Social and Ethical Shifts in the Digital Age: Digital Technologies for Governing or Digital Technologies that Govern?

Organizational efficiency and economic development has benefited significantly from the ubiquitous nature of information technology in today’s governmental machinery and in society, but what of its serious implications at the macro and micro level? The argument of the paper is that technology-driven social changes require—and facilitate—a policy response. Exploring the wider implications of ICT used by governments through the lenses of two analytical frameworks (i.e., the ‘tools of government approach’ and the ‘data-driven agency approach’) elaborated in two seminal books allows us to formulate a number of information policy recommendations for contemporary decision makers seeking viable solutions to ethical concerns. The conceptual discussion aims to spur an early and pro-active engagement with the social impacts of technology.