The Challenges of ICT's : Privacy, Democracy, Truth

Etablissement : Faculté de Gestion, Economie & Sciences Licences

Langue : Anglais

Période : S5



All students are required to present either an oral presentation or a written report. Possible topics are listed below.




We live in an interconnected world made possible by the advent and development of information-communication-technologies. The scope of ICT’s is almost limitless. Almost every sphere of human activity can include ICTs. For example, ICTs and education, ICTs and commerce, ICTs and development, ICTs and democracy, ICTs and populism, etc. ICTs have also created a whole sphere of augmented reality which is only beginning to be utilized.



There is a downside of ICTs also cannot be ignored which would include a gig economy, increased working hours, invasions of privacy, addiction, and the spread of disinformation, misinformation and mal-information.



Finally, if you were born between 1995 and 2012 you are part of what has been called the I-generation. Basically, this means you were born with an I-phone in your hands. The technology is a shaping social force with a variety of consequences.



This course is not about computer programming or how to write code, although we should be able to distinguish “robust” programming. Our concentration will be on applications and uses and misuses of ICTs.



As briefly mentioned above, the range of topics is almost infinite.



The Challenge of ICTs is a lecture and discussion course. Attendance is critical.


All readings are embedded in the syllabus and can be found on-line.




Weekly Topics- Readings and Discussion



Week 1



The scope of ICTs – statistics on usage worldwide



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkcKaNqfykg



https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-social-media-universe-in-2020/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCE5PgMUskU




https://www.budde.com.au/Research/BuddeComm-Intelligence-Report-Global-Mobile-Devices-Market-Smartphones-Wearables-Tablets/?r=51



https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Global-Digital-Economy-The-Political-and-Economic-Fallout



https://www.statista.com/statistics/269329/penetration-rate-of-the-internet-by-region/



Towards cyper-dystopia or cyber-utopia


https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-report-november-2017/1680764666



Week 2



The post-truth age and ICTs


https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/tag/fake-news


ICTs and political messaging


Fake news.


Taking a “fake news” quiz



See: The Institute for Strategic Dialogue – Detecting Disinformation


isdglobal.org



Week 3



The IOT (The Internet of Things) – a look at product development with a focus on the car industry and the health sector.




Week 4


Hashtag movements


#Metoo


#TakeAKnee



Week 5


ICTs and development


https://www.itu.int/en/sustainable-world/Pages/default.aspx




Week 6


E-commerce


https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/global-ecommerce-statistics




Week 7


The use and misuse of big Data



Week 8


Oral Presentations



Week 9


25/November


Oral Presentations




Possible oral presentation topics



Elon Musk and brain machine interface


The Great Firewall of China


Authoritarians and the Internet


ICT and the automobile


Internet activism – hastag movements



Simulation: Build an e-commerce site


https://ecommerceguide.com/guides/starting-your-commerce-store/



ICTs and Conflict: Regulating Mal-information. Examining hate speech laws.


Africa and ICTs


E-Banking


Mobile Phone penetration


Facebook, Twitter et al. and Censorship



The debate over Tik-Tok and/or Huawei


Augmented Reality


Making money from the Youtube – influencers and marketing


Cryptocurrency