"Ich werde ganz einfach telegraphieren" — Subjekte, Telegraphie, Autonomie und Fortschritt in Theodor Fontanes Gesellschaftsromanen Electronic media influence our thoughts and behaviours. Our present situation resembles that of the industrial world in the late nineteenth century, when electrical telegraphy, the precursor of today's media technologies, gained a dominant position in telecommunications. In our day, conditioning prevents us from reaching a deeper understanding of our relationship to technical media. Because electrical media were still new in the late nineteenth century, observers then were more readily able to analyse their effects and to recognize potentials of subjects in their accounts. In Germany the writer Theodor Fontane demonstrated through depictions in his late novels of society that, by reflecting on the nature of the self and its relation to telegraphy and concomitant ideologies, subjects have the capacity to become aware not only of factors that control them, but also of their autonomous potentials. This consciousness provides the basis for their self-empowerment in the use of telegraphy. However, because Fontane critically depicts Wilhelminian society, his protagonists only attain this level of Consciousness in isolated instances. Its realisation is continuously achieved through Fontane's narrative depiction and its reconstruction by the readers. The image of the subject and its potentials that emerges in this reconstruction provides valuable insights applicable also to evaluations of our present media involvement. Contrary to a wide-spread belief as to subjects'powerlessness and insignificance, our findings imply that the position of subjects in relation to media can be described more positively. Fontane's depiction is concentrated in three identifiable areas, in which the conjunction of telegraphy and ideology exerts a controlling influence on subjects. In accordance with this focus our study examines the views of nature and technology as fateful forces, the alteration of time- and space experiences, and the construction of German, foreign and technical cultures.

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In the face of the extensive changes resulting from the Post-Industrial Age, many are questioning "the gifts of the chip," or, more specifically, the ability of computer technologies to deliver the comfort predicted. The objective of this thesis is to examine the law's response to computer technology concerning occupational health and safety. This inquiry is necessary due to the dramatic changes that have occurred in the workforce, altering the profile of workplace health. / The thesis begins with a reference to The Gift of Stones, a fictional account of the difficulties that stone workers experienced when the Bronze Age arrived. Modern labourers face parallel struggles due to the arrival of the Post-Industrial Age characterized by technological innovation and restructuring. The legitimacy and effectiveness of occupational health and safety law is challenged by changes to social institutions and by computer related work injuries. / In many jurisdictions, the state has responded to these changes by enacting ergonomic standards that seek to minimize the harmful effects of computer use. The thesis examines the trend towards ergonomic standards with particular focus on Canadian initiatives. In conclusion, it argues that ergonomic regulations are an important means of promoting safer computer practices. Additionally, ergonomic standards provide a mechanism for continued state regulation of occupational health and safety. The challenge for rule makers is ensuring that the standards are a component of comprehensive legal reforms.

