Confederation of European Computer User Associations

CECUA Euro News Flash

The Information Society and the family budget !

The information society is supposed to bring growth and prosperity for all. But for sure it is not a charity And to take part in the information society costs money. Where then, is the money going to come from? Will the family budget escape? The family is a crucial element in the widespread and successful uptake of the Information society but will these costs be a priority in the family budget?

From the early days of the Information Society CECUA has been promoting and articulating user interests (see http://www.CECUA.org). At the beginning the Commission emphasised raising the awareness of the users. The idea was that keeping the users informed was all that was needed. But it did not quite turn out that way. More was needed to address their concerns, satisfy their expectations and motivate them to go after the opportunities the information society has to offer them. The CECUA and Partner 1998 Conference on the Citizen in the Global Information Society proved that beyond any doubt (see http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/topics/citizen/i_summary.html http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/topics/citizen/i_recommendation.html http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/topics/citizen/i_work_group.html http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/topics/citizen/i_conclusion.html ).

And the Commission listened carefully. Making citizens aware is out and promoting the uptake of the Information Society is in. Making citizens aware is still valid but only as one of many actions needed to promote its uptake.

The Information Society is usually discussed in macroeconomic terms, i.e. how much new employment it will generate and how much the new economy will add to the gross national product. But users and citizens are having hard time in relating to those figures.
What he or she is asking is "how does it affect me and my family?"

At the recent IST 2000 Conference in Nice, Ms Lone Dybkjær, Member of the European Parliament, addressed some of the microeconomic issues that are easy for citizens to relate to. Ms Dybkjær asked the pointed question "who is going to pay for buying a new home computer every 2 or 3 years?" Will it have to come out of the family budget? Where else can it come from? For most families the family budget is pretty well fixed and does not change much from year to year. Adding something new means that something else from the family budget has to go. But what?

Ms Lone Dybkjær pointed out that this also applies to local and central government budgets. Their computers have to be replaced by new ones every 2 or 3 years. Who is going to pay for them? Central and local government budgets are also pretty well fixed. Obviously something else has to go. But what?

Using those two practical examples, Ms Lone Dybkjær really hit you. They are real. They are something everybody understands and can relate to. Let me add one more. How are the Telephone Companies going to recover all the money they have spent on buying UMTS licences? Of course from the users of new mobile multimedia services.

Who are these users? If the experience from Japan is to be believed, the users will mainly be the younger generation, many living at home, and so still part of the family budget. Therefore, the family budget will have another new demand made on it. Is there anything left to go? What?

Most families are already struggling with a tight family budget. However, when it comes to preparing the future for their children they are prepared to pay a high price. And they see the future for their children in the information society. Therefore, they do not have an easy choice to make. And their decision is crucial for the real uptake and future of the information society.

Your comments on this subject are, as always, welcome. Please send e-mail to the President: Jon.Thorhallsson@CECUA.org or Secretary General: Stuart.Goold@CECUA.org From all of us at CECUA sincere wishes to our members, partners and all the visitors to our web forum for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Dr. Jon Thorhallsson
CECUA President