Over the last decades, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have made tremendous progress. This implies huge impacts on our societies on a global scale. For instance, smart phones connect people all over the world and put more computing power into their pockets than the largest computers provided 20 years ago.
But applying new technologies does not necessarily lead to an improvement of Quality of Life (QoL). Faced with the fundamental, ubiquitous and global impact of digital technologies it is time to go beyond analytical post analyses of risks and benefits. Currently most information technology professionals and organizations develop technologies that are more usable and more useful in order to make people more efficient and more productive with an insufficient focus on the grand challenge: How does design address the fact that more efficiency and productivity does not necessarily increase the “quality of life†for all of us?
With support of the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany’s largest independent funder of basic research, based in Hannover, this symposium focuses on four main areas: Digitalization of work, Distinguished Future of Education, Future of mobility and Privacy in a networked world.
Researchers and Practitioners of various disciplines are invited to participate and contribute to this event by sharing and discussing their insights and experiences.
The symposium is held on
October 18th-20th 2017
at the Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover.
The conference language is in English.