정보기술과 사회 공진화의 동태적 메커니즘과 정책적 함의

A Thought on the Dynamic Mechanism of Coevolution between IT and Society and Its Policy Implications

In the advent of ubiquitous information technology (u-IT) as a new emerging horizon of information society, inflated expectations regarding u-IT are growing very fast and higher than those made in the past, which would perhaps result in serious bust after boom and incur tremendous amount of social costs. This paper thus investigates a dynamic mechanism underlying the coevolution between information technology and society by applying systems thinking, particularly, with a focus on the typical phenomenon, 'hype curve' which shows how new technologies initially grow too fast for their own good, crashing from a peak of inflated expectations into a trough of disillusionment before stabilizing on a plateau of productivity. Three basic questions are explored to answer by investigating the mechanisms underlying the 'boom-bust' phenomenon: First, why hype curve appears in the process of technology and society coevolution. Second, how to enhance the stabilization level. Third, when is the right time for the policy intervention.