THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE IRRELEVANT: The user and the future of information and communication technologies A transdisciplinary, proactive and collaborative knowledge-building conference organised by COST Action 269 University of Art and Design, Helsinki (Finland) 3-5 September 2003 INTRODUCTION Whether we are interested in developing technology, or studying its relationship with people and everyday life, or seeking to benefit from the potential it creates, or worried over its consequences, we can hardly overlook its role in the shaping of our future. Through the four themes, · the extended human · users as innovators · dealing with diversity · the reconfiguration of society the organisers of this conference want to focus the attention of an interdisciplinary community on some of the key arenas where the future relationship of people and new digital technology and its applications are being negotiated. Often the most advanced technology and its potential but yet unforeseen applications are discussed only within the communities of the technology specialists, while the critics, users and policy makers convene in their own respective circles, each with their own traditions, languages, and agendas. Unfortunately, these communities seldom meet in an organised fashion, and when they do, they often suffer from language and cultural clashes that tend to hamper interdisciplinary encounters. In this conference, the organisers - the COST Action 269 - invite members from these communities and others to join an attempt to develop the discussion on a common, shared and transdisciplinary ground. We ask participants to 1) strive to present their topic from a human centric point of view as opposed to a technology, product or business centric one, and to 2) present in a language that attempts to transcend disciplinary boundaries, a language that non-experts can also understand, and to 3) not only report on their work, but also to engage in the conference debate which aims to develop ways to understand the interests of people and society, to evaluate developments against such evolving understanding, and to chart interesting and desirable future directions. The emphasis of this event will be on networking and promoting a dialogue with colleagues from around Europe and the rest of the world. The event itself will be augmented with online discussion before and after the conference. COST 269: USER ASPECTS OF ICTs The conference is organised by the COST 269 network User Aspects of ICTs. In COST 269 European scientists from telecommunication research departments, universities and operators together with independent consultants collaborate in cross-disciplinary groups to analyse social dimensions of peoples relationships to information and communication technologies. More information is available on our website at http://www.cost269.org PROGRAMME The conference aims: 1. To instigate and support dialogues: · Between social scientists, designers, engineers, policy-makers and technology and service providers. · Between the different disciplinary approaches analysing the social and cultural dimensions of ICTs (covering telecommunications, computing and mass media). 2. To explore the state of the art of our knowledge and the results of current research, at the same time indicating the implications of this for those who are planning and shaping technologies and services. 3. To confront the reality of today with the possibilities of the future, and to debate the meaning of reported and anticipated developments for everyday life in an increasingly globalised society. We propose the following topic areas for the conference: 1. The extended human In a variety of ways ICTs can extend human capabilities, awareness and spheres of action. This strand of the conference could cover such areas as connecting with social networks and distributed social practices related to ICTs; the relationship between technology and the body of the future; the invisibility, embeddedness and ubiquity of computers; the socio-cultural significance of the new senses and capabilities that humans acquire through technology. Key words: Augment, extend, body, mind, tools, reality, relationships, sphere of life, consciousness, physical/mental/digital dimensions, artefacts, resistance and hostility, security vs. risk, art, fashion, avatar, cyborg, e-Me, professional practices, extended space/time. 2. Users as innovators Users of ICTs have often used technologies in very creative, sometimes unanticipated, ways. This strand covers the ways in which ICTs either enable or constrain users ability to develop innovatory social practices; what factors lead to creativity in the use of ICTs. Key words: User benefits, domestication/appropriation/innovation, applications, empowering, from people to innovation, drop-outs, non-users, competences, capabilities, consumer organisations, conflicts and consensus, creativity, errors, failed innovations, professional practices, commercial potential. 