The networked society and the good use of technology can change the lives of citizens for the better and help develop our country's economy.
The overwhelming majority of the sample of relevant research by the Electronic Commerce Laboratory of the Athens University of Economics and Business ELTRUN , which was conducted with the support of Ericsson , agrees with this conclusion .
The survey recorded the opinions of a sample of 1,040 citizens via an online questionnaire during the first ten days of December 2013.
The research and its analytical results were presented at a Press Conference by the scientific editors from ELTRUN, Mr. Georgios Doukidis, Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business, and Aristides Theotokis, Associate Professor of Marketing, Leeds University Business School.
G. Doukidis stated: "Greek citizens now have a strong positive view of the Internet Society and a mature expectation that the most important consequence of ICT will be for new innovative businesses - startups."
Vasilis Koulouris, Head of Sales at Ericsson in Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Bulgaria, stated: “Ericsson’s vision is to empower – with technology solutions – every person and society, so that everyone’s life becomes better. We supported the research so that the voice of Greeks and their expectations could be heard for the first time. The results show that while Greeks are mature users of technologies, the services they receive are inconsistent (Public services, Education, Health, Transactions, Transport) and do not improve the quality of life. They are not satisfied with the infrastructure in urban centers or the quality of access to communication networks. However, they express their hope that if technology solutions are implemented, their relationship with the state will change and the crisis will be practically addressed through entrepreneurship, tourism and exports.”
The sectors with the greatest need for technology utilization are Public Services, Education and Health. Furthermore, the networked society seems to have the most positive and useful impact for Greece in the current situation in improving citizen service by public authorities, changing the model of public services and reducing bureaucracy.
More specifically, the good use of technology could bring improvements, in areas and with tools such as the following:
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
- Immediate information about the arrival time of transport
- Electronic ticket
- Live updates on delays and traffic congestion
STATE-CITIZEN RELATIONSHIP
- Issuance and supply of public documents and certificates via the internet
- Recording of city problems / complaints / highlights
- Immediate information and service response to each citizen's requests
- E-government tools, such as e-voting, public consultation, transparency
EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
- Open access to educational content (remotely, at low or no cost and from all devices)
- Connection with communities and universities abroad
- Taking online courses at universities
HEALTH SERVICES
- Digital application for booking and keeping medical appointments to reduce patient inconvenience
- Unified digital personal medical record
- Certified electronic medical information index (hospital, doctor, pharmacy schedules)
COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS
- Digital application for instant price comparison
- Secure electronic payments
- Search for a variety of products and compare prices using technology
The "Networked Society" is the creative revolution of citizens through the good use of technology. Citizens and communities, once connected to communication networks, then co-create and transform broadband into educational content, new services, businesses and new opportunities for all.
The "Networked Society" and ICT technologies bring together more freedom and equal access, more rights, new models of service, work and collaboration, freedom of choice and more knowledge to citizens.
*The research was conducted under the scientific responsibility, design, and supervision of the Electronic Commerce Laboratory of the Athens University of Economics and Business ELTRUN and with the support of Ericsson.
Source: e-pcmag.gr
