COST269 Objectives

Main objectives

The main objectives of the action are to study and analyse ICTs' usage and users, with an emphasis on communication, in order to increase knowledge of how and why a person incorporates or rejects ICT products and services into his/her daily life. (see MoU COST269)

The objectives can be specified in operational terms as follows:

  1. To cover the followings areas of debate:

    1.a)To collect and analyse information, in order to identify which variables are likely to be important in the ICT assimilation process, whether that person is stationary or mobile. In the case of rejection, to identify possible causes. On the basis of this we aim to identify key factors shaping the market for a variety of ICTs.

    1.b) To analyse peoples competence in the use of ICTs in the domestic sphere. Many researches have demonstrated that social learning in ICTs use is circulating now not only from workplace to home but also from home to workplace. And that the competence in ICTs use is very low in the everyday life. Our aim is precisily to identify which variables are likely to be important in the competence of ICTs use. In specific, we will try to analyse the impact of three variable: Life situation, Gender and work.

    1.c) To collect information on the processes by which states, municipalities and other such institutions manage ICT use in the relation to their citizens. In other words, our interest is focussed on three main areas: one is related to the association and group experiences trough ICTs use); another is related to the ICTs use by citizens in Social Services, in local, National and International Institutions and Bodies, in Public Administrations, in Digital Cities, that is the public sphere managed by State; the third is related to the political area, that includes the ICTs use in parties, unions, movements, political institutions (parlamient etc), political communication.. At the end, we are trying to look into some central, important concepts, typical of the debate in this area, in order to find not only their meanings, ambiguities, ambivalences, mistifications if and when there are, but also users presence and how users try to make these concepts fonctionning to defend their interests.

  2. To promote the exchange and dissemination of results from ICT user research between experts from both behavioural and technical disciplines. This will be managed via a number of mechanisms including participants reporting back to their own companies, ongoing ties with EURESCOM, the publication and promotion of material on the COST248 web site and participating in conferences and seminars organised by other bodies.

  3. To create a network which includes any expert interested in this field, regardless of discipline.


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