Consumption of Information Goods and Services in the United States

Presents findings from a survey conducted in October 2002. Takes an inventory of the communications gadgets and services that Americans use, and examines the variations within the population of technology users

Possible, but Ethical? A Bioethical Investigation of Medical Manipulation, Emerging Technologies and Moral Consequence

The scope of medical practice is rapidly advancing due to the technology boom that has occurred over the last twenty years. Procedures that were once thought impossible are now possible, causing ethical debates between multiple disciplines. This study specifically focused on human enhancement technologies (HET\u27s) and how professionals in the medical field evaluate them on an ethical basis. It was hypothesized that participants would be generally in favor of using human enhancement technologies as therapeutic tools but would be against their use as enhancers. In order to determine this, 106 medical and scientific professionals from Oregon and Washington participated in an online survey. Results were subjected to statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel software. It was demonstrated that participants were significantly in favor of HET\u27s when used for therapy but were not in favor of their use as enhancers. Participants also felt that a new ethical code specifically designed for HET\u27s should be implemented. How the attitudes of medical and research professionals are shaped with regard to HET\u27s will undoubtedly influence their future use and acceptance

Qualitative study on domestic social robot adoption and associated security concerns among older adults in Slovenia

IntroductionDespite the increasing use of domestic social robots by older adults, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding attitudes, concerns, and potential adoption behavior in this population. This study aims to categorize older adults into distinct technology adoption groups based on their attitudes toward domestic social robots and their behavior in using the existing technology.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative research design was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 24 retired Slovenian older adults aged 65 years or older, conducted between 26 June and 14 September 2023.ResultsFour distinct groups of older adults were identified: (1) Cautious Optimists, (2) Skeptical Traditionalists, (3) Positive Optimists, and (4) Technophiles based on eight characteristics.DiscussionThese groups can be aligned with the categories of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Privacy and security concerns, influenced by varying levels of familiarity with the technology, pose barriers to adoption. Perceived utility and ease of use vary considerably between groups, highlighting the importance of taking into account the different older adults. The role of social influence in the adoption process is complex, with some groups being more receptive to external opinions, while others exhibit more autonomous decision-making

Quality of life: Conceptual challenges in exploring the role of ICT in active ageing

The chapter aims to examine the definitional challenges associated with the term quality of life, measurement challenges, the challenges associated with enhancing quality of life, and the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in quality of life in old age, and finally comments on the challenges of a modern information society for older people. The term quality of life started as a social scientific index of the relative well-being of whole populations, i.e. the state of states. Nowadays quality of life is more likely to be viewed as an individualized aspect of the modern psyche. This shift in conceptualization is problematic in that, if quality of life is individualized, it cannot be meaningful to assess it in the same way for everyone. Nevertheless, over the years a vast range of methods of measuring quality of life has emerged, leading to several measurement challenges. Wealth, health and social relations have all been found to be prime determinants of subjective quality of life; for ICT to enhance quality of life for older people they need to mediate the relationships between these three important factors and quality of life. To date there is relatively little evidence that ICT has improved the quality of life of older people. Suggestions are made as to why ICT is unlikely to influence life quality for older citizens. The chapter is drawn to a close by asking if quality of life is a meaningless term and if the future is bleak for old people in a modern information society. The answer to both questions is no

The rise of social robots : a review of the recent literature

In this article I explore the most recent literature on social robotics and argue that the field of robotics is evolving in a direction that will soon require a systematic collaboration between engineers and sociologists. After discussing several problems relating to social robotics, I emphasize that two key concepts in this research area are scenario and persona. These are already popular as design tools in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and an approach based on them is now being adopted in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). As robots become more and more sophisticated, engineers will need the help of trained sociologists and psychologists in order to create personas and scenarios and to " teach " humanoids how to behave in various circumstances

Investigating Older Adults\u27 Trust, Causal Attributions, and Perception of Capabilities in Robots as a Function of Robot Appearance, Task, and Reliability

The purpose of the current study was to examine the extent to which the appearance, task, and reliability of a robot is susceptible to stereotypic thinking. Stereotypes can influence the types of causal attributions that people make about the performance of others. Just as causal attributions may affect an individual’s perception of other people, it may similarly affect perceptions of technology. Stereotypes can also influence perceived capabilities of others. That is, in situations where stereotypes are activated, an individual’s perceived capabilities are typically diminished. The tendency to adjust perceptions of capabilities of others may translate into levels of trust placed in the individual’s abilities. A cross-sectional factorial survey using video vignettes was used to assess young adults’ and older adults’ attitudes toward a robot’s behavior and appearance. Trust and capability ratings of the robot were affected by participant age, reliability, and domain. Patterns of causal reasoning within the human-robot interaction (HRI) context differed from causal reasoning patterns found in human-human interaction, suggesting a major caveat in applying human theories of social cognition to technology

E-Commerce, social media and Social Inclusion: A Typology of Users Over 60 Years of Age in Spain

