future

Inside the Digital Society: What’s happened since the World Summit on the Information Society?
Inside the Digital Society: What’s happened since the World Summit on the Information Society? 16 November 2022 David Souter

Our columnist reflects on what has happened since the first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), how we might review the past and look forward in hope and trepidation at the future as we approach its 20-year review in 2025.

Inside the Digital Society: Assumptions on the internet and (geo)politics
Inside the Digital Society: Assumptions on the internet and (geo)politics 21 September 2021 David Souter

I’ve spent some time reflecting on the way we’ve thought about the internet and digitalisation over three decades, and how we may need to think differently in future. What assumptions have we made; and what assumptions should we make, about its relationship with politics and geopolitics?

Inside the Digital Society: How do we measure the impact of the internet?
Inside the Digital Society: How do we measure the impact of the internet? 01 June 2021 David Souter

Rather than talking about what the internet ‘can’ do, we can reflect on what it has done and use evidence to anticipate the future and adapt our policies. But doing so requires more sophisticated and holistic ways of measuring its impact.

Inside the Digital Society: The trajectory of the internet - past, present, future
Inside the Digital Society: The trajectory of the internet - past, present, future 25 May 2021 David Souter

Last week I wrote about how we define the internet. This week, some thoughts about its history and its trajectory. The internet has been around now long enough for its history to be written.

Inside the Digital Society: Digital and human ways of thinking
Inside the Digital Society: Digital and human ways of thinking 15 March 2021 David Souter

What can AI do that humans can’t? What can humans do that AI can’t?

Inside the Digital Society: Building (digital) back better?
Inside the Digital Society: Building (digital) back better? 16 December 2020 David Souter

The last blog post of the year. Last week I reflected on the (digital) year gone by; this week some thoughts – and hopes – for the (digital) year to come.

Imagining futures: Eliane Brum on the need to fight government-driven genocide of Brazil's indigenous people
Imagining futures: Eliane Brum on the need to fight government-driven genocide of Brazil's indigenous people 09 July 2020 APCNews

As part of the WOW Global 24 Festival, award-winning Brazilian journalist Eliane Brum gave a powerful account on the current situation in Brazil and what she describes as a "government-driven genocide of Brazil's indigenous people."

Inside the Digital Society: What have we learnt about a digital society from lockdown?
Inside the Digital Society: What have we learnt about a digital society from lockdown? 29 June 2020 David Souter

Yes, we’ve been able to substitute digital ways of doing things for the ways we’ve previously done them across much of our lives – or, at least, some of us have. But it’s proved more partial and less universal than some expected, which poses questions for the future.

Inside the Digital Society: The climate for digital development
Inside the Digital Society: The climate for digital development 04 February 2020 David Souter

Predicting the future’s hard but there are two global trends that seem fairly certain. Digitalisation and climate change are likely to shape our future more than anything else that we can see at present. How are they linked? Or, to put it another way, why aren’t they linked more?

Inside the Digital Society: A world without work?
Inside the Digital Society: A world without work? 27 January 2020 David Souter

This week, I’ll comment on a new view of long-term employment and unemployment in the digital age, from Oxford economist Daniel Susskind. A World Without Work, he calls it. I’ll agree with his core arguments but challenge the optimism of his conclusion.

« Go back