"Coping in an era of information flows, of virtual relationships and breakneck change poses challenges to one and all. In Theories of the Information Society Frank Webster makes sense of the information explosion, taking a sceptical look at what thinkers mean when they refer to the 'Information Soci
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ety' and critically examines the major post-war theories and approaches to informational development. This third edition brings the book right up to date with both new theoretical work and, social and technological changes (such as the rapid growth of the Internet and accelerated globalization), reassessing the work of key theorists in light of these changes. This book is essential reading for students of contemporary social theory and anybody interested in social and technological change in the post-war era. It addresses issues of central concern to students of sociology, politics, communications, information science, cultural studies, computing and librarianship." (Publisher description)
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"The Report is composed of four thematic parts. Part 1 describes the conceptual framework and relates the findings of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2012. In addition, Part 1 features selected expert contributions on the general theme of hyperconnectivity. Part 2 includes two case studies showi
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ng the efforts that two countries, Azerbaijan and Mauritius, are making to develop ICT and fully leverage their potential benefits. Part 3 comprises detailed profiles for the 142 economies covered in this year’s Report, providing a thorough picture of each economy’s current networked readiness landscape and allowing for international comparisons of specific variables or components of the NRI. Part 4 includes data tables for each of the 53 variables composing the NRI, with rankings for the economies covered as well as technical notes and sources for the quantitative variables used." (Executive summary, page xi)
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"Eager to assist, organize, and structure our lifestream logistics, new corporate actors offer communicative freedoms based on commercial user-as-product philosophies of expression. But we now design our own interfaces to face our others, our algorithmic others. Our collective reflection on nature a
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s machinic assemblage has yielded functional foods and the financialization of agriculture. But networked selves already develop other ecologies, reclaiming social machines as technologies of the common, unearthing the conflicts covered in disaster-driven environmentalities whose horizon is delimited by energy security and resource efficiency. Both helped and hindered by the ontological resonances of the common, these ecologies remain fragile, not yet structured by a politics of rights, animated by an interest in the autonomy of things. As nature continues to seep across the curriculum, research and education struggle to keep track of the corrosion of their institutional frameworks. Powered by a cartographic vision unconstrained by the statist political imagination, the study of supply chains has already become a paradigmatic form of transdisciplinarity, moving across the boundaries of life and labor, tracking every speck of dust on the scratch-free screens of our mobile economies as a reminder of the complexities of mutual constitution. The question of depletion is the question of the institution, of what it means when subjects and objects join in a refusal of roles in the great games of reification. No accident, perhaps, that philosophies of play are back, not quite a renaissance of aesthetic experience, but an affirmation of the openness of objective and subjective constitution. Of these and other knowledges so created, there can no longer be an encyclopedia; a glossary, perhaps. This is its initial iteration, its entries conjoined by a logic of connotation and constellation." (Page 5)
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"The manual and the toolbox seek to address the following question: how to maximise the contribution of the IT industry in developing and emerging countries towards sustainable economic development and poverty reduction? In order to achieve this, the Manual analyses the obstacles impeding the compet
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itive development of this innovative industry in developing and emerging countries. They can be attributed to three major factors: Specific structural problems of developing countries such as lack of efficient support structures, deficiencies in managerial, financial and technological skills, negative brand and country of origin effects (image); Challenges related to internationalisation and export, such as lack of market intelligence and export capabilities as well as the absence of international linkage; Specifics of the IT industry including technical as well as quality standards, high competitive pressure and short innovation cycles. The manual and the toolbox introduce a methodology and a set of practical tools to address these obstacles and promote the IT industry in developing and emerging countries. Their purpose is to provide a practical guideline for designing and implementing projects for promoting the IT sector in developing and emerging countries; develop a specific methodology to enable effective and sustainable IT sector promotion based on the practical experience of German development cooperation; elaborate concrete procedures, processes and tools to promote the IT industry in developing and emerging countries; provide advice on actions and measures to improve the international competitiveness of IT sectors; provide best practices of IT sector promotion in developing and emerging countries." (Executive summary, page 6)
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"Das durch die Digitalisierung mögliche Zusammenwachsen der Medien – z.B. von Fernsehen und Internet – hat ein wesentliches und entscheidendes Merkmal hervorgebracht: die Interaktivität. Mit neuen Medienformaten und Distributionskanälen wird interaktiver Medienkonsum möglich und bietet den K
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onsumenten, den Anbietern und der Werbeindustrie viele neue Möglichkeiten. In einer vergleichenden Analyse werden diese Entwicklungen in Deutschland und Russland unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der sehr unterschiedlichen Rahmenbedingungen diskutiert. In dem Buch sind die wichtigsten Beiträge von zwei wissenschaftlichen Kongressen in Moskau zusammengetragen worden. Die Analyse umfasst zwei Teilbereiche: Im ersten Teil werden die länderspezifischen Erkenntnisse über die Digitalisierung und die Zukunft der Medien erörtert, während im zweiten Teil eine umfassende Bewertung der Auswirkungen der Krise für die Medienlandschaft folgt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Cet ouvrage a pour ambition de poser les bases d'une réflexion globale sur les enjeux actuels de l'informatisation de la RDC : quels bénéfices et avantages la RDC tirera-t-elle d'une informatisation de toute la société ? A l'inverse, quels sont les effets pervers et autres manques qui résulte
