Status Report

Summary This chapter comments on the current state of developments in IT, starting with a brief history of technology progress, noting both significant positives like the provision of useful information, as well as irritating negatives, like hardware incompatibility. The argument is developed that the views of IT from insiders and outsiders are dramatically different. The former is dominated by technical progress, in ever faster or more powerful computer chips, or more sophisticated programs: the latter perceives IT as a mixture of utilities (such as computerized timetables), threats (to jobs), irritations (junk mail) and entertaining trivia (games). We pursue the view that the governments of the world’s richer communities have failed badly in taking a largely laissez faire attitude, except where military sensitivities are involved, instead of seeking to handle IT within a coherent strategy for its social integration. Poorer countries have found themselves open to new forms of subservience, arising from their dependence on the new world powers, whether government or multinational corporation, for access to equipment, applications and global networks. From a technological viewpoint the future seems set to offer continuing progress, with widespread benefit to all of us if a helpful political and moral climate is structured. We argue that it is vital for governments to recognize the risks, and implement policies to cope with them.