The impact and issues of the fifth generation: Social and organization consequences of new generation technology

The social and organizational consequences of emerging from the use of computing technology are poorly understood. Forecasting the impacts of new computing technology is similarly not well understood. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that a growing array of computing arrangements are emerging that reinforce or stratify existing social arrangements. Whether these new arrangements are more or less socially desirable depends upon how one interprets their meaning and value. Thus, the purpose of this panel is to bring together leading scholars currently examining the broader consequences of new computing arrangements to discuss what might lie ahead. Most computing use centers around the work routines for a growing number of people. One form of consequences emerging from new modes of computing use can be seen in terms of the shift of resources (social, material, and otherwise) from one arrangement to another. When people value and seek to control local resource arrangements, these resource shifts represent social costs and benefits. Therefore, examining the consequences of different computing arrangements in a variety of work settings is a common research strategy for the participating panelists.