MANIFEST
The collective experience of the Vit@l Society partnership shows that the social use of ICT brings major benefits to individuals and communities. This manifest sets out Vit@l Society's recommendations for wider development of this approach to ICT.
Social Use of ICT
The use of ICT is moving into a new phase, beyond uses which are essentially individual and functional, into a new era of 'social use'. The social use of ICT no longer views the individual person as the 'sole focus but puts them and their community at the centre, empowering them to participate, communicate and co-operate in personal and social networks. We believe that the social use of ICT will play an increasing role in overcoming barriers to social inclusion and creating dynamic and competitive economies. The social use of ICT will be at the heart of a vital society.
The social use of ICT requires three main components:
1 Infrastructure - Universal access to computers and the internet (always on, everywhere, for everybody), plus applications and services which support communication and co-operation;
2 Skills - All individuals need the skills to use ICT effectively and the knowledge of how ICT can be used to organise and manage their daily lives;
3 Stimulation - Active stimulation when needed to encourage individuals and communities to develop new partnerships, networks and social exchanges.
Recommendations
We propose that the EU and national, regional and local governments should target policy and resources to actively develop the social use of ICT. Our recommendations for developing the social use of ICT are:
Awareness
1 We recommend a shift in perspective that centres on the use of ICT by citizens (a citizens perspective). This shift recognises that ICT has wider application than commerce and access to mainstream government services (an institutional perspective).
2 We recommend measuring and monitoring not only access to computers and the internet but also the qualitatiy of the use and the skills of citizens.
Skills
1 We recommend that ICT training should aim to develop not only functional, but also strategic skills that allow citizens to use ICT as a means to improve their quality of life.
2 We recommend more innovative approaches to ICT training with more extensive outreach to digitally excluded groups and special programmes that connect to the ambitions of the participants.
3 We recommend improving awareness and skills on the social use of ICT among professionals.
Services
We recommend monitoring the availability and quality of e-services (access, diversity, transparency, safety, content) from a citizens' perspective, and to stimulate attention to the way they are usedby citizens.
Funding
1 Because the social use of ICT involves a range of disciplines across the public and private sectors, funding and control can be challenging. We recommend that the multidisciplinary character of the social use of ICT to be recognised and addressed through special funding streams.
2 The EU and national governments should establish special agencies or programmes to stimulate, fund and support initiatives on the social use of ICT by citizens.
Pilot projects
1 We recommend that funding be made available for a range of pilot projects to demonstrate the value of the social use of ICT. These projects should be supported to create models which can be replicated throughout the EU.
2 To create replicable models such pilot projects should enable research and stimulate the development of methodologies.
3 Special attention should be paid to up-scaling experiences from small to larger scale implementations.
This manifesto is subscribed by the Baltic IT&T and the Nordic Council and was written by Vit@l Society 200. We (the Likta (Lativia), The {Peabody Trust (England) and My Portfolio on;ine (The Netherlands) invite everyone to copy and spread the manifesto, mentioning this orgin.
