Technology In A Multicultural And Global Society

"This book provides a source for definitions, antecedents, and consequences of social informatics and the cultural aspect of technology. It addresses cultural/societal issues in social informatics technology and society, the Digital Divide, government and technology law, information security and privacy, cyber ethics, technology ethics, and the future of social informatics and technology"--Provided by publisher.

Covering diverse themes such as intellectual property, media and architecture, satellite debris, server farms and search engines, art installations, surveillance, peer-to-peer file-sharing, the construction of techno-history and much more, this book discusses both the culture of technology that we live in today, and culture as technology.

This new approach to the study of multiculturalism focuses on its applications to science and technology. It explores new studies that describe the role of culture and power in the making of theories, facts and machines.

The central purpose of this collection of essays is to make a creative addition to the debates surrounding the cultural heritage domain. In the 21st century the world faces epochal changes which affect every part of society, including the arenas in which cultural heritage is made, held, collected, curated, exhibited, or simply exists. The book is about these changes; about the decentring of culture and cultural heritage away from institutional structures towards the individual; about the questions which the advent of digital technologies is demanding that we ask and answer in relation to how we understand, collect and make available Europe’s cultural heritage. Cultural heritage has enormous potential in terms of its contribution to improving the quality of life for people, understanding the past, assisting territorial cohesion, driving economic growth, opening up employment opportunities and supporting wider developments such as improvements in education and in artistic careers. Given that spectrum of possible benefits to society, the range of studies that follow here are intended to be a resource and stimulus to help inform not just professionals in the sector but all those with an interest in cultural heritage.

Research on multiculturalism and information and communication technology (ICT) has been important to understanding recent history, planning for future large-scale initiatives, and understanding unrealized expectations for social and technological change. This interdisciplinary area of research has examined interactions between ICT and culture at the group and society levels. However, there is debate within the literature as to the nature of the relationship between culture and technology. In this synthesis, we suggest that the tensions result from the competing ideologies that drive researchers, allowing us to conceptualize the relationship between culture and ICT under three primary models, each with its own assumptions: 1) Social informatics, 2) Social determinism, and 3) Technological determinism. Social informatics views the relationship to be one of sociotechnical interaction, in which culture and ICTs affect each other mutually and iteratively, rather than linearly; the vast majority of the literature approach the relationships between ICT and culture under the assumptions of social informatics. From a socially deterministic perspective, ICTs are viewed as the dependent variable in the equation, whereas, from a technologically deterministic perspective, ICTs are an independent variable. The issues of multiculturalism and ICTs attracted much scholarly attention and have been explored under a myriad of contexts, with substantial literature on global development, social and political issues, business and public administration as well as education and scholarly collaboration. We synthesize here research in the areas of global development, social and political issues, and business collaboration. Finally we conclude by proposing under-explored areas for future research directions.

Technological advancements in the West since the last millennium have contributed to global modernity. Technologies set conditions for the closeness of the nation-states and for the affinity of the global and the local. They are also penetrating everyday life, and even sometimes the body, producing radical social changes. Yet, arguing that new technologies bring a new life and a promising future to global societies remains a questionable thesis.This book attempts to explore the relationship between new technologies and global societies, to gain an understanding of how the positive as well as negative influences of technologies bear on global societies, how their practices of use are resisted or re-interpreted by these societies, and how their social meaning is constituted through the process of negotiation with these societies. Part 1 is on science, technology, culture, and the body; Part 2 is on new media and generations, and Part 3 is on information and communication technologies (ICTs) and work.This book has been selected for coverage in: Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings? (ISSHP?/ISI Proceedings)Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP CDROM version/ISI Proceedings)

Diversity among university students plays a significant role in raising awareness of numerous issues surrounding cultural heritage, language differences, cross-cultural collaboration, and international education. The integration of technological tools can assist students in cooperating nationally and internationally both in their current educational and future professional settings. Multicultural Awareness and Technology in Higher Education: Global Perspectives encompasses the latest research on the impact and integration of technology into international education and culturally diverse learning environments. Providing the latest teaching and learning methods, technologies, and approaches at the university level, this publication is a useful reference for academics, educational administrators in public and private institutions, and information society researchers.

"This book discusses methods of using information technologies to support organizational and business objectives in both national and international contexts, describing the latest research on both the technical and non-technical aspects of contemporary information societies, including e-commerce, e-learning, e-government, and e-health"--Provided by publisher.

Our differences in language, cultures, and history around the world play a vital role in the way we learn. As technology-based education continues to be used worldwide, there is an ever growing interest in how multiculturalism comes into effect. Multiculturalism in Technology-Based Education: Case Studies on ICT-Supported Approaches explores the multidisciplinary approaches to transculturality and multiculturalism and its influence on technology-based education. This comprehensive reference source is a collection of education cases which investigate transcultural education using theoretical aspects and practical applications inside a technological framework. This book aims to be a reference for university professors, students, and researchers alike.