Digital Outcasts

Book Description :

The blind person who tries to make an online purchase. The young girl who cannot speak due to a cognitive disability. The man confined to his home due to permanent injury. The single mother with a long-term illness who struggles to feed her family. With one in seven people worldwide currently living with a disability, the term "outcast" covers numerous scenarios. Digital outcasts rely on technology for everyday services that many people take for granted. However, poorly designed products risk alienating this important (and growing) population. Through a "grass roots" approach to innovation, digital outcasts are gradually taking action to transform their lives and communities. This emerging trend provides exciting learning opportunities for all of us. Citing real-world case studies from healthcare to social science, this book examines the emerging legal and cultural impact of inclusive design. Gain a better understanding of how people with disabilities use technology Discover pitfalls and approaches to help you stay current in your UX practices Anticipate a future in which ambient benefit can be achieved for people of all abilities and backgrounds

Book Description :

In a world that is awash in ubiquitous technology, even the least tech-savvy know that we must take care how that technology affects individuals and society. That governments and organizations around the world now focus on these issues, that universities and research institutes in many different languages dedicate significant resources to study the issues, and that international professional organizations have adopted standards and directed resources toward ethical issues in technology is in no small part the result of the work of Simon Rogerson. – Chuck Huff, Professor of Social Psychology at Saint Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota In 1995, Apple launched its first WWW server, Quick Time On-line. It was the year Microsoft released Internet Explorer and sold 7 million copies of Windows 95 in just 2 months. In March 1995, the author Simon Rogerson opened the first ETHICOMP conference with these words: We live in a turbulent society where there is social, political, economic and technological turbulence ... it is causing a vast amount of restructuring within all these organisations which impacts on individuals, which impacts on the way departments are set up, organisational hierarchies, job content, span of control, social interaction and so on and so forth. ... Information is very much the fuel of modern technological change. Almost anything now can be represented by the technology and transported to somewhere else. It's a situation where the more information a computer can process, the more of the world it can actually turn into information. That may well be very exciting, but it is also very concerning. That could be describing today. More than 25 years later, these issues are still at the forefront of how ethical digital technology can be developed and utilised. This book is an anthology of the author’s work over the past of 25 years of pioneering research in digital ethics. It is structured into five themes: Journey, Process, Product, Future and Education. Each theme commences with an introductory explanation of the papers, their relevance and their interrelationship. The anthology finishes with a concluding chapter which summarises the key messages and suggests what might happen in the future. Included in this chapter are insights from some younger leading academics who are part of the community charged with ensuring that ethical digital technology is realised.

Book Description :

This is an important book. Ethics is not an easy topic, and arguably the ethics of IT is less so—not leastdue to its potential for developing and evolving in ways that are either unforeseen or unimaginable . . . . Use this book as a practical resource, an informative and educational source of material in developing expertise, but also as an invaluable toolkit to support practical application of ethical thinking. —Declan Brady, President of the Irish Computer Society and a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies Digital technology is about people. It is about those who plan, develop and implement applications which other people use and are affected by. It is about the impact on all these people as well as on the world at large. Ethical Digital Technology in Practice takes a real-world perspective to explore these impacts over time and discover ways in which to promote ethical digital technology through good practice. It draws upon the author’s published articles in trade magazines, professional journals and online blogs. These are synthesised into a blueprint which addresses, in a practical manner, the societal issues surrounding the increasing use and abuse of digital technology. It is a follow-up book to the author’s book The Evolving Landscape of Ethical Digital Technology, which has a researcher’s perspective. This book is a hands-on account of the computer revolution from 1995 to the current day when the world is increasingly dependent on digital technology. It explores some of the social and ethical issues that are part of this revolution. This is not a book about deep philosophical and technical concepts. Nor does it claim to be comprehensive. It is the author’s personal account of technological change and its effects on people. It is written by a boy who was smitten by computer technology at the age of 15, became a computer professional and subsequently spent many years showing young people how to develop and use digital technology in a good way. It is a book based upon the author’s engagement with practitioners, academics and students during the period as well as his continued fascination with this fantastic technology. Ethical Digital Technology in Practice is a book about the real world, of what has happened and what might happen as digital technology continues to pervade.

