Alienation and Information Communications Technology

This thesis is a study of Marx's theory of alienation as it applies to ICT. By looking at three different scenarios concerned with ICT, the research investigates the relevance of Marx's theory of alienation in explaining the way we experience ICT. The results of the study indicate that Marx's theory of alienation has much to offer in research in this area but that more work needs to be undertaken to deepen our understanding of the complex relationship between ICT and alienation.This study explores the contradiction of the heart of ICT: the technology presents to us all manner of possibilities yet it habitually fails to deliver on those promises. This failure is often seen as arising from either a problem with the technology or end-user proficiency. Thus better technology and/or more effective end-user education are seen as the solutions. This study is based on the premise that such approaches are inherently faulty and explores how applicable notions of alienation can be in researching the contradictory nature of ICT. By using a critical realist methodology allied to tools available through PAR, this investigation engaged with participants in three distinct settings: ICT professionals; scholars concerned with researching the ethical/societal implications of ICT; and a group of pensioners living in South East London, UK. The research interrogated the literature concerned with themes of alienation and ICT to show there is a consensus that something called alienation does exist but that the term is used as a poorly defined descriptor of dissatisfaction with ICT. It also revealed that minimal research in the subject area has been undertaken using theories of alienation and none which involve multiple settings. The thesis makes an original and distinct contribution to the field by utilising one approach to alienation, that presented by Marx, in three seemingly disconnected settings to draw out the underlying commonalities shared by participants of these settings. In doing so, the findings challenge widespread assumptions about end-user experience of ICT and offer new insights into the much mentioned but little understood alienated way we experience ICT. Moreover, the thesis, in moving beyond description of alienation, to reveal the genesis of the condition, indicates the inadequacy of simply using the term alienation as an ill-defined label to describe people’s experiences of ICT. It argues for embracing a more rigorous approach to the issue to realise the significant potential offered through investigating and applying theories of alienation in research. Additionally it advances knowledge in the area by emphasising shared experiences of user groups which has considerable implications for future research. Finally the thesis is unique in highlighting the prospective benefits to be realised by researchers in adopting a CR methodology working in tandem with PAR methods in ICT research

From National Hierarchies to International Standardization: Historical and Modal Changes in the Coordination of Telecommunications

Die Konvergenz von Telekommunikation und Datenverarbeitung hat eine globale Expansion von Netzen und Diensten ausgelöst, die von einer Deregulierung des Sektors begleitet wurde. Eine Vielzahl heterogener Akteure auf dem Weltmarkt muß die jeweiligen Entwicklungs- und Produktionsaktivitäten ebenso wie das Angebot neuer Dienste koordinieren. Der alte Modus hierarchischer Koordination, der technische, ökonomische und politische Steuerung internalisierte und sich in der Ära souveräner Nationalstaaten früherer Jahrzehnte etablierte, ließ sich nicht in eine transnationale Hierarchie transformieren. Koordination beschränkt sich daher auf die Herstellung technischer Kompatibilität von Systemen der Telekommunikation. Es hat sich ein Netz internationaler und regionaler Standardisierungsgremien herausgebildet, das ständig größer wird. Diese Gremien erarbeiten die benötigten Empfehlungen, die eher optional und komplementär als substitutiv sind, was eine Arbeitsteilung anstelle von Konkurrenz begünstigt hat.The convergence of telecommunications and computer technology stimulated a global expansion of networks and services which was accompanied by a deregulation of this industry. In the liberalized worldmarket a great number of heterogeneous actors must coordinate the development and production of technology as well as the provision of new services. The old mode of hierarchical coordination internalizing technical, economic and political control, which originated from the sovereign state system of earlier decades, could not be transformed into transnational hierarchy. Thus coordination is widely restricted to achieving technical compatibility of telecommunications systems. A network of international and regional standardization committees, growing in number, has evolved. They issue the required technical recommendations, which are usually more complementary and optional than substitutive, so that division of labor instead of competition prevails.Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Large Technical Systems in National Containment: The Old Order in Telecommunications 3 From National Isolation to Minimal International Coordination 3.1 Modes of International Coordination: Some Theoretical Considerations 3.2 The Long Road to Little International Coordination 4 Trans-border Expansion of Telecommunications and the Erosion of the Old Order 5 Technical Systems' Compatibility Requirements and the Proliferation of International Standardization 5.1 Basic Problems of International Standardization Procedures 5.2 The Proliferation of International Standardization Organizations 6 Conclusion Bibliograph

Network protection with multiple availability guarantees

We develop a novel network protection scheme that provides guarantees on both the fraction of time a flow has full connectivity, as well as a quantifiable minimum grade of service during downtimes. In particular, a flow can be below the full demand for at most a maximum fraction of time; then, it must still support at least a fraction q of the full demand. This is in contrast to current protection schemes that offer either availability-guarantees with no bandwidth guarantees during the downtime, or full protection schemes that offer 100% availability after a single link failure. We develop algorithms that provide multiple availability guarantees and show that significant capacity savings can be achieved as compared to full protection. If a connection is allowed to drop to 50% of its bandwidth for 1 out of every 20 failures, then a 24% reduction in spare capacity can be achieved over traditional full protection schemes. In addition, for the case of q = 0, corresponding to the standard availability constraint, an optimal pseudo-polynomial time algorithm is presented.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF grants CNS-1116209)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF grants CNS-0830961)United States. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (grant HDTRA-09-1-005)United States. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (grant HDTRA1-07-1-0004)United States. Air Force (Air Force contract # FA8721-05-C-0002

Marx and Digital Machines

"This book explores the fundamental contradiction at the heart of the digital environment: technology offers all manner of promises, yet habitually fails to deliver. This failure often arises from numerous problems: the proficiency of the technology or end-user, policy failure at various levels, or a combination of these. Solutions such as better technology and more effective end-user education are often put into place to solve these failures. Mike Healy argues that such approaches are inherently faulty drawing upon qualitative research informed by Marx’s theory of alienation. Using Marx’s theory, he considers participants in three distinct settings: the workplace of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals; university scholars researching the ethical and societal implications of our digital environment; and a group of pensioners living in South London, UK, undertaking ICT training. By delving beneath the surface of how digital technologies are created, researched and experienced, this study illustrates the contradictory nature of our digital lives, as they directly arise from the needs of capitalism. The book also places Marx’s theory in contrast to the mainstream approaches derived from Seaman and Blauner. In researching and comprehending ICT, this book reaffirms the superior explanatory power of Marx’s theory of alienation.