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Foresight for a responsible future with ICT

Author

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  • M. Lynne Markus

    (Bentley University)

  • Kevin Mentzer

    (Bentley University)

Abstract

The ACM Code of Ethics asserts that computing professionals have an ethical responsibility to minimize the negative consequences of information and communication technologies (ICT). Negative consequences are rarely intended, but they can often be foreseen with careful sociotechnical analysis in advance of system building. Motivated by an interest in extremely complex sociotechnical contexts (e.g., mortgage lending and automated trading) where ICT appears to be having negative consequences in addition to many benefits, this paper identifies and evaluates future-oriented problem analysis and solution design tools in three potentially relevant literatures: 1) ICT ethics, 2) environmental sustainability, and 3) technology hazards. Several promising future-oriented technology analysis techniques (e.g., anticipatory technology ethics, technology roadmapping, morphological analysis, and control structure analysis) were found and are discussed in this paper, but much work remains to be done to customize them, integrate them, and codify them for use in education and high-quality IS research on very complex sociotechnical contexts like the global financial network.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Lynne Markus & Kevin Mentzer, 2014. "Foresight for a responsible future with ICT," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 353-368, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:infosf:v:16:y:2014:i:3:d:10.1007_s10796-013-9479-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10796-013-9479-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Fred Niederman & Elizabeth White Baker, 2023. "Ethics and AI Issues: Old Container with New Wine?," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 9-28, February.
    2. Brent Mills & Alex Wilner, 2023. "The science behind “values”: Applying moral foundations theory to strategic foresight," Futures & Foresight Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(1), March.
    3. Henner Gimpel & Dominikus Kleindienst & Daniela Waldmann, 2018. "The disclosure of private data: measuring the privacy paradox in digital services," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 28(4), pages 475-490, November.
    4. Mansour Naser Alraja & Faris Alshubiri & Basel M. Khashab & Mahmood Shah, 2023. "The financial access, ICT trade balance and dark and bright sides of digitalization nexus in OECD countries," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(2), pages 177-209, June.
    5. Kate Chatfield & Elisabetta Borsella & Elvio Mantovani & Andrea Porcari & Bernd Carsten Stahl, 2017. "An Investigation into Risk Perception in the ICT Industry as a Core Component of Responsible Research and Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-24, August.
    6. Anat Hovav, 2014. "Using scenarios to understand the frontiers of IS: Fifteen years later (a postscript)," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 347-352, July.
    7. Roland W. Scholz & Eric J. Bartelsman & Sarah Diefenbach & Lude Franke & Arnim Grunwald & Dirk Helbing & Richard Hill & Lorenz Hilty & Mattias Höjer & Stefan Klauser & Christian Montag & Peter Parycek, 2018. "Unintended Side Effects of the Digital Transition: European Scientists’ Messages from a Proposition-Based Expert Round Table," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-48, June.
    8. Frantz Rowe & M. Lynne Markus, 2022. "Taking the measure of digital giants: Amazon and the Social Welfare Computing research agenda," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(2), pages 437-446, June.

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