Track: Internet and the Digital Economy
Minitrack: The Diffusion, Impacts, Adoption and Usage of ICTs
----------------upon Society

Since the emergence of the 21 st century governments around the globe have been striving to offer Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) infrastructures, namely broadband. During the first 4 to 5 years interest was focused upon whether the infrastructure was being provided and focus was on the issue of accessibility. Since then countries and research both from industry and academe have changed their focus as it is considered that now accessibility has been examined and now the emphasis is on how the households and social communities are diffusing, adopting, and using the ICTs and further, consideration of the impacts of ICTs. The aim of this mini-track will be to offer a global perspective of how ICTs are being diffused, used and adopted within society (households and social communities). By undertaking this research academics, industry and government agencies will learn of how ICTs are being utilised by various societies and what measures are being undertaken to have households and the various social communities adopt and use the ICTs with a further consideration of the impacts of the ICTs. Academic research has been focusing upon the diffusion, adoption and usage of broadband since about 2000. By undertaking this research and offering this track, now the focus could offer innovative ideas of diffusing, adopting and using ICTs that have not been considered before.

Topics and research areas include, but are not limited to:
* The adoption and usage of ICTs, broadband, mobile phones and other ICTs within households
* The impacts of ICTs upon households
* The adoption and usage of ICTs upon various social communities (eg. Residential neighbourhoods)
* The impacts of ICTs upon various social communities
* Evaluation the technological and non-technological aspects of the adoption and usage of ICTs
* Evaluating the technological and non-technological aspects of the impacts of ICTs
* The diffusion, adoption and usage of ICTs within households
* The diffusion, adoption and usage of ICTs within various social communities
* Stakeholder theory and the adoption, diffusion and usage of ICTs
* Project management and the diffusion of ICTs
* Project Management and the adoption and usage of ICTs
* Project Management and the impacts of ICTs
* Human Computer Interaction issues related to the adoption, usage and impact factors in the context of ICTS

Co-chairs:
Jyoti Choudrie (Primary Contact)
Reader of information Systems
Business School
University of Hertfordshire
DeHavilland Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK
Email: j.choudrie@herts.ac.uk; Jyoti.choudrie@btopenworld.com

Bendik Bygstad
Norwegian School of IT
Norges Informasjonsteknologiske Høgskole, NITH
Schweigaardsgate 14, 0185 Oslo, Norway
Email: bendik.bygstad@nith.no

Phillip Olla
Management Information Systems Department
School of Business
Madonna University
Livonia, Michigan 48150, USA
Email: polla@madonna.edu