New publication: "Von der Informations- zur Wissensgesellschaft" (From information- to knowledge-based society) [16.04.2013]

The volume contains presentations from the annual conference 2011 of the CULTMEDIA network "Von der Informations- zur Wissensgesellschaft: Reloaded. e-Participation – e-Identity – e-Society" (From information- to knowledge-based society: reloaded. E-participation – e-identity – e-society) that took place at Prague in June 2011.

This theme goes back to the international conference "Von der Informations- zur Wissensgesellschaft. Demokratie – Partizipation – Technikfolgenbeurteilung" (From information- to knowledge-based society. Democracy – participation – technology assessment) that took place as well at Prague in 2001. At this conference with international and multidisciplinary participants, a problem has gained center stage that, at that time, constituted and still constitutes a first priority organizational task for all developed countries – the transition to knowledge-based society. This is so due to the interconnected diverse technical, social, political, economical, and ethical facets, implications, and challenges. Therefore, preferable and feasible visions ("futures of technology") in the field of information-based society have been developed. With these, the technical side of information-bases society have come lesser to the fore, rather the socio-cultural circumstances and the possibilities of future society-shaping was brought into focus. As the presentations of the conference have been published, the reflections of that time can now well be compared to the "technology of today" as well as to the present "futures of technology" (visions of technology).

For this reason, the theme of then was 'reloaded' for the annual conference of 2011 while the headwords were updated: 'e-participation – e-identity – e-society'. The fundamental idea of this conference also was to compare the "futures of technology" of then with the "technology of today" as well as with the present "technology futures": What has lasted, what is outdated, what was added? Who has, 15 years ago, described the technological basis for information and communication and its "social impacts" as a future of technology closely so manifold as it presents itself today? Within the five chapters "e-Society: An-Sichten" (e-society: views), "e-Society: Ein-Sichten" (e-society: insights), "e-Partizipation und e-Identität" (e-participation and e-identity), "'Zukünfte' in der Gegenwart" ('futures' in present time), and in "Mit Sicherheit in die e-Society" (moving safely and with security towards e-society), as well as in a "Beigabe" (supplement) the diversity of the subjects broached and represented by 27 presentations of this year’s conference becomes obvious. Apparently, these subjects had to be broached in order to present a multi-facetted picture. It becomes evident: The faster and insistently society breaks away from information society while moving towards knowledge-based society, the more important the role of reflecting scientists becomes as one of the fundamental instruments for the achievement of an adequate status for humans within society.

Bibliographic data:
Banse, G.; Hauser, R.; Machleidt, P.; Parodi, O. (eds.)
Von der Informations- zur Wissensgesellschaft. e-Society – e-Partizipation – e-Identität. Berlin: trafo 2013. ISBN 978-3-86464-029-2, 467 p.
(Network Cultural Diversity and New Media, Bd. 17)
Contents