William H. Dutton Livres

Information and Communication Technologies: Visions and Realities illuminates the social and economic implications of advances in information and communication technologies. It has been written and edited to reach a broad audience across the social sciences interested in constructive ways ofthinking about the social dynamics of the revolution in digital media. Based on a decade of research undertaken by the UK's Programme on Information and Communication Technologies (PICT), this book explains* how social factors influence technological innovation and convergence;* why organizations seek to transform work, services, and management;* ways in which households domesticate new media;* how public policy andregulation shape the impact of technology on employment, media concentration, privacy, and access in an information society.The thirty contributors include leading figures in the field.

The book explores the concept of the Fifth Estate, drawing parallels between the rise of the independent press in the eighteenth century and the current empowerment of networked individuals through the internet. Dutton employs estate theory to analyze the significant shifts in power dynamics in the digital age, highlighting how this transformation enhances democratic accountability in politics and governance, while also empowering individuals in their daily lives and work.