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 Digital Quality of Life: Understanding the Personal and Social Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution.
In the new global economy, information technology (IT) is the major driver of both economic growth and improved quality of life. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) in its 2007 report Digital Prosperity: Understanding the Economic Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution documented how IT, since the mid-1990s, has been the principal driver of increased economic growth not only in the United States but also in many other nations.
In the present report, we show that IT is also at the core of dramatic improvements in the quality of life for individuals around the world: IT is the key enabler of many, if not most, of today’s key innovations and improvements in our lives and society—from better education and health care, to a cleaner and more energy efficient environment, to safer and more secure communities and nations.
In the 1960s, if someone were asked to name the technology at the forefront of improving society and quality of life, she might have responded, as Mr. McGuire did in the movie The Graduate, “plastics.” And indeed, in the old economy, breakthroughs in materials technologies such as plastics let organizations more easily manipulate “atoms” to create products that dramatically improved the quality of life for billions of people around the globe. Plastics gave us more durable and easy-to-use materials. Cars and appliances depended on low-cost steel. Aluminum enabled jet aviation. Breakthroughs in chemistry provided us with better drugs, household products, clothing, and a host of other improvements.
In short, the “materials revolution” drove both economic growth and dramatic improvements in the quality of our lives. ...
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Table of Contents
Part I – The Digital Information Revolution
Chapter 1: Why is the Digital Information Revolution So Powerful? . 1
by Robert D. Atkinson
Chapter 2: Why is the Information Revolution Happening Now?. 7
by Robert D. Atkinson
Chapter 3: Public Policy Principles for Driving Digital Quality of Life . 11
by Robert D. Atkinson and Daniel D. Castro
1. Look to Digital Progress as the Key Driver of Improved Quality of Life
2. Invest in Digital Progress
3. Ensure Affordable and Widespread Digital Infrastructure
4. Encourage Widespread Digital Literacy and Digital Technology Adoption
5. Do Not Let Concerns About Potential or Hypothetical Harms Derail or Slow Digital Progress
6. Do Not Just Digitize Existing Problems; Use IT to Find New Solutions to Old Problems
7. Create Reusable Digital Content and Applications
8. Collaborate and Partner with the Private and Non-Profit Sectors
9. Lead by Example
10. Nudge Digital
Part II – Improving the Lives of Individuals
Chapter 4: Education and Training. 15
by Daniel K. Correa
• Improving Learning Outcomes and Serving Multiple Learning Styles
• Expanding Access to Education
• The Effectiveness of IT in Schools
Chapter 5: Health Care . 25
by Daniel D. Castro
• Reducing Health Care Costs
• Increasing Access to Health Information
• Improving Quality of Care
• Increasing Access to Health Care
Chapter 6: Personal Safety. 41
by Geoff Daily
• Securing Homes from Crime and Other Hazards
• Reducing Auto Theft
• Protecting Individuals in Their Homes and Elsewhere
• Avoiding Loss
• Making Vehicles Safer
• Preventing Accidents
• Responding to Emergencies
Chapter 7: Accessibility for People with Disabilities . 49
by Daniel D. Castro
• Assistive Technology
• Adaptive Technology
• Accessible Technology
• Moving Forward with Accessibility
Chapter 8: Recreation and Entertainment . 55
by Geoff Daily
• Improving the Quality of Entertainment
• Offering More Entertainment Choices
• Allowing More Control of the Media Experience
• Enabling Consumers to Participate in Creating Media
Chapter 9: Access to Information . 65
by Geoff Daily
• Growth of Information Online
• The Power of People to Expand Information Availability and Access
• Finding Information Expeditiously
• Accessing Information from Anywhere
Part III – Improving Our World
Chapter 10: Environment . 73
by Daniel K. Correa
• Creating a Cleaner World: Pollution and Waste Mitigation
• Preserving Biodiversity: Resource Conservation and Saving Endangered Species
Chapter 11: Energy . 85
by Daniel K. Correa.
• Substituting Energy-Efficient Digital Connections for Physical Travel
• Enabling More Energy-Efficient Practices and Processes
• Rewriting the Rules of Electricity Production, Distribution, and Consumption
• Reducing Energy Use in the IT Infrastructure Itself
• Conclusion: IT’s Net Impact in the Energy Realm
Chapter 12: Transportation. 103
by Jonathan L. Gifford
• Improving Access to Transportation-Related Information
• Improving Transportation Safety
• Improving Transportation System Monitoring and Management
Chapter 13: Public Safety. 113
by Daniel D. Castro and Julie A. Hedlund
• Keeping the Nation Safe
• Preventing and Detecting Crime
• Responding to Crime
• Facilitating Emergency Communications
• Coping with Accidents and Natural Disasters
Chapter 14: Government. 137
by Daniel D. Castro
• Making Government More Efficient
• Improving Government Services
• Facilitating Citizens’ Access to Information
• Promoting Government Transparency and Accountability
Chapter 15: Communities . 147
by Robert D. Atkinson and Daniel D. Castro
• Expanding Choices and Opportunities for Communities
• Strengthening Personal Relationships
• Fostering Social Ties and Civic Engagement
• Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility
Chapter 16: Developing Countries. 159
by Scott M. Andes and Julie A. Hedlund
• Creating Better Markets and Economic Opportunities
• Expanding Access to Capital
• Making Government More Transparent
• Increasing Educational Opportunities
• Improving Health Care
• Looking Forward
Part IV – Challenges Moving Forward
Chapter 17: Challenges Moving Forward. 171
by Robert D. Atkinson and Daniel D. Castro
• Privacy
• Information Security
• Information Overload
• Antisocial Behavior
• The Digital Divide
• Cybertribalism
• E-Waste
• Conclusion
About the Authors
Dr. Robert D. Atkinson is President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Daniel D. Castro is a Senior Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Scott M. Andes is a Research Assistant at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Daniel K. Correa is a former Research Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Geoff Daily is the editor of App-Rising.com.
Jonathan L. Gifford is a professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University.
Julie A. Hedlund is a former Senior Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
About the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
ITIF is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy think tank committed to articulating and advancing a pro-productivity, pro-innovation and pro-technology public policy agenda internationally, in Washington DC and the states. Recognizing the vital role of technology in ensuring American prosperity, ITIF focuses on innovation, productivity, and digital economy issues.
Technological innovation, particularly in information technology, is at the heart of America’s growing economic prosperity. Crafting effective policies that boost innovation and encourage the widespread “digitization” of the economy is critical to ensuring robust economic growth and a higher standard of living. However, as in any new and changing situation, policymakers have varied awareness of what is needed and what will work.
In some cases legislators have responded to new and complex technology policy issues with solutions more suited for the old economy. And as the innovation economy has become increasingly important, opposition to it from special interests has grown. Finally, the excitement that the press, pundits and decision makers showed toward the information technology (IT) revolution in the 1990s has all too often been replaced with an attitude of “IT doesn’t matter.” It is time to set the record straight—IT is still the key driver of productivity and innovation.
As a result, the mission of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation is to help policymakers at the federal and state levels to better understand the nature of the new innovation economy and the types of public policies needed to drive innovation, productivity and broad-based prosperity for all Americans.
ITIF publishes policy reports, holds forums and policy debates, advises elected officials and their staff, and is an active resource for the media. It develops new and creative policy proposals to advance innovation, analyzes existing policy issues through the lens of advancing innovation and productivity, and opposes policies that hinder digital transformation and innovation.
To find out more about the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, please contact us at 1250 I Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005.
E-mail: mail@itif.org. Phone: (202) 449-1351.
Web: www.innovationpolicy.org
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