INNOVATION IN ICTS
Every man in this world meets with technology in his everyday life. We use technology more or less likely in science for compitung difficult mathematic equations, in factories for producing cars, in our homes for communication a sharing our happiness and worries with our friends, or just for hunting animals to feed tribe. Technology is good servant, but we hardly realise that in certain way it drives the way of our lifes, our evolution and history. Every new invention can be important milestone in our evolution. As Flichi stated in his work, when we want to understand effects of technology, we have to consider use of technology and choices made by its designers, too. Technologies that correspond to the representation of designers and future buyes can be successful. In fact, there is never just one technical solution and these solutions are often evolving in parallel. When we want to understand their evolution we musty study their success and failures. The case of RCA and VCR company show, that if technical and commercial are offering good opportunities for success, but only in case, that they are properly coordinated. Furthermore success of France Telecom company shows good strategy and successful way of thinking. Instead of rational decision making, new innovastions should agregate interests so that big union of aliens can be created, which have good preconditions for success.
When we are talking about aggreagtion and interaction we should mention boundary object. These objects are result of interaction between different actor involved in innovation. Good example of boundary object is Macintosh computer. There was big interaction of many actor from different scopes participating on evolution this computer. The final result of this evolution and interaction was product situated on boundary between computer specialists and the leyperson.
When we want to analyse long-ther phenomena, boundary objects are not sufficient. Instead of them, path-dependency concept can be used. This concept compares dynamic growth to tree, wih choice on every branch. When one choice is accepted by larde nubmer of actors, it becomes stable. When we want to see path-dependency in practice, we can analyze IBM’s beginning in field of microcomputers. IBM decided to produce computers with open architecture, so that users could buy components from other companies. Due to this strategy, IBM was able to react more swiftly. This stratedy appeared as very succesful. On the other hand, it had some side effects. It resulted in huge growth of Intel and Microsoft companies.
Another case of path-dependency is evolition of history. This technology is based on autonomy, open architecture, decentralization and free acces which have roots in academic functioning. As many people (actors) where accepting this technology solution, internet was becoming more and more stable choice in path-dependency tree. Indeed, choices that have big impact on trajectory of technology are also related to representation of designers. Hiltz and Turhoff didn’t see internet just as way of distributed calculation, but as way of changing informations and social-emotional communication. Another interesting example of representation of technology were hackers, who considered computing was device to be availible to all. These hackers associated their passion for computing with counter-culture. Their imagination produced mythical frame of microcomputer use. When these spreading technological and social dreams spreaded, they supplied resouces for the action.
Users play very importat role in technology representation. Francis Collins described wireless network as huge spider web and proposed new imagination of communication. His utopian description howerever, was then becoming reality. Another user, Susan Dougles transformed her interest in wireless to articles supporting spreading of radio. She consider radio as technology uniting all people in the world. Similar case can be observed in internet evolution. Internet was considered as element uniting people in communities based on common interests and purposes, not on geographical position. Later press supported internet spread. They introduced internet as power not controled by law, independent, judging pepole by their real value. They discribed internet as power holding democratic principles and equality. It is obvious that utopias are fairly similar. These utopias ephasized principles liberty and free access and helped these to Technologies to be spreaded in all planet.
ICTS IN THE PROFESSIONAL SPHERE
Information and communication Technologies had big impact on bussiness and economical spchere, too. These Technologies caused reorganisation of work and bisiness. This observation is obvios when we study history of telegraph. It facilitated the creation of huge enterprises and markets unification. Demand for complex coordination of this enterprises caused decentralisation and creation of functional coordination. Writing was not used only for communication with outside world, but for communication among internal parts of enterprises, too. Manager needed to standardize production process and bring systematization to business processes. Increase in the number of written document prepared ground for introduction of new tools like typewriter, calculator etc. New managerial literature put stress on propposing new methods and reccommending new Office machines. Impact of computers was not as radical as we could expect. They just reproduced old procedures and rigidified them. Computer were situated in computer rooms a processed punchcards with data from all departments of company. Later introduction of terminals brought computing closer to data producing services.
French sociology of labour observed important role of employees, who were grasping new tools and adopting them to their environment. These persons became experts, who mastered new technology and improved their productivity, too.
ICTS AND PRIVATE LIFE
When we want to study information and communication Technologies a their impact on private life, photography is very good object. Photography was not medium for public in the beginnings. When photographers started to set themselves up in frequented urban places, in studios where they were exhibiting photographies of all spheres of lifes, situation changed. Poeple had a lot of pictures and this medium became more public. Ordinary people were photographed od steretype poses. On the other side, pictures of important poeple were showing their private life. Many of photographies were produced, but introduction of album helped to solve this problem.
Same debate can be made about beginnings of cinema. Success of projector was based on tradition of collective shows. The idea was to show something strange but familiar, too. Lumiere focused on daily life. Cameramans were filming scenes during the day and projecting them in the evening. This was just introduction of cinema, but without massive success. Narrative stories in connection with industrial film production brought real success. Due to industrial produce, films could be distributed to all world. Watching films in cinema then became a habit.
On the opposite side of entertainment was piano which brought not public, but home entertinment. It was very popular in middle class. Songs for orchester were remade for piano play. Some musicia denounced this transformation, but it was kind of connection between public and private music entertainment. This facts prepared ground for huge music market.Another invention that supported home entertainment was phonograph. Same as photographies, records started to be collected. This kind of entertainment was very popular among poeple who could no go to cinema.
Between the two wars radio replaced phonographs. Reception becma family ritual. It was very common that father tuned radio and all family was listening quietly. These rituals had good affect on family life and became very popular.
In 1940 TV appeared on the scene. It cancelled line between private and public entertainment. Television was machine allowed people to be alone and together at the same time. It has also impact on home architecture. The large open living rooms and rooms opened to outside as articulation of public and private connection. Advertisment put the stress on scenes from world (nice cities, sport matches) that television could bring directly to homes. Later advertisements were base on connection between television and daily life. They were showing women in gown sitting and showing television or women that is preparing meal and watching television at the same time. Television completely replaced radio in collective family entertainment.
But radio didn’t disappeare from everyday life. Transistors radios and record players appeared. They became very popular especially among teenagers, who could have their own entertainment in their bedrooms, without supervising of adults. The similar effects appeared when mobile appeared. It brought more autonomy to young people. Young people were living in family cells, but “were elsewhere”. Microcomputers and internet connection did not spread as fast as radio or television. In most cases, only one member of family tends to computer (futher or first son). We could expect that microcomputers isolated theirs users from society, but it is not true. They were sharing their skills, software and playing games together. These computers and internet also allowed people to express their true face, but hidden behind nick name. Every man could express his different identities simultaneously in different windows.
