Abstract

The presence of information and communication technologies has become so widespread that it now affects the majority of human activities and relations. These technologies are already being used to transfer and control the flow of information, knowledge, money, goods, and services across national boundaries. Despite the obvious benefits of this, there is also concern at the gap which is emerging between this new global information society and the humanistic vision of socially useful technologies which can be used to deal with wider social issues such as employment, education and literacy. This volume examines three critical debates of the post-industrial society: culture and technology, information society, and postmodernism. It aims to provide theoretical and methodological underpinnings for the analysis and design of information, communication and multimedia technologies. It is a thoroughly interdisciplinary volume, which will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners in a wide variety of disciplines including information and communication systems, education and social sciences.