Information Technologies and Social Transformation : Human Attitudes

The Penny Farthing is an appropriate representation of the benefits of Information Technology (IT) to corporate houses and the social development; respectively. 

 Realizing the returns on investments in IT, corporate houses became innovators. Appealing personal utilities and convenience made individuals, early adopters, while the

 Figure 1. A penny Farthing                                     Government, which is the only sector 

                                                                      to care for social development ended as late adopters and laggards.  Government adoption of idea/concept stems from either political considerations or recommendations of advisers. Whilst it is easy to reason the rationale behind politics induced decisions, the latter has to be sufficiently scientific and rational.

        

However, deficiency of intellect, particularly to harness the potentials of IT for societal development is prevalent and blatantly visible at key nodes of the Government. With counsel from such deficient nodes, the benefits of IT to the social sector trails like the farthing (the smaller wheel in figure 1). It is high time that the Government takes bold measures to correct this anomaly.   

             

Information Technologies and societal Transformation had gained attention as early by 1980s in the western world. Kerala, with its distinct social conditions, should lead the nation and set trend in leveraging the benefits of IT for societal development. Gandhiji’s Talisman, when applied in this context, renders any technology that is incapable to address the common mans need; useless.  

Semantics of Sustainable Development: Human Attitude towards Sustainability

Semantics of Sustainable Development: The 8⁰ North Assessment

Raghunathan Nair Jaishanker and N.P. Sooraj.

Department of Ecological Informatics

Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala

Trivandrum 695581, Kerala, India

This paper reports a three dimensional analysis of the attitude of secondary grade students in Trivandrum (8.49° N, 76.95° E), Kerala, India towards the concept of sustainable development. A study was designed and meticulously implemented in three phases during September – October 2014. In the first phase, students were explained the concept of sustainable development from multiple perspectives (Anonymous, 2012a). Animated illustrations, depicting human activities in a day, during two time periods - the past and the present, were used to highlight changes in pattern of resource consumption and social transformations. Multiple dimensions of physical, biological and social sciences were used to analyze the perceived changes. Unsustainability was projected as a consequence of human actions, which stem from human attitude. 

To read more:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267695518_Semantics_of_Sustainable_Development_The_8_Degree_North_Assessment

On human attitudes and global challenges

                                              A Man is What his Mind is.

I see human attitude as the single most common factor within all challenges confronting mankind.

Geo-political, socio-economic, socio-cultural or environmental; the root cause is human mindset. 

Ironically, we invest a lot of time to understand the inanimate while overlook the animate. 

Today the nation (India) is talking about clean Ganga, Green India, Digital India, Clean India, Smart Urban landscapes, etc. Our success in these endeavors will depend on our ability to transform the Indian attitude. With an appropriate attitude, more than half of these challenges will melt.

We at the Department of Ecological Informatics, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management - Kerala have been advocating this since last 2- 3 years. (refer to check earlier notes in this platform).