Transcript Social analysis and collateral impact of pervasive technologies

Social analysis and
collateral impact of
pervasive technologies
CNIT - TN
Evaluation of the social impact of
pervasive technologies
 Conception of the personal sphere (privacy)
and use of Pervasive Technologies (PTs)
 Formation, diffusion and social reproduction of
norms and rules of conduct concerning PTs
 Implementation, adoption and use of pervasive
technologies (PTs) by private and public
institutions
Impact of PTs on
individual behavior
and privacy concerns
Impact of PTs on
individual and
group behavior
Institutional rules of
conduct concerning
the adoption and
use of PTs
Two main problems
Pervasive technologies can reduce social space
and divisions and induce individuals and groups to
manipulate personal boundaries of knowledge and
trust
 threats to privacy
When public and private institutions use such
technologies they put stress on boundaries that
have been culturally and historically established
 emphasis on control
 The introduction of PTs in daily life is seen as
the progressive reduction of the separation
between the controller and the controlled
between experts vs non experts.
 We know little, but that the rules concerning
their use are vague or culturally constrained and
that the user (controller or controlled) is often
unaware of the threats and the communication
processes associated.
First aim of our study
....is to know more about the impact of pervasive
technologies on individual users and specifically:
their
relational attitudes towards technology
adoption (privacy awareness);
the
rules of conduct that they use when
communicating with different types of subjects
(friends, family, acquaintances);
and users’ awareness about the release of
personal details (privacy trade-off).
Research design
In order to evaluate these aspects we need to
know how people conceive the relation between
pervasive technologies and individual freedom
and how much privacy concerns are socially
perceived (and expressed) in specific groups of
the population.
Two levels of analysis:
Individual users
Group users
Research design
Two different types of experiments (test A and test
B) will be developed on two types of users
Experts/ non experts
A questionnaire concerning impact and use of
communication technologies will be delivered to
all the subjects.
Research design
Experts
Group impact Questionnaire +
test A
Individual
impact
Questionnaire +
test B
Non experts
Questionnaire +
test A
Questionnaire +
test B
Test B (individual)

Goal: Identification of attitudes pro/versus
technologies in relation with protection of the
personal sphere.
 Stimulus: short stories and vignettes with
anticipated / non anticipated consequences of
privacy data disclosure.
 Main focus on: locus of control and levels of
personal responsibility (ego, close friends and
family, third part) and decision about the
disclosure of personal information
Two levels of analysis
 Individual users
 Group users
Two different types of experiments will be
developed on two types of users:
Experts/ non experts
A questionnaire concerning impact and use of
communication technologies will be delivered to
all the subjects.
Test A (group)

Goal: Evaluation of the impact of PTs on
identity management and personal information
exchange in closed communities (ex.class)
 Stimulus: communication of personal details
among friends and classmates.ù
 Main focus on: privacy as a property of the
individual/personal network of relations that
can be disclosed intentionally (ex. with friends,
partners, etc..) or violated by others (ex.
rumors in contagion and influence models).
Personal relations of Ego
EGO
Personal relations of Ego
 What about the use of PTs to maintain, and
develop the personal relations of Ego?
 Are there differences between the use of PTs
for personal contacts with family, friends,
acquaintances etc.
 Which rules of conduct are in use in
communication and privacy disclosure with
different type of subjects?
Second aim of our study
 The implementation of PTs in daily living is
strictly linked with economic chances and
reproduces differentiation processes (culture,
behaviour, opinions) inside social groups and in
society.
 In reality the type of privacy associated with
such technologies is institutionally mediated; so
the old juxtaposition between experts and non
experts is still underlying.
 Threat of social surveillance
Second aim of our study
We are interested in the emergence and
establishment of a specific domain of knowledge
concerning the use of PTs in daily living and
communication.
The case study considered concerns the impact of
PTs and specifically monitoring technologies in the
home and domestic spaces (smart house,
hospices, intelligent building). The study is based
on literature and survey data.
Dissemination
 Paper on social impact of technology on
privacy concerns - Session at ACSISINTER conference (Sweden)
 Conference on Technology and Society