A brave new (EU) world?

The global economy is dependent on information and communications technology - from stock exchanges to African shantytowns, writes Lorraine Mallinder.

The world has become a different place with the rapid expansion, over the past couple of decades or so, of information and communications technology (ICT). Much of the intermeshed global economy is now dependent on the sector, albeit to varying degrees, so much so that one wonders how anything ever got done before.

The influence of pervasive technologies such as mobile telephony is now being felt everywhere, from the richest enclaves of Europe to some of the poorest parts of Africa. But vast divides have developed in access, though this could be about to change. In Africa, for example, ambitious plans are now under way to bring mobile coverage and internet access to all with the help of organisations such as the World Bank.

The digital divide also exists within Europe, with a yawning skills gap now developing between the haves and have-nots. Policymakers are concerned and different measures and action plans havebeen developed in response. However well-intentioned, measures will have to be extremely well-targeted if they are really to plug the skills gap and stem the flow of investment to zippier emerging economies.

Policymakers are also keen to lay the foundations of a competitive knowledge economy and are pumping billions into ICT-focused research projects. People, organisations and devices will all be linked in the economy of the future. Solid infrastructure will be needed to ensure seamless connections and citizens will have to be taught how to leverage networks and information to their advantage.

Much of the change will be felt in the home. The ‘internet of things’ is predicted to bring massive changes to the way we live. Tagged everyday household objects will be able to communicate among themselves, organising the more menial aspects of everyday living. These developments could benefit not only the consumer, but also the environment. Water and energy consumption, for example, could be much more efficiently regulated with smart devices dotted round the home.

In the meantime, many Europeans are being kept busy on social networking sites. Nearly half of Europe’s internet users have signed up to social networking sites such as Facebook. Big business is taking note, developing new marketing methods to capitalise on the hundreds of millions of congregated eyeballs. Not all are enthusiastic, however, about the tactics advertisers might use to creep into peoples’ consciousness.

Citizens enjoy a large degree of freedom on the internet at the moment. That could change, however, with the increasing need to clamp down on online crime. The darker side of the internet has become a major preoccupation of policymakers. Criminal activity ranges from the dissemination of child pornography to financial fraud to full-scale cyber warfare. The net is closing in on criminals with new EU rules on the collection of digital evidence and moves to tighten co-operation between national authorities. Making the internet a safer place to be is perhaps the most pressing challenge of the ICT age.

The global economy is dependent on information and communications technology - from stock exchanges to African shantytowns, writes Lorraine Mallinder.