Introduction
The internet is a tool and platform for communication, socialization, commerce and activism that has developed in a phenomenally short time to become an important part of everyday activity both in NZ and around the world. The internet both reinforces and challenges accepted practices and assumptions; it is always shifting and changing, often ahead of legal and social change. The internet allows people to do old things in new ways as well as opening up entirely new experiences. It takes existing technologies IT and telephony and combines them in ways that can be used in a vast and ever-growing number of ways. The internet is here to stay. However, despite the increasing integration of the internet into society, there is still a question as to ‘what’s next’ for the internet, particularly in terms of the issues specific to the region.
The first IRGO unConference aims to bring together internet scholars and practitioners from around the region to engage in discussion and debate about the future of the internet in ways that account for all aspects of the internet technological, culture, social, political and economic, among others. Over the course of the conference, research from a range of disciplines will collide to generate new ways of considering three important questions:
- what might be possible for the future internet of the region?
- what will citizens want from the internet in the future (two, five, ten years ahead)?
- what potential internet problems or issues will we have to navigate in the immediate future?
The unConference will bring together people from both academic and professional backgrounds as a way if initiating important conversations about the internet as it is and as it might become in the region.
Format
The unconference format is best suited to such broad and speculative questions, as it creates a space in which participants can explore and engage with issues and debates from across the diverse spectrum of fields that have a stake in the future of the internet in NZ.
To help trigger discussion and debate, the unconference has invited a group of leading thinkers from both academia and industry to present their visions and concerns for the future. However, the majority of the conference space will be turned over to the participants in open debates and discussions facilitated by panels selected for their interest and diversity of opinions. The proceedings and outcomes of these debates will be collated into a published output which can be shared with the wider NZ internet community.
Call for participation
The internet is here to stay, but what will it look like in the next two, five, ten years? How will New Zealanders of tomorrow access the internet, and what will they be looking for? What infrastructure do we need to be building now to satisfy their needs, and how might we understand what is happening in a wired world? What are the legal and social implications that will need to be dealt with?
The Internet Research Group of Otago (IRGO) invites participants to join in a face-to-face discussion about the virtual world of tomorrow. By bringing together social, technological, political and economic perspectives, participants will explore potential pitfalls and opportunities for the internet in New Zealand’s future. The IRGO unConference will be centered around discussions triggered by panel-led debates on participant-suggested topics. Those intending to join in the unConference will be invited to tender possible topics that may be important to NZ’s digital future. Prospective panelists will then be invited to submit an abstract outlining their responses to panels, and the most provocative combinations of respondents will be chosen to lead the debate!
Those intending to join us are asked to submit here with a 50-100 word topic that they believe needs to be discussed as we look towards the future of the internet in NZ. Potential topics might include, but are not limited, to:
- the impact of the rural/urban digital divide in NZ
- education and future technology literacy needs
- the rise of mobile telephony and data service in NZ
- NZ telecommunications policy and service obligations
- prosumers and copyright law
- broadband and beyond
Timeline
July 23rd, 2009: Call for Participation released
September 30th November 5th, 2009: Deadline for topic proposals
October 31st November 5th, 2009: Deadline for application to join panels
November 5th, 2009: Panel members confirmed
November 23rd-24th, 2009 Conference dates