A Systemic Evaluation of Obstacles Preventing the Wider Public Benefiting from and Participating in the Broadband Society

Authors

  • Yiannis Laouris Cyprus Neuroscience & Technology Institute
  • Marios Michaelides Cyprus Intercultural Training Initiative
  • Bartolomeo Sapio Fondazione Ugo Bordoni

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS222008199

Keywords:

Broadband, interactive management, structured design process, dialogue, social system design, agora, stakeholders, society

Abstract

In the context of a regular COST 298 management meeting, the authors have organized a structured democratic dialogue co-laboratory to study the obstacles, which the Cost298 community faces in their effort to engage the wider public in the wideband society. Through a process known as Structured Design Process (SDP), the experts of the COST 298 network collected and structured all their ideas concerning obstacles to achieving this goal. The process was initiated asynchronously before the co-laboratory by sending to all participants the following triggering question by email: “What are the obstacles to the wider public benefiting from and participating in the broadband society?” They were requested to contribute one or more ideas expressed as single sentences, but with the option of providing separate clarifications. During the co-laboratory all ideas were presented again and participants were guided through a structured process to cluster and prioritize their ideas. Subsequently, with the help of special software (CogniscopeTM), the relative influence of one idea on another was systematically studied. This process resulted in a root cause influence map, which provides a clear picture of which obstacles need to be tackled first. Two ideas emerged as root causes: the inadequate public promotion of its importance and the lack of user friendliness.

Author Biography

Bartolomeo Sapio, Fondazione Ugo Bordoni

Doctor Laurea Degree in Electronic Engineering summa cum laude at the University of Rome "La Sapienza", he is a researcher with Fondazione Ugo Bordoni. He has carried out methodological research in the field of scenario analysis, developing the original methods WISE, SEARCH and GIMMICKS, and applying them to multimedia, broadband networks, the Internet, mobile services and the convergence between fixed and mobile networks. He designed and implemented SIMULAB (Scenario-engineering Interactive Multimedia LABoratory), an advanced work environment to carry out research activities in the field of Scenario Engineering. He is responsible of IBIS (International Benchmarking of the Information Society), a new benchmarking system to monitor the ICT world in the main European countries, in accordance to the e-Europe plans. He has participated in several International projects. He is currently Chairman of COST (COoperation in the field of Scientific and Technical research) Action 298 "Participation in the Broadband Society". He is also in the Management Committee of COST Action A22 "Foresight methodologies - Exploring new ways to explore the future", where he is Chairman of the Working Group "Integrating Narratives and Numbers".

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Published

2008-05-26

How to Cite

Laouris, Y., Michaelides, M., & Sapio, B. (2008). A Systemic Evaluation of Obstacles Preventing the Wider Public Benefiting from and Participating in the Broadband Society. Observatorio (OBS*), 2(2). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS222008199

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2008)

Section

Articles

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