[Air-l] CfP : THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE IRRELEVANT The user and the future of ICT, Helsinki 3 to 5 September, 2003

[Frank Thomas]

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.



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Frank Thomas
FTR Internet Research
321, boulevard de la Boissière
93110 Rosny-sous-Bois
France
tél. 0033.1.48.94.36.90