The growth of e-commerce and the ageing of the world population converges in a situation which represents significant challenges for the economy: a large population of over 65year-olds with major limitations for online shopping. The digital division, although reduced in certain sectors, in others, such as e-commerce persists. This research involves the study of 405 subjects, Spanish seniors aged between 60 and 79, to discover and analyse the barriers, motivators and behaviour with regards to shopping online. Using a telephone survey and a random sample, a typology of users was established as per their behaviour and perception of e-commerce. The main finding is the segmentation in eleven typologies of users, identified through cluster analysis. The major conclusions confirm the barriers related to data security or levels of confidence. Furthermore, with basic digital skills, seniors consider themselves capable of completing purchases on the Internet. Online shoppers feel empowered being digitally self-sufficient, while non-shoppers desiring to be independent, require the implementation of measures to aid the process on commercial websites.El crecimiento del comercio electrónico y el envejecimiento de la población mundial convergen en una situación que representa importantes retos para la economía: una gran población de mayores de 65 años con grandes limitaciones para realizar compras en línea. La brecha digital, aunque se ha reducido en algunos sectores, en otros, como el del comercio electrónico, persiste. Esta investigación consiste en un estudio de 405 sujetos, españoles de entre 60 y 79 años, para conocer y analizar las barreras, las motivaciones y el comportamiento ante las compras online. Mediante una encuesta telefónica y con una muestra aleatoria, se estableció una tipología de usuarios según su comportamiento y percepción del comercio electrónico. El principal hallazgo es la segmentación en once tipologías de usuarios, identificadas a través del análisis de clúster. Las principales conclusiones confirman las barreras relacionadas con la seguridad de los datos o los niveles de confianza. Por otro lado, con unas habilidades digitales básicas, los mayores se consideran capaces de realizar compras en Internet. Los compradores online se sienten capacitados siendo autosuficientes digitalmente, mientras que los no compradores que desean ser independientes, requieren la implementación de medidas de ayuda al proceso en los sitios web comerciales

Spartan Daily, February 7, 1997

Volume 108, Issue 11https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/9088/thumbnail.jp

The future landscape

This working paper is a preliminary study of some central actors in the future landscape. It argues that the future landscape is a spectrum stretching from institutions claiming independent, objective expertise and scientific certainty about the future, to those focused on the social creation of knowledge through participation and public debate. We might call this a spectre encompassing radically different approaches to the knowability and governability of the future – hence a landscape that stretches from the knowable and governable future to the unknowable and ungovernable. These shifting dimensions in claims to scientific rationality and political control are discernible in definitions of future studies as an activity of knowledge production. What kind of study object is the future, what kind of knowledge can one produce, how, and with what claims to certainty and expertise?Arbetsrapporten Framtidens landskap är en preliminär studie av hur framtiden idag studeras, organiseras och styrs, som en delstudie inom projektet Framtidens privatisering. I arbetsrapporten har ett antal institutioner och organisationer som ägnar sig åt att studera framtiden belysts. Avsikten var att undersöka definitioner av hur framtiden kan studeras och observeras, samt föreställningar om framtidens styrbarhet (knowability och governability). Anspråk på att veta något om framtiden samt att kunna styra denna kan sägas skapa ett slags spektrum, som sträcker sig över definitioner av framtiden som i grunden oförutsägbar och ostuderbar, till föreställningar om framtiden som något som kan observeras och förutsägas på vetenskaplig grund. Andra skiljelinjer i detta framtidens landskap är hur olika institutioner definierar framtidens avnämare, dvs. den medborgare, klient eller organisation som har nytta av att framtiden studeras, liksom det intresse, offentligt eller privat, som därmed anses gynnas

Social Technologies and Informal Knowledge Sharing within and across Organizations

This doctoral dissertation is focused on both empirical and conceptual contributions relative to the roles social technologies play in informal knowledge sharing practices, both within and across organizations. Social technologies include (a) traditional social technologies (e.g., email, phone and instant messengers), (b) emerging social networking technologies commonly known as social media, such as blogs, wikis, major public social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), and (c) enterprise social networking technologies controlled by a host organization ( e.g., SocialText). The rapid uptake of social technologies, combined with growing interest in their broader social implications, raises pertinent questions about uses for knowledge sharing in organizations. The work reported in this thesis is motivated by two broad phenomena: (1) the importance of informal knowledge-sharing in organizations and (2) the rapid rise in the variety and prevalence of social technologies. The empirical basis of this research is a field study focused on the uses of social technologies by knowledge workers, specifically those in consulting firms. Building from the theoretical lenses of sociomateriality, structuration, and technological frames, the findings from this work advances our understanding of: (1) the ways social technologies are used in combination as a suite of tools, (2) the ways in which organizational norms, policies, and arrangements shape the uses of social technologies for knowledge practices, and (3) the variations in uses of social technologies by different groups of knowledge workers. The theoretical contribution of this work is to conceptualize the suite of social technologies used to support and enable knowledge workers is a more useful approach than the single-technological-tool-in-isolation approach, which is the norm in studies of computing. A second contribution of this work is to situate social technologies-in-use through incorporating complementary theoretical concepts: technology-mediated knowledge practices, social structures of organizations, and workers\u27 distinct interpretations of social technologies (technological frames). Practical implications arising from this study both inform the ways social technologies can be collectively integrated in work practices and inform the design and implementation of social technologies for accommodating different needs and preferences of knowledge workers. This research also generates insight into how organizations can craft policies that realistically regulate the use of social technologies, while empowering individual workers to optimize their knowledge sharing capacity by supporting informal engagement via social technologies