The IT revolution reassessed part one: Literature review and key issues

The IT revolution brings with it a series of challenges that societies are ill prepared to face. While surprisingly large numbers of people unthinkingly renounce such of their privacy as remains for trifles, the idealistic hopes of early pioneers and freedom-loving 'netizens' remain largely unfulfilled. Benign notions such as 'cyber democracy' and the 'information superhighway' have all but disappeared. In place of these optimistic hopes and projections there's a growing sense of uncertainty, disillusion and, in some cases, fear. Those driving various components of the IT revolution claim new benefits and highlight examples of successful implementation - email, tablets, health innovations and so on. Yet, despite these obvious successes, it's hard to avoid the fact that many IT practices are powerfully disposed in favour of the interests of corporations, innovators and entrepreneurs. This enquiry takes the form of three separate but interrelated papers and has two main purposes. The first paper seeks to account for the underlying polarity between the promoters of high-tech 'solutions' and those who view the world differently. Drawing on a sample of literature including informed journalism it begins by outlining key assumptions (including that technology is 'not merely stuff” and 'new technologies are ambiguous'). It then outlines aspects of the territory through a critical review several key works. Some general conclusions provide starting points for the second and third articles.