ICT and the tension between old and new: the human factor

Published date04 April 2008
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/14779960810866774
Pages4-27
Date04 April 2008
AuthorKrystyna Górniak‐Kocikowska
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management
ICT and the tension between
old and new: the human factor
Krystyna Go
´rniak-Kocikowska
Philosophy Department, Southern Connecticut State University,
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of tensions between old and new
in the emerging global society driven by information and communication technology (ICT); and to
argue that creation of a theory of this society would contribute in the easing of these tensions.
Design/methodology/approach The methods used in this paper are mostly an alytical,
descriptive, and qualitative. An analysis of the creation and development of ICT from a
mathematical discipline of computer science to a universal tool and a driving force of the emerging
global society, a development which is paralleled by the commercialization of ICT, is followed by two
case studies illustrating the tensions between old and new and the role ICT plays in them. One case is
centered on the challenges of traditional models of education by new, ICT-friendly approaches, like the
Multiple Intelligences Theory; the other addresses tensions between old and new that in many
societies presently take the form of tensions between local/national and global.
Findings – A claim is formed that the existing tensionsbetween old andnew are closely linkedto the
tensions between the two most common forms of society, inclusive (egalitarian) and exclusive (elitist).
Originality/value The paper will help understand some of the reactions to the process of
globalization. It can serve as a tool for assessment and prediction regarding this process. Lastly, the
paper contains a justification of merit in the creation of a “grass root” theory of an ICT-driven global
society built on a universally accepted ethical foundation.
Keywords Communicationtechnologies, Education, Ethics,Globalization, Informationsociety,
Language
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
One of the acute problems an individual often faces today is the conflict between value
systems, traditions, and the socio-political reality of his/her local or national
environment and the new challenges, temptations, and requirements brought into
his/her life by the emerging global information and communication technology
(ICT)-civilization.
This conflict that individuals experience between old and new forces is by no means
a new phenomenon; it belongs to perennial problems in the history of the human
species. Yet, it seems to be more acute today than it had ever been before. The conflict
has been sharpened by the speed of change, the magnitude of pressure, and by the
global character of transformations – for there seem to be hardly any completely
isolated societies left anymore (as opposed to the “left out” societies of which there are
plenty). All this creates a new state of affairs, often leading to crisis situations for
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
This text evolved from the paper “Something old, something new; what if they clash?” presented
at ETHICOMP 2004, Syros, Greece, and published in the Proceedings of Ethicomp 2004.
The author would like to express his thanks to the organizers and participants of that
conference, for inspiring his work.
JICES
6,1
4
Journal of Information,
Communication & Ethics in Society
Vol. 6 No. 1, 2008
pp. 4-27
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/14779960810866774
which there are not very many well thought-through, satisfactory solutions as of yet.
It therefore seems to me that an investigation of the relation between the old and the
new in the global society of the ICT-era belongs at this point in time to the most
important, interesting, challenging, and useful projects in the area of intellectual
activity. In this paper, I will attempt to point out some aspects of this relation, focusing
in particular on the dialectical tension that characterizes it.
In the grand scheme of things, this kind of investigation would lead ideally to the
creation of a new theory, a theory which would have the concept of global change and
the dynamics between old and new at its core. The dialectical tension between old and
new is an inexorable factor in the process of change and change in turn belongs to
inalienable characteristics of the ICT-driven society. Therefore, the theory in question
could serve as a tool for mediation between conflicting trends and intere sts in the
global ICT-driven society. As such, it would have to focus on the ethical problems
resulting from the tension between old and new; and it would propose solutions to
these problems. One of the important purposes of such a theory would be to
incorporate into the ethics of the global ICT-driven society many of the moral values
treasured by various civilizations and cultures. I should emphasize here that my
position is not that of ethical or cultural relativism when addressing the ethics of the
global society. Rather, the set of fundamental ethical values for the global ICT-driven
society I have in mind should be the result of a dialectical process itself. It should
constitute a new kind, a synthesis resulting from the resolving of tensions between
various values of the “pre-global society” and the new values.
The theory in question will belong to the area of social science, understood here as a
“public philosophy” (Bellah et al., 1996, 300f.) rather than in the commonly used sense as
an academic or professional discipline, highly specialized, and “whose subdisciplines
often cannot speak to one another, much less to the public” (Bellah et al., 1996, p. 299).
Further, it is my conviction that ethics should constitute the foundation for any good
social theory, whether of a descriptive or normative type. A descriptive theory of society
should include an analysis of the ethics that guides human behavior. A normative theory
should include ethical norms and their justification as well as a concept of ethical
education. Ethics serves not only as a guide in the decision-making process but also as a
tool used by individuals to create socially relevant assertions about reality. The
knowledge of ethics helps understand the values accepted and shared by members of
society. Provided that they truly believe, people act upon their beliefs more often than
not, including the beliefs about right and wrong. In addition, the belief in positive moral
value of one’s judgments strongly motivates to action, which correlates with this belief.
This is, among others, why ethically motivated actions are in general voluntary, and also
why it is easier to execute a lawful behavior in a society where there is a concurrence of
ethical and legal rules instead of conflict.
I do not aspire to the creation of the theory characterized above; moreover, I think
that the creation process of such a theory should be a truly global endeavor; and it
should involve as many individuals as possible in a genuinely democratic (i.e. based on
individual freedom, equality, and respect) collaborative debate. As such, it would be
inevitably a lengthy process. Various aspects of the ICT-related debates currently
taking place, especially in the field of ethics and in social study, could certainly be
incorporated into this process. I hope that this paper too will contribute to it in some
modest way.
ICT and the
tension between
old and new
5

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