Book Description :

This book provides a study of governmental digitalization, an increasingly important area of policymaking within advanced capitalist states. It dives into a case study of digitalization efforts in Denmark, fusing a national policy study with local institutional analysis. Denmark is often framed as an international forerunner in terms of digitalizing its public sector and thus provides a particularly instructive setting for understanding this new political instrument. Advancing a cultural political economic approach, Schou and Hjelholt argue that digitalization is far from a quick technological fix. Instead, this area must be located against wider transformations within the political economy of capitalist states. Doing so, the book excavates the political roots of digitalization and reveals its institutional consequences. It shows how new relations are being formed between the state and its citizens. Digitalization and Public Sector Transformations pushes for a renewed approach to governmental digitalization and will be of interest to scholars working in the intersections of critical political economy, state theory and policy studies.

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As a compilation of research and scholarly articles under the auspices of Dewan Guru Besot (Board of Professors) of U niversitas Gadjah Mada, this volume is expected to contribute for the Sherpa Track of G20 forum. We believe that multi-disciplinary approach among university scholars would provide a comprehensive understanding on what to be considered by the G20 country leaders who are scheduled to meet in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022. Parallel to the three prioritized agendas for G20, critical reviews on health system after the Covid-19 global pandemic, changing activities and lifestyle under digitalized economy, and transition towards sustainable energy are presented. Cases are mostly taken from the Indonesian experience. We would argue that interdependency and partnership among countries are inevitable and that we must understand and acknowledge it more than ever. All the critical global issues—health, poverty, climate change—can only be addressed with collective actions of all individuals in developed as well as developing countries. The collective awareness of the new world order for healthy, smart, and green lifestyle is essential to the future living in the planet. The G20 forum is crucial as it represents 65 percent of the world population and 80 percent of the world economy. We hope that G20 leaders have a full commitment and capacity to conduct an orchestra of global community which enable and empower citizens while acknowledging cultural diversity in their respected countries. It is a high time for all of collective and concerted actions.

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With many older people lacking adequate digital competences to support their full participation in today’s digitalized society, Older People in a Digitalized Society asks how is the marginalisation of older people in digital society socially constructed? How can we promote older people’s digital inclusion and agency?

Book Description :

Although discussion of the digital divide is a relatively new phenomenon, social inequality is a deeply entrenched part of our current social world and is now reproduced in the digital sphere. Such inequalities have been described in multiple traditions of social thought and theoretical approaches. To move forward to a greater understanding of the nuanced dynamics of digital inequality, we need the theoretical lenses to interpret the meaning of what has been observed as digital inequality. This volume examines and explains the phenomenon of digital divides and digital inequalities from a theoretical perspective. Indeed, with there being a limited amount of theoretical research on the digital divide so far, Theorizing Digital Divides seeks to collect and analyse different perspectives and theoretical approaches in analysing digital inequalities, and thus propose a nuanced approach to study the digital divide. Exploring theories from diverse perspectives within the social sciences whilst presenting clear examples of how each theory is applied in digital divide research, this book will appeal to scholars and undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in sociology of inequality, digital culture, Internet studies, mass communication, social theory, sociology, and media studies.

Book Description :

The role of technology has exponentially grown in education, especially with the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries like Singapore and Scotland have historically invested in educational technology and have successfully created Smart Nations and citizens. This book is based on comparative research conducted between school education systems in Scotland and Singapore. It attempts to identify the key characteristics to determine the level of embeddedness of digital technologies within the education systems of the respective countries. The study further compares the use of digital technologies as an educational response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book gets interesting with the in-depth findings from each of the systems. During these unprecedented times, when home-based learning (HBL) using technology is inevitable, the findings of the study are highly relevant and provide insights on HBL, digital technologies, and schooling in these countries. Going forward, the role of digital technologies in education will substantially grow. The recommendations provided in this book can only facilitate improving the process/level of embedding digital technology in teaching and learning across the school systems.

