Accessibility and Societal Issues in the Information Age

Abstract

The preeminence of information as the foundation for the economies of most countries is often attributed to the technical possibilities available through computers and telecommunications. The information age is often presented as a product of the marriage of technologies and the triumph of advances in electronics and engineering. Increasingly apparent, however, is the need to incorporate social elements into our understanding of information technologies and the information age. By addressing the social context for these new technologies, discussion moves from the realm of what is technically feasible, to issues of access, equity, community, and identity. The theme of Part III is how to revisit the well developed theoretical foundation established for accessibility in transportation research, and to advance this foundation to understand the social impact of electronic media, such as computers, the Internet, and Geographic Information Systems.