Prof. Jon Whittle, Chair of Software Engineering, Lancaster University offers this provocation on the Digital Economy:

Twitter, Bebo, Facebook, mash-ups, web 3.0, delicious…. where does it all end? Are all these new technologies really improving our lives? Or are they just a drain on our time and resources, keeping us away from the things that really matter….?

The time is ripe for developments in technology to change society for the better.  There are unprecedented opportunities to solve some of society’s most complex challenges through the appropriate use of technology. But we must be careful to focus on substance not fads.

Unless we understand the impact of technologies on society, we may never fully realise their potential.

Wise words indeed.  How can we start understanding the impact of technologies like Facebook on society?  Where does one start?

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Image Credit: ICTKM

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1. Unprecedented Opportunities in a Digital Economy – The Conversation