"Challenge - The situation of being faced with something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person's ability” - Cambridge Dictionary
The tittle “Challenges of the global information society” serves the text more than well. It tells the reader already what subject the text is going to handle. It's written by Pekka Himanen in 2004. The text was prepared for the Finnish Parliment's Committee for the Future and it discusses about the current status, future issues and development opportunities of Finnish information society in 2004. The original report, on which Himanen's report is based was focused on the challenges related to the reform of the “Finnish model”, which is a combination of the welfare society and the information society. The review is written in 2004 and at the beginning of the text it’s said that most of the predicted to happen before and/or the year 2010. The text includes multiple sections, graphical maps, charts and detailed lists.
Pekka Himanen, author (himanen.png)
It was highlighted that there is a clear difference between the terms information society and information network and also internet program. First in the information society they try to focus on improving technology and also focusing how to operate them in different ways. At first the global trends of 2004 was introduced, for example “increased international tax competition”,“the rise of bio-industries” and “the new global division of labour”.
Now in 2021, when thinking about those three trends mentioned before, they have actually became true. The tax competition has increased all over the world, bio-industries and bio-culture has become a massive part of our life - everyday we try to separate our garbages and buy more eco-friendly clothes and other items. Last but not least the labour have indeed transferred more and more to cheaper countries like China and India. Companies benefit this a lot, when they don’t have to pay for the production as much as they would pay in their countries. Of course it affects to the quality of their products and the working circumstances for the cheap workers are not the best even still in 2021.
In short, the idea of the information society can be defined as a creative society that is based on interaction. What is most important to the information society is not new technology but a new way of doing things. After describing the global trends is told the possible future development scenarios for them, main differences and how the leading areas are responding to these challenges in their own way.
According to the text there is three dynamic models in terms of technology and economy, those are the Silicon Valley model, the Singapore model and the Finnish model. All these models have their good sides but also they have several issues with them too, for example the Silicon Valley model is full of opportunities but if you don’t have enough money then you are in trouble. In tax based Singapore model the whole company is moved out of the original city because of the taxes, for example to China and by that it leaves a huge blank spot to the economy. The other problems mentioned in the Singapore model is lack of freedom, which is mostly controlled by the government. In the Finnish model the main risk is the envy of society.
Then the text describes also well the values of reforming the general European model. The basis for the continued combination of the welfare and the information society are explained briefly in the text and told their impact to welfare and information society. Those possible basis values are care, confidence, communality, encouragement, freedom, creativity, courage, visionaries, balance and meaningfulness. There is described well in each section how different elements affect to the general atmosphere, like the restrictions on freedom and creativity create an atmosphere of control. After the brief descriptions of the basic values in different sections, there is presented simple pyramid scheme of these values from the psychological perspective. This pyramid shows that we can affect to our choices and quality of life.
The next chapter tells about the key concepts of social development, which are a creative economy, a creative welfare society, humanly meaningful development and global culture. The main purpose of these key elements are described in their own sections and what kind of actions should be taken to consideration to respond the global trends.
It includes great and detailed graphs which helps the reader to understand more the key elements of the text and gives a possibility to go in depth with the subject.
Now in 2021, when thinking about those three trends mentioned before, they have actually became true. The tax competition has increased all over the world, bio-industries and bio-culture has become a massive part of our life - everyday we try to separate our garbages and buy more eco-friendly clothes and other items. Last but not least the labour have indeed transferred more and more to cheaper countries like China and India. Companies benefit this a lot, when they don’t have to pay for the production as much as they would pay in their countries. Of course it affects to the quality of their products and the working circumstances for the cheap workers are not the best even still in 2021.
In short, the idea of the information society can be defined as a creative society that is based on interaction. What is most important to the information society is not new technology but a new way of doing things. After describing the global trends is told the possible future development scenarios for them, main differences and how the leading areas are responding to these challenges in their own way.
According to the text there is three dynamic models in terms of technology and economy, those are the Silicon Valley model, the Singapore model and the Finnish model. All these models have their good sides but also they have several issues with them too, for example the Silicon Valley model is full of opportunities but if you don’t have enough money then you are in trouble. In tax based Singapore model the whole company is moved out of the original city because of the taxes, for example to China and by that it leaves a huge blank spot to the economy. The other problems mentioned in the Singapore model is lack of freedom, which is mostly controlled by the government. In the Finnish model the main risk is the envy of society.
Then the text describes also well the values of reforming the general European model. The basis for the continued combination of the welfare and the information society are explained briefly in the text and told their impact to welfare and information society. Those possible basis values are care, confidence, communality, encouragement, freedom, creativity, courage, visionaries, balance and meaningfulness. There is described well in each section how different elements affect to the general atmosphere, like the restrictions on freedom and creativity create an atmosphere of control. After the brief descriptions of the basic values in different sections, there is presented simple pyramid scheme of these values from the psychological perspective. This pyramid shows that we can affect to our choices and quality of life.
The next chapter tells about the key concepts of social development, which are a creative economy, a creative welfare society, humanly meaningful development and global culture. The main purpose of these key elements are described in their own sections and what kind of actions should be taken to consideration to respond the global trends.
It includes great and detailed graphs which helps the reader to understand more the key elements of the text and gives a possibility to go in depth with the subject.
”Interaction between IT, culture and welfare will also generate completely new opportunities.”
”If people feel that work is nothing but a miserable duty and that the main point is to fulfill orders, they do not feel a creative pas- sion towards their work, and yet this passion would make it possible for the company to continually improve its operations and stay ahead of the competition.”
The review shows well how everything is connected to everything and lack of something affects always somehow, either negatively or positively to other elements. To maintain the state of welfare society, there is need of new ways of promoting it as socially, mentally, physically and culturally balanced development.
Furthermore the review discusses about social balance, mental balance, physical balance and cultural balance - their purposes, consequences of lack of them and possible development ways.
Furthermore the review discusses about social balance, mental balance, physical balance and cultural balance - their purposes, consequences of lack of them and possible development ways.
”Having more exercise would have a considerable positive effect not only on the health of those who exercise, but also on society’s welfare expenses as a whole. ”
”The maintenance of our creative culture also requires such a more open-minded culture. ”
Next Himanen writes about the importance of culture and immigration. The importance to stay open for everyone, having no prejudges and maintain good international relationships. He reminds that everyone should have given a possibility to live where they want to live and feel like home without any harassment. People should focus more into caring and sustainable development.
Last paragraph discusses about reciprocity and justice. The main purposes of these are caring and sustainable the development. It was mentioned in the text that people should pay more attention to consider globalization to be a reciprocal process from which they could benefit but for which they must give something in turn too.
In the end there is an text written by Dr Paula Tiihonen and it’s about the committee for the future. What it is and how they operate. The committee is one of the Parliament of Finland’s 15 standing committees and it had 17 members in 2004. They analyse Finland's future, and the environment which will determine that future, from a broad perspective, in a longer-term time frame. The committee has a long and colorful history behind it and they have several different tasks to do, for example to make statements to other parliamentary committees as required on future-related issues and to undertake analyses pertaining to future-related research and IT methodology
The review gives a wide and detailed descriptions of the situation in 2004 and well-explained future vision, what would probably come true and also what should be done to achieve them. It discusses about several aspects of the current situation of 2004 and the possibilities that there can be achieved in the future if everything is planned and organized properly.
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170221105053/https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/tietoaeduskunnasta/julkaisut/Documents/tuvje_1+2004.pdf
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/challenge
