The Past May Be the Prologue: History's Place in the Future of the Information Professions

Abstract

Cool Technologies for a New Generation T echnologies hardly dreamt of forty years ago continue a surprising diversification and growth that show no sign of slowing. Smart phones and personal digital assistants that bring effortless mobile emailing and Internet access are but the newest tools for the wired “cool” generation. While the pursuit of novelty still may be the aim of some, for most of North American society the use of information technologies of all kinds has become a natural habit and increasingly a necessity in personal and professional life. The vast potential of computers and sophisticated software applications linked to wireless communications is reshaping customary lines of civil and corporate life. Formerly clear divides between public and private domains are no longer obvious. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and the expanding blogosphere have rendered the concept of privacy moot. At the same time, networked social habits expose us to risks. Computers may empower us, but they also impose an as-yet dimly perceived set of new responsibilities on people and citizens to participate more actively in politics and policing. 1