ISIAS-Conference: Regional Futures ... Measuring Success. New Models for Sustainable Development in the Information Society
18-19 November, Kortrijk, Belgium
14:30-16:00 Parallel Sessions: Key Players in Regional Sustainability Session 3: Trade Unions, Civic Networks, Citizens

Presentation by Mikael Böök, manager of Katto-Meny Coop. Soc., Helsinki, Finland (summary)

Planners build models for local and regional sustainability. The task of the civic associations may be to criticize and break the models.

Telework is to reduce traffic, but what if the teleworker sells cars? Video on-line is supposed to be more sustainable than video on cassettes, but what if the content of the video is consumerist? (By the way, since when does the consciousness industry (tele)work for sustainability?)

In this discussion (on an ecologically more sustainable information society), we need to focus on the content of the information, i.e. the information itself, and on the transformation of the public sphere, which is caused by the information technological revolution. From the perspective of civic associations, which strive to upheld a public sphere for rational discussion and democratic decision-making, it becomes necessary to rethink the existing division of power in society.

The information society creates the need for a new Power, which completes the traditional Montesquieuan formula of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Powers.

Let us call the newcomer the Informational Power. Traditionally, the Press has been nominated to the position as Fourth State Power. The Press, however, is run like any business company, i.e. in order to generate profit for its owners. The contemporary Press tends to neglect its own original political mission as a pillar of the public sphere. Instead, it (or the transnational media corporations which mostly own the Press) act as the spearhead of the further commodification of information (which is made possible by the digitalisation of information, i.e. in the so called information society).

The public library, which is situated on the border between the state and the civil society, is ideally positioned to become the Informational Power. This point is further developed in my articles "Library is a keyword. Political power through the public library" (http://www.kaapeli.fi/book/powerlib.htm) and "The role of the public library in opening the decision-making to public scrutiny" (http://www.kaapeli.fi/book/powerlib2.htm).

Which role should the public library (as an informational power) assume in relation to the issues of ecologically sustainable development? The question opens an own important and fascinating field of inquiry.

(end of summary)