By Jeff Patmore, head of strategic university research, BT

It’s pretty much accepted that information communication technology (ICT) is changing the way we all live and work. But to what extent are modern day services such as social networking, computer gaming and digital media affecting us as individuals – and as a society?

It’s a question that has prompted BT to commission a book of 12 thought pieces, which investigates different views about the impact ICT is having on our lives.

A variety of views 

The book presents opinions from a range of disciplines including neuroscience, psychology, human computer interaction, computer science, behavioural economics and well-being. Whereas the opinions of the experts do vary, there is one common theme that seems to underpin most of the arguments – that ICT affects us all in both positive and negative way and therefore understanding how to achieve a positive balance is key.

For example a UK expert in well-being says; “ICT has the potential to improve the lives of people by helping them stay connected. Clearly, using technology to maintain human contact is a positive attribute. However, there is a downside. Failing to disconnect from technology can lead to mental fatigue and other long-term consequences. Her advice is that unplugging ourselves from our multi-media systems to let the mind wander each day will encourage a greater sense of well-being.” 

An Australian academic, says that; “Recent research has shown that game playing can teach people how to strategise and help with problem solving – as well as enhance personal happiness. This contradicts the more traditional perspective that gaming can cause aggressive behaviour, addiction and depression.”

And a US academic who has spent most of his research career designing toys that get children passionate about a range of educational subjects says; “The best learning experiences for children involve more than the passive delivery of information, when the internet is used as an engaging, active learning tool, we should not worry too much about how much time youngsters spend online, but ‘rules’ about use are key.” 

An insightful look at ICT 

This Book of Thought Pieces not only provokes debate on every aspect of the effects of ICT, it also serves to shed light on some of the most pressing and complex areas of discussion regarding technology today.

I have to say that interviewing these twelve people provided us with a unique and valuable insight into how ICT is impacting our lives, we felt it was important to share these insights and to stimulate debate on how we can best strike a balance between the adoption of new technologies and personal well-being ”.

To find out more please go to www.bt.com/balance.

By Nigel Lewis, chief executive officer, AbilityNet

For most of us communicating with organisations like our bank, our energy supplier or our local council is a straightforward business. We can pick up the phone or go online to sort out our day-to-day affairs without any problems at all.

Thankfully, more and more organisations are thinking about the needs of individuals with particular needs and the challenges they face. As a result, many of them are beginning to apply the latest in information technology in order to help everyone stay connected in today’s digital world.

This is great news for inclusivity as it means people with differing abilities will all have a better chance of running their lives more effectively.

And it’s why we at AbilityNet, along with our friends at BT, are really keen to acknowledge all those businesses, charities and bodies that are using technology to change our communities for the better in our first ever Technology4Good awards.

The Awards cover several categories but we are especially happy that BT is joining forces with us to sponsor the Contact Us Award, which focuses specifically on communication.

This award will promote the organisations that have gone the extra mile to use IT to enable deaf, hearing impaired and other disabled consumers to interact with them more fully. For example, it might be a company that is providing direct communication methods for its deaf customers without reliance on text relay, or a body that has considered the needs of its disabled customers and made improvements to enhance the customer experience as a result.

We are looking to generate as many nominations as possible from either a representative of the organisations themselves, or from people who know of or have had a positive contact experience in the past.

You can help us raise interest by spreading the word about the Awards. Our collaborative efforts will undoubtedly have a direct affect on someone’s life as we believe every case will inspire more organisations to support people of all abilities in their contact strategies for the future.

With this in mind, please do whatever you can to raise interest by forwarding our website address www.technology4goodawards.org.uk  to everyone in your network and think back to when you have been impressed by the smart or expedient contact methods of an organisation. 

AbilityNet is a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology. Our special expertise is ensuring that whatever your age, health condition, disability or situation you find exactly the right way to adapt or adjust your ICT to make it easier to use.

By Kevin Moss, head of corporate social responsibility, BT Americas

In December, just squeezing it in before the end of the year, BT published a report called Social Study 2010 that reviewed the economic contribution of BT on the United Kingdom. 

In my Four Dimensions model, this impact represents my first dimension of direct impact, and includes what Social Study 2010 calls direct, indirect and induced impacts.   Social Study 2010 uses jobs, output and an economic measure called Gross Value Added (GVA) as the measure of the company's contribution to the economy. (Value Added is also the key unit in our Climate Stabilisation Intensity target).

The report identifies that across the UK BT has a total operating impact of 267,000 jobs, £37B output, £12.6B GVA and £7.7B income.  This is summarised in the accompanying chart (see below) and a full description and breakdown by region is in the report itself.

I am sure there are many ways of calculating a company’s economic contribution to society, but what stands out to me is that the numbers are in the billions. With our community investment spend of 1 per cent of pre-tax profits at £26.4M, it becomes clear that a company’s impact on society through its direct employment and through its suppliers is greater to a very significant order of magnitude than the impact it can have through its philanthropy.

And our employment and supplier spend does not even capture all of our social impact. The other three dimensions of the Four Dimensions model cover the impact of our products and services on society and the impact of our communications also.   In the ICT sector for example we need to consider the positive and negative impact of the digital world on supporting societal needs.

I welcome this report on BT’s direct economic impacts and its contribution to evaluating the overall impact of the company on society.  I would welcome your thoughts and comments too.

Does your company produce data like this?  How do you position and prioritise this economic impact on society with philanthropic and other community investment activities?