While this seems impressive, some would argue that it isn’t healthy and that technology that moves us in this direction can’t be good for mankind. Over the last 20 years, several studies have identified stress and ill health as one of the most critical issues when people become active around the clock.

Despite this, I think most people would agree that the technological innovations that made the 24-hour society possible, for example the electric light, power/heating, communications services, computers and computer-based transactions, and so on, have overall been good for society.

But the question remains, how do we cope with the stress?

In the latest ConsumerLab findings I learnt that people today use communications technology to relieve some of their stress. If evolution towards a faster paced lifestyle is inevitable and if people still need rest for the human body to function well, then we have to find ways to relax. Apparently, 40-50 percent of people in big cities use internet and/or TV to relax and some 20 percent play games (I bet they are computer or TV-based!) or talk on the phone. I recognize myself in these numbers. I still take a walk, exercise, or meet friends to relax and have fun, but more and more I feel that the anonymous belonging presented by a discussion or game online can be very relaxing after a full day’s work. It’s sort of a way to both relax and be active at the same time, without the demands.

So it seems like technology, which is part of driving the 24-hour society evolution, is also part of the solution to the issue of stress and health. So let’s surf!

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During CES 2012 I met up with Jeffrey.S. Jacobson from nano semiconductor company, Kopin. Jeffrey let me try out Golden-i, the Remote Video Expertise demonstrated by Verizon Wireless and Kopin at this year’s event. The latest technology will enable us to connect to the Networked Society more efficiently using voice.

The post The future is hands free appeared first on The Networked Society Blog.

AR is opening up new possibilities for all kinds of experiences – including shopping. The most recent news is making me think that Christmas shopping in the coming years will be more fun than it ever has been (hello, movie trials in-store!).

One of the first major retailers to invest so much into AR, Tesco announced last week that they were trialing an AR application that allows their customers to interact with products in stores and online.

With technology provided by British company Kishino, the AR services allows shoppers to hold an image from the Tesco Direct catalogue in front of purpose built webcams, which bring to life a 3D image of the product. The image will be accompanied by information and specifications so that customers can learn about the products, which don’t need to be displayed in stores. The webcams can also show film trailers – making choosing a DVD much easier.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5QDRoxuHtk

The Tesco trial is the first time a major retailer has stepped into the world of AR on such a scale. Will AR become an integral part of our shopping behavior in the coming years? I hope so!

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Digital natives are of course those who have been networked all of their lives.  They don’t remember, as I do, listening to music on cassette-tape players or how it felt to write a term paper with the clickety-clack of a typewriter.  They have little patience for lectures, step-by-step logic, or sitting passively while someone tells them how to do things.

Literacy is changing in the Networked Society, as a natural logical progression. Whereas the transfer of knowledge once was text to text and image, it shifted into information navigation – where answers were searched for online – but is now primarily multimedia-based.

The changing approach from the student’s  perspective must become reality for teachers and school administrators today, but I realize it’s difficult.  Through the years I have been to several education conferences – most recently in Greenland, but before that in Ireland two years ago.  And at each conference, educators are stunned about the possibilities information and communications technology can bring.

One thing we in the industry could enable, for example, is augmented reality.  Point a phone to a statue of Socrates and up pops a text on the history of philosophy, with a short video and interactive quiz.  This fits right in with the new mindset and changing approach to learning.

In the Networked Society, ICT could support an individualized, globalized networked-model school.  That means offering services that suit students but can still be scaled thanks to connected teachers, students, and school administrators.

So it’s important to gather the people at NEST – the Networked Society Forum – to continue sharing with other industries and inform each other about the capabilities of technology.

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