[Sigiii-l] Plaza statement

[Nadia Caidi]

(student contribution)

What will be radically changed in your professional life and in your 
personal life as a result of the globalization of the information society?

 With the globalization of the information society, that is the prolific 
spread of information to every aspect of life, personal and professional 
life will increasingly become desegregated. Escaping the workaday world 
is difficult to do with access to technology at home (Internet, email, 
cell phones, etc.) and professionals, passionate about their careers, 
may find it difficult not to turn into workaholics. For instance, in a 
1995 survey of work life it was established that 25 percent of women 
with children wanted to increase time spent working (McCain, 1999).

Obviously, the affect of the globalization of information society is not 
contained to professional life: as a result, families devote less 
quality time to one another and instead cope through the use of 
"surrogate connections." Traditional connectivity within the family is 
lost; replaced by a surrogate mediated by technology (for example, 
family members may instant message each other instead of talking). 
Coping strategies will entail the recognition of the need to draw 
limits. Being able to differentiate between personal life and 
professional life will become an active task, not a passive process. The 
concepts of personal life and professional are bound to evolve and a 
mental re-conceptualization of the boundaries of these arenas will be 
necessary in order to cope.

The information science community should encourage discussion amongst 
professionals to consider how the globalization of the information 
society will affect the well-being of themselves and their families. It 
is essential to reflect upon the social and emotional reaction the 
globalization of the information society will invoke in those who will 
experience the consequences of professional and personal lives melding 
into one another.

 

References

McCain, M. N. & Mustard, J. F. (Co-chairs). (1999). Early years study: 
Final report: Reversing the

brain drain. Toronto, ON: Ontario Children's
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