This study aimed to explore adolescents perceptions of how their use of information and communication technologies may impact on the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Obtaining information from adolescents on how they experience their parents interaction with them when they engage with theses technologies, can provide insight into adolescents perceptions of whether information and communication technologies impact on this relationship. This research therefore aimed to explore the way that parents interact with their adolescents on their use of the Internet, gaming activities, or regulating their use of a cell phone, and how this is perceived by adolescents.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have, in the recent past, attracted enormous attention as important tools for socio-economic development. However, the role of ICTs in fostering development and addressing the needs of the poor, especially in developing countries, has become the subject of a heated debate. This contestation is due to the high failure rate of the ICTs for development projects and a widening gap between the expectations of what ICTs can possibly do and the experiential reality of how these technologies are actually being used. More often than not ICTs have been regarded as a panacea or a „magic bullet‟ that will solve all development problems, with ill-conceived expectations of how they would be used. This study examined the relationship between ICTs and sustainable livelihoods in selected rural areas of Tanzania. The aim was to investigate how and for what purposes ICTs are used by people in the selected rural areas of Tanzania and to study the effect that ICTs have had on the various aspects of their livelihoods. A combination of the sustainable livelihoods framework and other ICTs for development models formed the theoretical foundation of the study. The investigation was carried out using ICT services provided by the telecentres and mobile phone services. The study was conducted in four rural districts in Tanzania which have telecentres. It used a multi-case study research design. A mixed paradigm methodology was adopted and the qualitative research was used as a dominant paradigm. Data was collected through structured interview protocols administered to 203 users and non-users of ICTs in communities surrounding the telecentres. Semi-structured interview protocols were administered to four managers of the telecentres. In addition, eight focus group discussions were conducted in communities surrounding the telecentres. An observation checklist was used to verify data obtained from managers, users and non-users of the telecentres. The study administered semi-structured interview protocols to officers from the ministry responsible for ICTs in Tanzania, that is the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MoID), The Tanzania Communication and Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and a national research institution (The Commission for Science and Technology- COSTECH). The findings of the study indicated that, contrary to the use of mobile phones, which was characterised by greater uniformity across socio-economic groups and gender, telecentre users in the researched areas were generally young. The majority were males with higher levels of education. It was found that telecentres management have failed to take into consideration the appalling conditions of the extremely poor and disadvantaged individuals in their provision of ICT services to the community. The study established that the urban rural digital divide still exists and is still a reality in the areas reviewed, despite some efforts that are under way to bring ICTs to those communities. Old ICTs such as radio and television are not universally available. It was observed that inadequate road infrastructure makes it difficult for farmers to transport their produce to markets outside the districts, even in cases where farmers are provided with information on the availability of those markets. Inadequate electricity supply hinders large-scale uptake of ICTs in rural areas. The findings show that telecentres managers were not aware of the information needs of the communities they serve and therefore they were not in a position to meet such information needs. Due to personnel‟s inadequate skills and capacity the Ministry of Infrastructure Development did not play its policy-making function effectively. This problem, coupled with delayed implementation of important policy objectives such as the universal access policy and even the national ICT policy itself, affects the development of the ICT sector in rural areas of Tanzania. The findings further show that while the necessary conditions for access exist in all the telecentres involved in the study, sufficient conditions for access are still lacking, especially with regard to skills, awareness and affordability. On the relationship between ICT and rural livelihoods the findings of the study show that while ICTs may not fully support and sustain socio-economic development in poor communities, the impact of these technologies extends to various aspects of the livelihoods of the rural people. Economically, these technologies lead to better earnings and savings. Socially, they help in community interaction and knowledge-sharing, better follow-up for remittances and creation of savings and credit co-operative societies. In relation to human capital, the technologies‟ implications extend to ICT literacy, improved farming techniques and better access to information on new cash crops. The use of ICTs in rural areas is still faced with many barriers. These range from affordability to language problems and the lack of basic infrastructure such as electricity. Language was particularly found to be a substantial barrier to effective use and application of ICTs. The study recommends that telecentre managers should re-design programmes with the aim of bringing the under-represented groups such as farmers back to the centre of their projects, rather than treating them as passive receivers of ICT services. On the issue of mobile phones, there is a need to develop services that are nuanced towards the real needs of the rural people and incorporate them into the mobile technology. The study recommends that universal access policies should involve old ICTs such as radio and television, or people in the rural areas, who have fewer resources, will eventually pay too much for basic communication services, as in the case of satellite television and radio. Capacity-building is important, not only in the regulatory authorities, but also in the ministries responsible for ICTs and other institutions involved with ICTs, so as to provide effective national ICT leadership. The study recommends that managers of telecentres learn about the different aspects of access, in order for them to go beyond the provision of physical access to ICTs. Continuous improvement and renewal of telecentre services is necessary to ensure survival of the telecentres. Collaboration of the telecentres and other organisations, such as academic institutions, is needed to create content both for the telecentres and the community radios. Telecentres and other information systems developed or adopted to serve the people must meet the needs of the people intended to be served. This can be done by regularly conducting information needs assessment. / Thesis (Doctor of Phil. (Information Studies)) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This paper exammes the spending behaviour of households with mobile phones in rural agricultural Uganda and whether such strategies such as substitutions have affected the well-being of these community members. According to the findings, rural households are willing to make sacrifices such as travel expenses and store-bought food budget in order to address the expenses of mobile phone services. While gender inequality through exacerbated asset control and mobile phone inexperience drive further digital divide in this village, the proliferation of small businesses development encourages phone ownership for women. Such strategies to afford a mobile phone or mobile phone services are undertaken to help facilitate longterm asset accumulation. For development studies, the analysis recommends a revised form of development thinking in a growing knowledge economy. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The development of pre-conception and post-conception reproductive technologies has substantial implications and consequences for women. To better establish the impact of the eugenic and sexist traditions which support the elimination of disability/defect and the propagation of "designer babies," a survey of literature outlining the scientific, feminist, legal, cultural, and social perspectives regarding new reproductive technologies was undertaken. Three conclusions of this review are that while new reproductive technologies are not responsible for the environment which fosters bias and intolerance towards oppressed members of society, they have created eugenic demands by supporting genetic perfection; they have informally displaced women's rights to bodily autonomy in favour of the fetus' or potential future person's rights by supporting fetal personhood; and they have perpetuated sexism within the Indian community in Canada by supporting patriarchal institutions.

The ambition of this creative project was to portray the communication between individuals of our time, which is being made shabby by the effect of technological life. As an artist, I am dealing with the issue of our sense of respect for each other and how much we are aware of each other.This study includes the art works of artists Robert Motherwell and Joan Mitchell by whom I have been inspired. I have learned a lot from their art works and from their philosophies. I will describe my art works one by one in terms of the techniques that I have used, and the feelings behind them. / Department of Art

The purpose of the study was to determine the personal, social, and vocational impacts of technology on Jay County, Indiana. The study resulted in the following findings:1. Jay County residents have mixed reactions toward technology. Residents stated an interest in technology.2. Jay County residents expect changes in their personal and professional lives because of technology. Residents stated benefits and difficulties resulting from increased technology.3. Technology is already present in Jay County. Technology can be found throughout Jay County in the schools, industries, small businesses, professional practices, retail establishments, financial institutions, local government, and utilities.4. A need has been expressed in the community to prepare individuals for changes in technology. There is an expectation among residents for the community to offer training opportunitites.RECOMMENDATIONSThe following recommendations are made:1. Jay County should continue to build on the collaborative projects that have been initiated in the community and should address technology through the existing strategic planning process.2. The Jay County Technology Advisory Committee should continue its involvement and take action on these recommendations. The committee should monitor technological expansion as well as the availability of technical training opportunities in the community.3. The advisory committee should identify the populations in Jay County who need technical training and should implement appropriate strategies for reaching these populations.4. The advisory committee should plan a computer curriculum by identifying existing opportunities and expanding on them to reach the populations who are not currently being served.5. A community computer learning center should be a cooperative project in the community and should become a clearinghouse for technical training where requests are made and educational opportunities identified.

This study aimed to explore adolescents perceptions of how their use of information and communication technologies may impact on the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Obtaining information from adolescents on how they experience their parents interaction with them when they engage with theses technologies, can provide insight into adolescents perceptions of whether information and communication technologies impact on this relationship. This research therefore aimed to explore the way that parents interact with their adolescents on their use of the Internet, gaming activities, or regulating their use of a cell phone, and how this is perceived by adolescents.