The Uneasy Eighties: The Transition to an Information Society

Bruce Grainger is head of Public Services at the Macdonald Library,
McGill University.

Economist Arthur J. Cordell has served as a science adviser to the Science Council of Canada since 1968. Prior to joining the Science Council, he worked as an economist for government and industry in the United States. This study, one of several prepared for the Science Council, is an updated and revised version of a draft report upon which the Council’s 1982 publication, Planning Now for an Information Society: Tomorrow is too Late, was largely based.

The eight chapters of this study form “a series of connected essays” describing the impact of the new information technologies upon our working and private lives. The emphasis is placed on what these technologies can do for or to society rather than the technology itself.

In his initial chapter, Cordell discusses recent developments in computers and telecommunications and briefly outlines the impact of these developments upon products, production processes, and the office. Subsequent chapters discuss the effects of technological change upon the individual and society. Although many new skilled jobs are created by new technology, old skills in traditional employment become redundant. Those who are unable to adapt are likely to suffer a decline in their standard of living. Cordell also described how technology is impacting upon diverse parts of the “information economy” such as electronic publishing, catalogue shopping, the travel industry, air traffic control, security services, teleconferencing, videodiscs, and library and information services.

The increased use of computers by government and business to store and retrieve information on individuals has raised the issue of privacy. This is an area where the law has consistently lagged behind technological change. Despite the existence of a federal Privacy Act, there are many who think additional safeguards are necessary. The author has included an interesting discussion of the psychological effect upon individuals of knowing that information about themselves may be readily available to anyone.

In his discussion of artificial intelligence and the use of expert systems, Cordell outlines the philosophical debate over whether these machines can ever be “intelligent” and what limits to their use, if any, should be imposed.

This book provides a good brief introduction to many of the issues facing society in the emerging age of infonmation. It is well-written, free of unnecessary jargon, and easily understood.