Research questions

Overview of research questions per Group.

Group 1 Arif

• Will internet user be given two identities - one they are born with and one for their internet identity?

• How will the internet replace the need for personal interaction. Will society fight back against companies trying to coerce them to shift use to web (such as banking)?

• Will managers make bad decisions because on are not able to address the integrity of the business partners?

• Will the proliferation of the internet (the need to be connected to email and blackberry) affect the humans ability to becoem detached from work?

Group 2

Group 3

Daan

Political

• Who will govern and control the internet? Will there be any laws for the internet (local/global and written/unwritten)?

• Will the internet more and more function as a forum between viewpoints and stimulate the political debate? Will it be robust enough for this function and how can misusage be prevented?

• Can intellectual property be protected on the internet in the future? If not, will this then slow innovation?

• What is the future of hacking and spam?

• How will the internet deal with the different languages in the world or will there be a dominant internet language in the future?

• How available will new technologies and internet become for all layers of society and all countries? Who will govern this spread?

Economical

• How will internet change business in the next couple of years (global vs local, small vs large companies)?

• How will companies deal with crime and security of payments to stimulate e-commerce?

• How soon will there be consistency in the global tax regime with respect to e-commerce? What impact will this have on internet business?

• What impact will telecommuting have on the economy and business?

• How fast and far reaching will the globalization of labor develop itself because of the internet, and will it ultimately have an effect on equality across continents?

Social

• How will trust be built on the internet and who are the actors in this development?

• What impact will telecommuting have on society?

• What implications will the digital divide between countries and sectors in society (old and young people) have on the social relations?

• Will we ever be able to separate our personal lives from the internet or will it keep on following us?

• Internet will stimulate social interaction between people, but will this digital interactivity also lead to a significant decrease in verbal skills of people?

Technological

• Is internet sustainable or just a temporary tool?

• How soon and how radical will the device convergence for internet take place?

• How will grid computing evolve and change human endeavor?

• How will the speed of internet advance over the years and what other developments will result from this?

• Will wireless be reliable, secure and work with high bandwidth? When will it provide the same mobility for internet communications as we currently enjoy with cellular phones?

Environmental

• How will internet stimulate information sharing about environmental issues in a way that the environment will benefit from it?

Ute

Political

• How will local governments regulate the usage of the information that is available on the Internet?

• How will governments worlwide cooperate to set laws, regulations etc. for the Internet?

• How will governments approach the information misbalance of the world related to an unequal accessability of the Internet worldwide?

Economic

• Will trade be only made via the Internet?

• How will the availability and accessability of the Internet influence economic performance of countries?

• How does the Internet influence long-term economic cycles?

• How will the Internet influence unemployment rates?

• How will the Internet influence jobs and industries people work in?

Social

• How will values and common believes (cultures) change?

• Will the Internet dominate the way how people communicate or will there still be human, direct interaction?

• Will the Internet be present in all day-to-day activities or are there parts of our live where the Internet will not be influencing?

Technological

• Will technology develop in way that allows people to access the Internet everywhere, anytime?

• Will the Internet be based on technology we already know today?

• What medium will we use to access the Internet (computer, phone, TV, other devices)?

Environmental

• How will the Internet influence people's attention to environmental issues?

• Will the technology be environment-friendly or not, i.e. will it cause high volumes of waste etc.?

Group 4

Eser

Political:

-How will the internet affect the power of local governments?

-Will the internet increase conflict of interest between nations?

-Will the internet increase or decrease influence and power of politics and politicians?

-Will the internet increase transparency in the governance of the nations and public organizations?

-Will the internet eliminate bureaucracy in the public organizations?

-How will the internet be regulated?

Technological:

-How will the people react to the technological advancements in the internet? Will they easily adapt or will they resist it?

-What kind of confidentiality issues will arise as a result of internet related technological advancements?

-What kind of ethical issues will arise as a result of rapid technological advancements in internet?

Economic

-How will the internet affect dispersion of global welfare between nations?

-How will the internet affect global commerce? Will the on-line transactions dominate the global trade?

-Will the internet provide same economic advantage to all nations or increase the income gap between them?

-How current corporate dynamics and working conditions will be affected by the internet?

Social:

-How will the internet affect inter-personal relationships?

-How family relations will be affected by the advancements in the internet?

-Will the internet be the unavoidable and dominant part of our personal lives?

-How will the internet affect the crime rate in the societies?

Environmental:

-How will the internet contribute to the solutions of current environmental issues?

-Will the internet enhance people's consciousness about environmental related issues?

Group 5

Group 6