What will future be like? With today's ever changing IT technology, what are key strategy and its worth for the society in future?

On the 20th, KISDI (Korea Information Society Development Institute) hosted '21st Century Korea Megatrend Conference'. Among the attendees were Professor Michel Maffesoli of Paris-Sorbonne University, Dr. Peter Bishop from University of Houston and other experts on future society studies to discuss related issues on future of IT technology, its role and influence over human society in 21st Century.

What's trajectory of our future? Uncertainty of the future shapes by contradicting our present and past. When we look into our modern history, we find most significance with word 'Advancements'. Looking at industrial revolutions in 19th and 20th centuries we see a critical role of western culture in modernization thru technological advances based on western paradigm.

Worldwide acceptance of western paradigm with power of technology over the natural world has brought constant desolation, not to mention being slaved by our own system.

Controlling it rather than being controlled
However, in future, society will utilize technology for its own comfort rather than being enslaved to it, explained by professor Maffesoli. He said, "IT technology with technological advances will enable more ways to satisfy and fulfill our desires, ambitions and concerns that can benefit the human society. Precisely, it will bring new paradigm of biological support system through technology"

Through IT technology, once disappeared values of past are once again resurfacing for present and the future. The present and future is influenced by Post-Modernity, which brings together the old ideas and modern high-tech to create synergy effect.

In other words, the post-modernity is the old and traditional values making their way back into our daily lives through IT technology; internet, blogs. If this concept of fusion is not grasped in ever changing IT technology, we just could not comprehend what future will be like, experts are all saying.

Emotional bridge thru IT, good outlook for Korea
Professor Maffesoli explained that one of the most important benefits IT technology brings to human society is in relaying our emotions rather than the information itself. Blogs and cyber forums through IT technology are bringing unprecedented cases of human to human connection like Worldcup Soccer, tsunami, religious events.

A great Sociologist Durkheim once said that social structures are held together by a corresponding system of values and beliefs that individuals have internalized through things like laughing and crying together. And now the IT technology is at forefront of another form of human blending.

The biggest concern individuals have now is being without interrelationship. IT technology is freeing the individuals from these isolations. No longer is technology nuisance but in post-modern era new generation of youngsters embodied in modern technology will experience more and better quality of living in their lives.

"When I look at what's happening in Korea today, I see it as actual testing ground of this post-modern era." and "combination of tradition and latest technology are very evident in Korean Cyber community and new generation of youngsters will continue to build upon the clash of traditions and high technology for better tomorrows." said, professor Maffesoli.

Leading IT Technology will make way to era of new industry
Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Bishop (University of Houston) commented on business strategy for the 21st century, "For more revolutionizing performance, industry will require transitioning from one period to next. In last 20 to 30 years, IT has made a way for this kind of transition possible."

We will witness a rise of productivity in IT sector in significantly short period than it did in past 30years. Dr. Bishop claimed things like cell phone and internet usage and IT technology will eventually replace physical (currency, documents) nature of business processes with digital medium to further reduce time and space, in turn bring new age of living.

He explained with the continually developing IT technology, threats to telecommunications, middle step between producer-consumer, and boss-worker, office space or location, time delay or constraint, and computers and robot running workplace; these five will be diminishing in future society.

Dr. Peter Bishop said, "characterize future business strategies in four keywords: instantaneous, simultaneous, connectivity and interaction which, one by one can be separate strategies. As a business enterprise, it needs to utilize information and link its productivity, and accept the unknown to embark on start of future businesses."