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nt de la pauvreté numérique ? Comment l'Etat peut-il s'engager dans cette logique de numérisation de façon stratégique et prospective ?" (Description de la maison d'édition)
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"The process of ‘media convergence’ has far broader policy implications for ownership and audience access to diverse information. Dwyer critically analyses the political, economic, cultural, social, and technological factors that are shaping these changing media practices. There are examples of
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media convergence in everyday life throughout, including IPTV, VoIP and Broadband networks. The impacts of major traditional media players moving into the online space is illustrated using case studies such as the acquisition of the social networking site MySpace by News Corporation, and copyright issues on Google’s YouTube." (Back cover)
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"Examines the actors, structures and themes that shaped the WSIS with a particular focus on the role played by civil society. The book investigates how civil society self-organization has continued post-WSIS through the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and other policymaking venues, and reflects on w
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hat the WSIS experience reveals about the challenges and opportunities embedded in the notion of multi-stakeholder governance and its implications for understanding global communication." (Publisher description)
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"If carried out properly, the digital switchover can safeguard human rights, including freedom of the media and the right to access information. If all parties involved in the process co-operate, including broadcasters, producers, resellers and consumer associations, the result is a media landscape
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that protects plurality of opinion and freedom of expression. Governments must believe that providing their citizens with pluralistic information can only strengthen their democracies. Well-informed people make well-informed decisions, which are the indispensable foundation that democracies can build upon. We already live in the digital age, a time in which we can create truly democratic cultures with participation by all members of society. This guide aims to offer practical help to those OSCE participating States where the switchover is the challenge of the coming years. [...] The guide is a comprehensive examination of issues to be considered by all stakeholders involved in the switchover process, including the successes and pitfalls encountered." (Foreword, page 3-4)
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"The IFAP Annual World Report 2009 offers an overview of major international and national policy documents and highlights the most important trends of the information society during the last year. Information Society Policies. Annual World Report 2009 was written by researchers from the Information
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Society Research Institute of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. According to their analysis, the most important effect of the information society is probably the fact that it eliminates several historical divides. Social differences caused by the unequal distribution of ICT tools are being eliminated by the same tools, which causes a paradoxical situation. The Report outlines cultural and geographical aspects of the digital divide and highlights solutions offered by the information society, such as broadband Internet and mobile technology. It also analyses the link between social and technological changes, which vary from country to country. Among the most significant trends introduced in the Report are some important technical achievements that are likely to change people’s lives in several aspects. Information society strategies increasingly focus on e-government, which is becoming more and more socially oriented. The authors of the World Report examine the e-government aspects that proved to be the most important last year: the breakthrough of social networking, the increasing importance of open source software and of the green IT. No information society strategy today can disregard these trends. The last section provides an overview of the worldwide penetration of ICT tools, both globally and regionally, showing the social and policy challenges faced by particular regions." (UNESCO Communication and Information Sector's News Service, 22-02-2010)
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"El trabajo se propone investigar qué es la Sociedad de la Información y qué son las Sociedades del Conocimiento, quiénes han sido los actores y temas en debate y cuál podría ser la ruta crítica que permita analizar si es posible pensar en nuestros días qué otra comunicación es posible." (
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Presentación y resumen ejecutivo)
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"The experience of citizen involvement in public policy advocacy around the world has shown that the status quo tends to prevail unless political will to implement change is strengthened by active citizen participation. A “Global Information Society Watch” is needed to make governments and inter
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national organisations accountable. This publication, the first in a series of reports covering the state of the information society on an annual basis, focuses on the theme of participation. The report has three interrelated goals: surveying the state of the field of ICT policy at the local and global levels; encouraging critical debate; and strengthening networking and advocacy for a just, inclusive information society. It discusses the WSIS process and a range of international institutions, regulatory agencies and monitoring instruments from the perspective of civil society and stakeholders in the global South. Alongside this discussion, we present a series of country reports which examine issues of access and participation within a variety of national contexts." (Introduction)
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