Topic: Unexpected Societal Impacts of Globalizing Communication Technologies

For our January meeting, we will use a Level 3 (Allenby and Sarewitz) lens—where the contingencies and complexities of technological and human systems preclude prescience—to examine a 2015 snapshot of life with globalized communication technologies.  What have the unexpected benefits and drawbacks been?  How profoundly has society changed in ways attributable to the uses and misuses of these technologies?  Does what we have learned so far inform present and future stewardship?  In 2005, 2006, and 2007, Thomas L. Friedman published versions of The World is Flat:  A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century; it will provide us with a reference point for our discussion.

If you are interested in learning more about the Nano Impacts community, contact Dr. Kathleen Eggleson at keggleso@nd.edu