3. Dealing with diversity User-centred design approaches are becoming the imperative for businesses that want to address the customers personal preferences, driven by competition and the growing flexibility of technology. But do we have the means to understand the true extent of this massive diversity of individual interests, cultural identities, personal priorities, health concerns, social networks, and so on? How should it be dealt with in design and development? This strand could cover how diversity of the 'users' is manifested, what issues it provokes, and how and through what classification schemes designers, developers and researchers analyse and address it.. Key words: Gender, generation, class, ethnicity, inclusion and exclusion, pluralism, cultural differences, multiculturalism, dissolution of boundaries, segregation/integration, global/local, multiple identities, individualisation, complexity, memory, tradition, diversity in the design space. 4. The reconfiguration of society Society is constantly being transformed and technology plays a crucial role in this process, both influencing and reacting to this change. Both technology and our lives are constantly being redesigned in a reciprocal process. This strand could cover issues such as ICTs and personal integrity, privacy and issues of surveillance; responsibility, technology overload, and problems of reliability in the light of an increased societal sensitivity to the break-down of technology; issues around the pressure to up-date technology and continuously to develop the skills needed for dealing with ICTs. Key words: Transformation, structures, systems, emerging, dying, behaviour, policy, values, power, influence, intention, judgements, attitudes, globalisation, convergences, digitalisation, labour, economics, organisation, institutions, regulation, ethics, health and environmental work, privacy, family system, social networks, life stages, membership, control, political system. As a collaborative knowledge-building event, this conference aims to be more than a one-off meeting by providing a base for further networking and interchange between the key stakeholders in developing our technological futures. GUIDELINES TO PARTICIPANTS In the spirit of the conference we would encourage those considering submitting papers to reflect on three aspects. These are (a) the basis for making evaluations of ICTs, (b) the implications for the future design of ICTs and (c) directions for future research. At the stage of reviewing abstracts, reviewers will make suggestions towards this end. More information will be available later on the conference website at http://www.cost269.org/conference.html. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST In order to develop the collaborative aspects of the conference, we strongly encourage the potential participants to submit an expression of interest in participating, so that we can inform them of important new developments through email. This can be submitted on the main conference web-page at: http://www.cost269.org/conference.html. ABSTRACT SUBMISSION Deadline for submission: 15th March 2003. All abstracts should be prepared in electronic form. Detailed submission directions will be available by November 2002 at http://www.cost269.org/conference.html. Abstracts must be written in English and typed with single line spacing. No formulas, symbols, mathematical notation or sub/superscripts are allowed. Abstracts should be 300-600 words. No abstract fee is required. Both academics and practitioners are invited to submit presentations. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the conference, abstracts will be reviewed by a combination of members of the Steering Committee, the International Programme Committee and others with relevant expertise. Notification of acceptance will be given by 30th April 2003. All withdrawals should be sent to the Programme Chairs. In order to be included in the printed programme the deadline for delivering the full paper is 15th June 2003. STRUCTURE OF THE CONFERENCE We see this conference as being a collaborative knowledge-building event. It aspires to work towards building a network of excellence and to define and develop central issues around the use of ICTs. Hence, papers will be presented within workgroups that will then be given the task of integrating and building upon the individual presentations. Everyone can participate in several workgroups over the course of the conference. A panel will lead a discussion of the conclusions of each workgroup at the end. Other innovative approaches, including multimedia presentations, will be explored. REGISTRATION FEE The registration fee of 150 Euro will cover lunches, coffee and the proceedings. Reductions can be considered in particular circumstances and on request. All attendees, including speakers and session chairs, must register and pay the registration fee. If you need an early confirmation for travel visas or budgetary reasons, please indicate this on the submission form. LANGUAGE The official language of the Conference will be English. PUBLICATIONS Papers presented at the conference will be made available as proceedings and will be posted to the COST 269 website. VENUE The conference will be hosted by the University of Art and Design Helsinki (UIAH) and its Media Lab. For more information, please visit http://goodbad.uiah.fi. Information about hotels and prices will be available soon at http://www.cost269.org/conference.html. -- ---------------------------- Frank Thomas FTR Internet Research 321, boulevard de la Boissière 93110 Rosny-sous-Bois France tél. 0033.1.48.94.36.90