Book Description :

The study of learning versus teaching development has a significant impact on facilitating learners’ development to use ICT-based digital technology. As innovation has developed, it has also changed how instructors connect with their understudies and study halls. To better understand these technological developments, further study is required. The Handbook of Research on Learning in Language Classrooms Through ICT-Based Digital Technology considers technology from the fields of ICT-based digital technology, facilitating learning, teaching development, language, and linguistics. This book also assesses the effectiveness of technology uses in ICT-based digital technology and language classrooms as well as considers the successful methods of teaching and language topics in the teaching-learning phase through technology. Covering key topics such as artificial intelligence, gamification, media, and technology tools, this premier reference source is ideal for computer scientists, administrators, principals, researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, instructors, and students.

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In this increasingly neoliberal gig economy, exponentially expanding with technological advances, the ability to work online remotely has led some western millennials to travel the world to work and play, while making a subsistence living as digital platform workers.

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This volume explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health, safety, and socioeconomic well-being of community residents of selected countries around the world. It is built on an overarching framework of studying community well-being, applied here to the analyses of one of the most significant crises of our time. Most important are the lessons learned from the experiences in these countries – including insights and recommendations on how to mitigate future pandemics. Building on years of research, each chapter is written by an accomplished scholar with interests and expertise on various assessments of community well-being development in the country of study. The authors share cases and analyses, and highlight failures and successes; they offer sound policy recommendations on how to restore the health, safety, and multidimensional wellness of community residents, and how to decrease the likelihood and impact of future crises. Some of the policy recommendations in this multi-country compendium can be used to assist crisis prevention and recovery, beyond pandemics. The volume shows how the lessons learned and shared from community responses to the pandemic can provide critical and useful policy insights to shape best practices in mitigating other disasters like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, wars, riots, acts of domestic and international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and industrial accidents. This is a must-read for researchers across the social sciences, health sciences, and management studies, and for government and non-government professionals involved in community health and well-being.

Book Description :

Young people growing up in Britain today face a narrowing job market, high housing costs and the prospect of a lifetime of hard work with less reward. The ideas of social responsibility that arose after the Second World War are straining under the demands of a globalised world. Too often public debate divides Britain's youth into the 'feral rats' of the London riots and the 'posh boys' of Eton. Business leaders rail at the entitled and unemployable young people they are asked to give jobs to, politicians complain about apathetic teens and commentators devote endless column inches to the issue of a 'self-obsessed' generation. Georgia Gould travelled across the UK to uncover the values, aspirations and challenges of young Brits, from job seekers in Bradford and working-class families in Glasgow's Easterhouse estate, to student protesters at Sussex University and young entrepreneurs in London such as YouTube sensation Jamal Edwards. If we show young people that we trust them with the future of our country, we will find that they are ready to rise to the challenge. This timely work points the way towards a new social contract and gives a voice to young Britain. http://bit.ly/YoungBritain

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This book explores the struggle for disability rights, with a focus on Web equality for people with cognitive disabilities.

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Almost everyone is doing it. Aimlessly scrolling through their social media feeds. From presidents to the postmen, most people you know and probably even yourself. Mindlessly, your fingers move across the screen, and content, from selfies to memes, flickers by at a blistering pace. Why is it that the screen sometimes seems more important than looking up and being present in real life? And what does it mean that more and more people are turning into so-called "Scroll Zombies"? Sven Rollenhagen thoughtfully discusses social media use and how it affects us both psychologically and physically. How the rise of social media has created an onslaught of mental health problems in young people. And how withdrawal can lead to symptoms, not unlike those caused by more familiar dependencies such as drugs and alcohol. But, are we really addicted? And if so, how can we be cured? Rollenhagen does not advocate for throwing away your phone or logging off Instagram forever, he acknowledges the powerful connection that social media has in connecting friends, family and strangers across the globe. Instead, this book contains practical tips and solutions for kicking dependency and finding true digital balance. Sven Rollenhagen is a social worker specialising in the digital ad-diction of video games, social media and mobile phones. He works as a councellor, lecturer and writer in these fields. Sven’s strength as an expert in digital issues is that he is in touch with reality – as a councellor and lecturer for families and schools. He is also a friend of technology, plays online and is a frequent user of social media. Sven is based in Sweden but has clients all over the world

