ISDN - Robin Mason Access to Books for Visually Impaired Learners - Tom Vincent and Mary Taylor An Investigation into the Use of Compact Disc Technology (CD-ROM) Supporting Resource Based Learning - Josie Taylor and Diana Laurillard Constructivist Learning Theories and IT - Ann Jones PART FOUR: IT AND THE HOME Introduction - Hughie Mackay Conceptualizing Home Computing - Graham Murdock, Paul Hartmann and Peggy Gray Resources and Practices The Feminine Culture of the Telephone - Ann Moyal People, Patterns and Policy Patterns of Ownership of IT Devices in the Home - Hughie Mackay PART FIVE: IT FUTURES Introduction - Nick Heap Extra Terrestrial Relays - Arthur C Clarke Can Rockets Give World-Wide Radio Coverage? Iridium - Lawrence W Lockwood A High Flying Phone System No Silver Bullet - Frederick P Brooks, JR Essence and Accidents of Software Engineering There Is a Silver Bullet - Brad J Cox Virtual Reality in the Real World - Ralph Schroeder History, Applications and Projections Telework and the Changing Relation of Home and Work - Leslie Haddon and Roger Silverstone The New Space Race - David B Crosbie Satellite Mobile Communications
`Compiled with care.... One aspect of information technology which is growing fast... is electronic mail. Professor Palme has been working on computer-mediated-communication since 1977 and is well qualified to write on the subject of e-mail which he does concisely and with clarity' - Intermedia `Providing a complete overview of the issues that inform any discussion about the impact of information technology, this book is an invaluable resource for teaching and research' - Current Literature on Science of Science
