126,257 research outputs found
Architects of time: Labouring on digital futures
Drawing on critical analyses of the internet inspired by Gilles Deleuze and the Marxist autonomia movement, this paper suggests a way of understanding the impact of the internet and digital culture on identity and social forms through a consideration of the relationship between controls exercised through the internet, new subjectivities constituted through its use and new labour practices enabled by it. Following Castells, we can see that the distinction between user, consumer and producer is becoming blurred and free labour is being provided by users to corporations. The relationship between digital technologies and sense of community, through their relationship to the future, is considered for its dangers and potentials. It is proposed that the internet may be a useful tool for highlighting and enabling social connections if certain dangers can be traversed. Notably, current remedies for the lack of trust on the internet are questioned with an alternative, drawing on Zygmunt Bauman and Georg Simmel, proposed which is built on community through a vision of a âshared networkâ
[How] Can Pluralist Approaches to Computational Cognitive Modeling of Human Needs and Values Save our Democracies?
In our increasingly digital societies, many companies have business models that perceive usersâ (or customersâ) personal data as a siloed resource, owned and controlled by the data controller rather than the data subjects. Collecting and processing such a massive amount of personal data could have many negative technical, social and economic consequences, including invading peopleâs privacy and autonomy. As a result, regulations such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have tried to take steps towards a better implementation of the right to digital privacy. This paper proposes that such legal acts should be accompanied by the development of complementary technical solutions such as Cognitive Personal Assistant Systems to support people to effectively manage their personal data processing on the Internet. Considering the importance and sensitivity of personal data processing, such assistant systems should not only consider their ownerâs needs and values, but also be transparent, accountable and controllable. Pluralist approaches in computational cognitive modelling of human needs and values which are not bound to traditional paradigmatic borders such as cognitivism, connectionism, or enactivism, we argue, can create a balance between practicality and usefulness, on the one hand, and transparency, accountability, and controllability, on the other, while supporting and empowering humans in the digital world. Considering the threat to digital privacy as significant to contemporary democracies, the future implementation of such pluralist models could contribute to power-balance, fairness and inclusion in our societies
Self-tracking modes: reflexive self-monitoring and data practices
The concept of âself-trackingâ (also referred to as life-logging, the quantified self, personal analytics and personal informatics) has recently begun to emerge in discussions of ways in which people can voluntarily monitor and record specific features of their lives, often using digital technologies. There is evidence that the personal data that are derived from individuals engaging in such reflexive self-monitoring are now beginning to be used by actors, agencies and organisations beyond the personal and privatised realm.
Self-tracking rationales and sites are proliferating as part of a âfunction creepâ of the technology and ethos of self-tracking. The detail offered by these data on individuals and the growing commodification and commercial value of digital data have led government, managerial and commercial enterprises to explore ways of appropriating self-tracking for their own purposes. In some contexts people are encouraged, ânudgedâ, obliged or coerced into using digital devices to produce personal data which are then used by others.
This paper examines these issues, outlining five modes of self-tracking that have emerged: private, communal, pushed, imposed and exploited. The analysis draws upon theoretical perspectives on concepts of selfhood, citizenship, biopolitics and data practices and assemblages in discussing the wider sociocultural implications of the emergence and development of these modes of self-tracking
The Future Smart-City: An Analysis of the Effects of Global and Technological Innovation on the Evolution of Economic Systems
In 21st century, the current economy is rapidly utilizing globalization to create a vastly different future. With the advent of new technology merging with entrepreneurs who effectively utilize that technology, the economic model is changing. Faster, sleeker, more effective forms of communication and information transfer drive the process of globalization. Production for a single product can happen in multiple countries, companies can operate virtually 24/7 through call centers halfway around the globe, and preliminary smart cities are beginning to emerge to give us a glimpse of the future world. A new category of businesspersons called âprosumersâ is emerging and has created a new sharing and soon-to-be self-service economic structure. Analysis of the two drivers of economic changeâglobalization and technological innovationâwill reveal how close civilization is to the city of the future
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A conceptual study of the factors influencing e-inclusion
With the advancement of the Internet and supporting Information and Communication Technologies, e-inclusion has emerged as an effective means to create opportunities for all and to further individual autonomy and capability in terms of using online services offered by public agencies. The aim of this paper is to offer a critical discussion on the role of e-inclusion from the user perspective, which goes beyond the demographic factors when adopting e-government services. Further, this paper explains the fundamental differences between digital divide and e-inclusion and examines why research focus is now shifting towards studying e-inclusion rather that digital divide in Europe. Through a conceptual analysis the authors examine the relationship between social inclusion and e-inclusion and how they contributes towards promoting the use of ICT to overcome exclusion and improve economic performance, employment opportunities, quality of life, social participation and cohesion
New Jersey's Growing Remote Workforce and the Skill Requirements of Employers
Highlights factors driving the rise in remote work jobs, the ways remote work is affecting the workplace, and the skills workers need to be effective in remote work environments
Overhauling corporate taxation in the digital economy. CEPS Policy Insights No 2019-15/October 2019
Is the corporate income tax (CIT) still an efficient system for taxing companies today? The CIT was
introduced when economies were characterised primarily by tangible assets and goods and by limited
international trade. Globalisation, digitalisation and the increasing weight of immaterial goods in
company transactions and balance sheets have rendered that system outdated. These radical changes
call for equally radical reflections on how to reform the CIT, bearing in mind the need for a corporate
tax system that is fit for both the digital and the traditional economy, in developing and developed
countries alike.
Rather than offering a complete solution, this paper discusses various approaches that could contribute
to a solution. First, we suggest that the CIT base should always be strictly aligned with the accounting
profit and loss account, eschewing special adjustments for tax purposes. Second, a more radical
possibility would be to abandon altogether the reference to corporate income and tax companies
instead on cash flow, based on destination. And, third, the possibility could also be explored to tax
companies with reference to âpresumptiveâ indicators of activity, rather than on the basis of public
accounts. Presumptive indicators are already used in federal systems to allocate corporate income
among decentralised jurisdictions. These propositions would not be viable without international
agreement, at least at the level of the European Union. Such an agreement may prove difficult given
the conflicts of interest between EU member states and between them and the United State
CREATe 2012-2016: Impact on society, industry and policy through research excellence and knowledge exchange
On the eve of the CREATe Festival May 2016, the Centre published this legacy report (edited by Kerry Patterson & Sukhpreet Singh with contributions from consortium researchers)
Beyond Infrastructure: Broadband for Development in Remote and Indigenous Regions
Recent telecommunications stimulus projects in the U.S. and Canada were intended to increase availability of broadband through funding infrastructure investments, largely in rural and remote regions. However, true access involves more than availability; it also includes affordability and adoption. This paper presents a framework for analyzing broadband adoption that takes into consideration geographical, economic and cultural environments in indigenous communities. It includes an overview of potential social and economic impacts of broadband in remote areas, using examples from the Alaska study and the Canadian North. It then reports on results of an evaluation of Internet use and potential adoption of broadband in remote indigenous communities of southwest Alaska. Finally, the paper provides a comparative analysis of U.S. and Canadian policies intended to achieve affordable access to broadband for rural users and sustainable business models for rural broadband providers.Ye
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