Book Description :

A collection of over a decade of articles, interviews, and speeches by Rohini Nilekani, Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar: A Citizen-First Approach, showcases her journey in civil society and philanthropy. She outlines her philosophy of restoring the balance between the state and markets, by positioning society as the foundational sector.

Book Description :

Retail is going through difficult times and is suffering the consequences of both the economic crisis and the digitization of society. Fundamentally, there is a bigger problem: stores cannot keep up with the changing behavior of customers who are connected 24/7, customers for whom there is no distinction between online and offline. The End of Online Shopping: The Future of New Retail in an Always Connected World describes how the smart, the sharing, the circular, and the platform economy are shaping a new era of always connected retail. Retailers urgently need to innovate if they want to stay relevant in a world dominated by marketplaces and sharing platforms. The book contains inspiring examples from different industries -- which include the usual suspects such as Amazon, Alibaba, and Google, but also local startups -- and covers all aspects of the customer journey, from orientation and selection to delivery. The End of Online Shopping provides an excellent overview of shopping trends and developments worldwide, and offers readers indispensable insights into the future of retail.

Book Description :

The ever-increasing acceleration of technological change demands that today's information professionals and educators not only be constantly acquiring new knowledge and skills, but also that they cultivate the ability to make sound judgments on which technologies to embrace. If you are grappling with information overload and wondering how you can keep up, this guide is for you. • Helps information specialists create a strategy for keeping up with new technologies and for making informed judgments on which technologies to test and integrate into library services • Provides ideas for designing curriculum for an education technology specialist career track in library school • Gives those who are preparing to interview for a technology specialist position a reliable guide for professional growth • Identifies which types of resources are most helpful for keeping up with new technologies

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A Sci-Fi saga set in the “Retro Worlds” universe created by Julia Verlanger, one of the most celebrated French science fiction authors of the 1970s.

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How can your library—and your patrons—benefit from mobile apps? This guidebook offers a solid foundation in "app-literacy," supplying librarians with the knowledge to review and recommend apps, offer workshops, and become the app expert for their communities. • Describes the most important, high-quality mobile apps in specific topic areas of interest to librarians • Provides examples of how these apps are useful for education, creativity, and productivity for all types of users, including those with special needs • Supplies a detailed checklist of what information to include when reviewing apps • Includes an extensive resource guide to books, blogs, websites, courses, and other sources for keeping up with mobile apps • Provides notes on app functionality, features, price, and developer as well as any pertinent limitations

Book Description :

This book is a collection of essays by thought and advocacy leaders, policymakers, and academics in Singapore who have been and are in positions of influence in shaping social policies, and hence the social context, in the country. These essays are meant to initiate discussion, promote debate and broaden understanding of the social issues at play, the challenges faced, and the trade-offs involved in enhancing social policies, strengthening the social compact, and shaping the social context in Singapore.This is done through addressing issues and challenges in (1) Government and Civil Society; (2) Education; (3) Employability and Employment; (4) Social and Family Development; (5) Demographics and Social Spending; (6) Healthcare and Healthcare Financing; (7) Urban Planning and the Environment; (8) Disruptions, New Technologies and Smart Nation.It is hoped this book will be useful for students of sociology, social policy or public policy, as they discuss the dynamics and trade-offs involved in planning, shaping and implementing social and public policies in Singapore. This book also hopes to inform and initiate dialogues among Singaporeans on the social issues and challenges we face in our city-state and which we have to collectively address as a nation.