Today I have the great opportunity to attend at a research seminar entitled “The Hacker Ethic: The New Culture after the Current Global Economic Crisis” led by Prof. Pekka Himanen, who is currently a Visiting Professor at Internet Interdisciplinary Institute.

After a very inspiring presentation, Prof. Himanen has encouraged us to keep the discussion online following an open hacker ethic. So here goes my thoughts about his presentation and his challenges:

1. I wonder how and to what extend the results of the analysis carried out in collaboration Rita Espanha and Gustavo Cardoso about the Internet users within the World Internet Project could help to identify those users who can easily face the three challenges mentioned by Prof. Himanen, another 3C formula: (Clean = enviromental crisis) + (Care = welfare state 2.0) + (Culture = multicultural life) and also could clearly identify those who will be excluded or disconected.
2. I wonder how and to what extend the Catalan BioRegion could be considered as part of what Prof. Himanen has called “Innovation center dynamics” due to Prof. Himanen 3C formula:  “culture of creativity” + “community of enrichment” + “creative people”.

I’m excited about the online discussion and Friday meeting.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to attend the defence of Ismael Peña‘ thesis Measuring digital development for policy-making: models, stages, characteristics and causes, “which deals about the digital economy and whether governments should help in its development for it might have a positive impact on the real economy and on the society at large”.

Dissertation supervisor: Tim Kelly

Composition of the committee:

President: Tim Unwin (University of London)
Secretary: Joan Torrent Sellens (UOC)
Members: Robin Mansell (London School of Economics)
Bruno Lanvin (INSEAD)
Laura Sartori (Università di Bologna)

Substitutes:
Gustavo Cardoso (Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa)
Rosa Borge Bravo (UOC)

CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Peña-López. I’m proud to work with you in the same research group I2TIC.

I would like to disseminate a paper entitled Knowledge, networks and economic activity: an analysis of the effects of the network on the knowledge-based economy written by Joan Torrent, director of ICTs Interdisciplinary Research Group (i2TIC), brand new research group I belong to.

This paper contextualises the disruptive change of the transition to a knowledge-based economy and discusses the social sciences postulations with regards to this phenomenon. Once the general context is explained, the article focuses on the microeconomic foundations, understanding knowledge as an input and as a commodity. Finally, after discussing the microeconomics of knowledge, the paper tackles network externalities and their  impact on economic functions and market structure.

Abstract

The progressive consolidation of a knowledge-based economy has caused network effects to become a focal point of analysis into the changes in behaviour evinced by economic agents. This article analyses the changes in production and demand for knowledge commodities arising from network externalities. The analysis reveals two distinct patterns of behaviour in knowledge-based economic activity. Observable knowledge commodities are governed by the effect of direct and indirect network externalities. Also, their demand curve and business strategy depend on new-user entry (marginal value) and the relative size of the network. However, tacit knowledge commodities are governed by learning network externalities and their demand curve and business strategies are dependent on the value generated by the addition of the goods themselves to the network (intrinsic value).

This paper could help towards a better understanding of  health care systems within the network society.

On Wednesday 8th I’m presenting Health and the Internet: Autonomy of the User in the World Internet Project Macao 2009. I have finished the presentation and I would like to share a graphic that clearly represents the difference between Access, Use and Assessment of ICT used by Catalonia citizens (based on a representative survey of Catalonia population).

Following Dr. Shock comment, age characterization of these citizens suggests that those who are younger and probably in a better health status are also more Networed oriented and those who are older and probably in a worse bad status are Excluded or Disconnected. It looks like sometimes the promises of eHealth and eGovernment forget that Inverse Care Law still matters in the Digital Era. Are online service for-profit and also non-profit providers taking care of these situations?

On 23rd June I had the pleasure to present some of the results of our research in the Brown Bag Seminar Series at Science and Technology Studies Unit (SATSU) in the Department of Sociology at University of York where I’m as a visiting researcher.

I have to thanks all the people who were there for their questions and comments. Special thanks to Michael Hardey who helps me to improve the statistics labels. Now we have to keep working on some papers using these analysis.

From “Disconnected Citizen to “Networked Citizen”

From “Utilized ICT physicians” to “Integrated ICT Physicians”

Of course, any comment or suggestion will be very welcomed indeed

On 23rd January 2009 I defended my PhD thesis “Internet, health and society. Analysis of the uses of internet related to health in Catalonia” supervised by the IN3’s Director and UOC Research Professor Manuel Castells. I’m translating my slide presentation, it takes time because It has many figures, just take a look at the Spanish version, and my talk to English but I would like to share the Spanish version of my presentation and the main structure in English.

Objectives:

• Identify and characterize the presence of the actors of the Catalonian healthcare system in the Internet
• Identify, characterize and explain the determinants of the use and social practices that the principal actors of the healthcare system carry out through ICT, specifically that of the Internet

Research questions

• What type of quality information and applications related with Health are offered on the Internet?
• How can the presence of the healthcare system’s actors on the Internet be characterized?
• Which are the main barriers and incentives of patient support groups for Internet use?
• What are the ICT uses of the citizens with regard to health and how can they be characterized?
• What are the consequences of citizen ICT use, specifically that of the  Internet, regarding the management of their health and the relationship with their healthcare professionals?
• What are the determinants (technological and non-technological) of the demand of healthcare services by citizens via the Internet?
• What are the uses of ICT, especially the Internet, by healthcare professionals  and how can they be characterized?
• What are the determinants (technological and non-technological) of the uses of the Internet by health care professionals (Physicians, Nurses and Pharmacist)?

General Hypothesis:

• The interaction between social structure, the increase of information flow and ICT causes a transformation in social practices and in the behaviour of the actors of the  healthcare system

Sub Hyphotesis

• The Internet is basically an information space on Health and not an interaction space between the actors of the healthcare system; therefore health webs are characterized by the offer of information resources, by the lack of applications related with communication or services and by levels of quality associated with the actor who provides the resource

• The interrelation between access, use and assessment of ICT, healthcare services demand and the capacity of the individuals to take decisions over their own health or those closest to them determines the use of the Internet to access to the health system, a new patient profile called the e-patient

• The interrelation between the intensive use of ICT, specially the Internet, the positive assessment by healthcare professionals of these technologies in relation with their work activities and their patients, the intensive use of the information and professional work oriented towards research determines a new professional profile called the  Networked healthcare professional.

Methodology

This thesis has verified that:

• The Internet constitutes an information space on health and not an interaction space between the various actors in the healthcare system; consequently, health webs are characterized by the offer of resources related with information, the lack of applications related with communication and services, and certain levels of quality associated with the actor that offers the resource.
• The interaction between access, use and evaluation of ICT; the demand of healthcare services and the capacity of the individuals to take decisions over their own health and those closest to them, determines the use of the Internet to have access to the healthcare system, i.e. determining a new profile of patient that we have called the e-patient.
• The interrelation of the intensive use of ICT, especially that of the Internet; the positive assessment of these technologies in relation with their work and their patients; the intensive use of information, and a professional activity oriented towards research determines a new professional profile which we call the networked healthcare professional (networked physician, networked nurse, networked pharmacist)

Future lines of research

• Analysis of the determinants of the processes of innovation of the healthcare systems in relation to ICT
• Analysis of the determinants of the state of health in the context of the Network Society
• Analysis of public policies in the context of the Network Society
• Analysis of the technological dynamics and interactions, economic and social of biomedical research in the context of the Network Society

Spanish presentation

You can check all the references here or on my personal reference manager. Ismael Peña and Oriol Miralbell have blogging and comment the event. Finally, this thesis is just the beginig of a research career. If you have found any interesting point or something to disscuss or compare, let’s share. As Liverpool supporters You’ll Never Walk Alone.

This post will be for sure my longest post ever. I would like to share my thesis’s references. You could also find them at my personal references manager. Enjoy them!

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Little by little Web 2.0 movement is being approached by theory and empirical data. As an example of empirical data approachs, OECD has launched Participative Web and User-Created Content. Web 2.0, wikis and social networking

The concept of the “participative web” is based on an Internet increasingly influenced by intelligent web services that empower users to contribute to developing, rating, collaborating and distributing Internet content and customising Internet applications. As the Internet is more embedded in people’s lives users draw on new Internet applications to express themselves through “user-created content” (UCC).

This study describes the rapid growth of UCC, its increasing role in worldwide communication and draws out implications for policy. Questions addressed include: What is user-created content? What are its key drivers, its scope and different forms? What are new value chains and business models? What are the extent and form of social, cultural and economic opportunities and impacts? What are associated challenges? Is there a government role and what form could it take?

These kind of initiatives help us to a better understanding of Web 2.0 phenomenon and to analyse in what way and in what measure the ICT’s, especially the Internet, are appropriated by the current social structure, the Network Society.

On 17-18 June 2008 in Seoul holds OECD Ministerial Meeting: The Future of the Internet Economy

The Internet is a key infrastructure for global economic growth and social development. Three major trends – Convergence, Creativity and Confidence – are influencing the policy environment for the Internet Economy. Each of these trends reflects significant shifts in the use and functionality of the Internet. Collectively, they represent a major transition in the evolution of the Internet and the economic system that has developed around it. Therefore, it has become increasingly necessary that policies supporting the Internet Economy be carefully crafted and co-ordinated across policy domains, borders and multiple stakeholder communities.

Ministers and stakeholders meeting on 17-18 June 2008 in Seoul will consider social, economic and technological trends shaping the development of the Internet Economy. They will forge broad principles that can provide an enabling policy environment for the Internet Economy.

As background for the Ministerial meeting analytical reports are being released:

A Policy Brief on the Future of the Internet Economy: Major changes are affecting the scope and scale of the Internet. As a result, the Internet is increasingly high on the policy agenda in many OECD and non-OECD countries. This Policy Brief reviews likely future developments in the Internet economy and how policy-makers can help the Internet to adapt to evolving requirements caused by convergence, continue to drive innovation, and be trustworthy.

Convergence and Next Generation Networks: OECD has just issued a new report on convergence and next generation networks and their potential impact on policies and regulations. The report addresses issues of competition in the new fibre environment, convergence of video, voice and data services, the rapid growth of new technologies, such as HDTV and mobile television, and the related demand for spectrum, as well as new possible “divides” between urban and rural areas created by the uneven development of high-speed fibre networks.

Consumer empowerment in communication services: Improving the ability of consumers to choose between competing suppliers is important for well functioning markets. The report examines how to increase market flexibility for consumers in communication services, and improve access to information.

Development of Policies for Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures: Some information systems are critical because their disruption or destruction would have a serious impact on the economic well-being of citizens or the effective functioning of government or the economy. Based on two studies conducted in 2006 and 2007, this OECD report analyses security policies to protect critical information infrastructures in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Malicious Software (Malware): A Security Threat to the Internet Economy: Malware has evolved from occasional “exploits” to a multi-million dollar criminal industry. This report informs policy makers about the evolution and impact of malware, as well as the counter-measures being taken. It concludes with suggestions for greater co-operation across the various international communities addressing malware.

Broadband and the Economy: Broadband and networked ICTs are diffusing rapidly, but there are significant differences in use among countries, sectors and firms, and their impacts are only beginning to be felt. Broadband and networked ICTs are important in meeting health, demographic and environmental challenges, and policy plays an important role in expanding their use and enhancing their impact.