The rapid expansion of information and communication technologies has undoubtedly provided us with the necessary tools and critical mass to forge the anticipated electronic global village. Until recently, there appeared to be a widespread utopian optimism that this emerging global society will be characterized by positive features such as greater democracy, wider choices, more informed population, transcendence of individual differences, and a harmonious global culture. Any concerns about the digital environment related to how we will cope with or adapt to inevitable technical changes.

Scholars are now beginning to understand that the digital landscape is not so flat. Attention is shifting to concerns about how we can anticipate rather than react to technological change, and thus influence how societies appropriate and use new communication technologies. From this proactive perspective, it is becoming clear that social, political, economic, gender, geographic, philosophical and cultural factors shape communication technologies.

The convergences between communication theory, philosophy and cultural science constitute fertile intersections from which to explore these diverse factors and their influences. With these as our initial perspective on the new communication technologies, several of us began to critically question the assumptions on which utopian and dystopian views of global connectivity are based. (First of all, these assumptions tend to ignore how these sorts of factors indeed influence how individuals take up and respond to new technologies of communication.) The medium chosen for exploring these assumptions was a conference on the theme of Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication (CATaC'98). The goal of the conference was to collect theoretical reflections and research reports from interdisciplinary scholars and researchers; we assumed that both theory and praxis would shed greater light on how culture shapes our appropriation and use of new communication technologies.

The conference was held at the Science Museum, London, in August 1998. The Science Museum was ideal first of all as it provided us with a venue outside the United States, thus helping us avoid the dominance of US-based scholarship in the presentations and discussion. In addition, the Science Museum houses a superb exhibit on Charles Babbage's "Difference Engines" and Lady Ada Lovelace's development of programming for these machines - arguably, the most significant mechanical and conceptual ancestors of contemporary computers (Swade, 1991). Indeed, in 1843, Lady Lovelace raised a question broadly thematic of our conference: "Who can foresee the consequences of such an invention?"

Nearly 60 presenters and participants attended the conference, representing 18 countries. As we had hoped, the conference did indeed bring together both highly theoretical reflections and numerous "fine-grained" reports on diverse cultural attitudes towards communication (Ess and Sudweeks, 1998). These reflections and reports will assist in our understanding of the sometimes violent but often productive collision between the new technologies and various cultures.

This special issue is comprised of selected papers from the first CATaC conference. More of the conference papers, supplemented with related contributions, will appear in forthcoming special issues of print journals, including AI and Society. We hope that these exemplary contributions in this special issue will serve as foundational work for further explorations into these still largely uncharted territories. We invite readers to contribute their comments and suggestions to us via e-mail, to join our discussion group devoted to CATaC-related issues (catac@hhobel.phl.univie.ac.at), and to participate in future CATaC conferences.

Our thanks to Teri Harrison for inviting us to develop the line of research for this special issue of EJC/REC, and to those who supported CATaC'98: (i) the Science Museum, London, who provided the venue for the Conference; (ii) the Technology Assessment Program of the Swiss Council of Science, who provided significant financial support; and (iii) a variety of scholarly journals and societies who provided important publicity.

Our special thanks go to the participants of CATaC'98. It is not possible to do justice to the richness of the conference, neither to the numerous individual presentations, nor to the discussions fostered by an unusually collaborative atmosphere. Respected old hands and energetic newcomers engaged in dialogues that both minimized issues of academic status and maximized often passionate interactions among one another as partners in a shared enterprise.

II ne fait aucun doute que l'extention rapide de l'information et des techniques de communication nous a fourni les outils et la masse critique necessaires a l'elaboration du village electronique mondial tant attendu. Il n'y a pas tres longtemps encore, le monde, anime d'un optimisme utopique quasi universel, s'imaginait qu'une democratie plus etendue, des choix plus nombreux, une population mieux informee, des valeurs transcendantes des differences culturelles et une culture mondiale harmonieuse contribueraient a developper cette societe mondiale naissante. Il s'agissait avant tout de savoir comment le monde allait se comporter devant ces changements techniques inevitables dans un milieu numerique et comment il allait s'y adapter.

Les specialistes commencent a se rendre compte que le site numerique est plus accidente qu'il ne parait. On se tourne a present vers les moyens de prevision des changements techniques plutot que vers les reactions qu'ils engendrent, ce qui permet d'influencer l'acquisition de ces nouvelles techniques de communication par les hommes et l'usage qu'ils en font. Cette perspective dynamique nous fait clairement entrevoir que ce sont les facteurs sociaux, politiques, economiques, sexuels, geographiques, philosophiques et culturels qui jouent un role dans la mise en oeuvre des techniques de communication.

Un heureux concours de theories de la communication, de philosophie et de sciences de la culture en un point commun constitue un terrain fertile d'ou il devient possible d'explorer les facteurs cites ci-dessus ainsi que leurs influences. C'est en premier lieu de ce point de vue des nouvelles techniques de la communication que plusieurs d'entre nous commencerent a s'interroger sur la justesse des hypotheses sur lesquelles reposent les vues utopiques et dystopiques de la connectivite mondiale. (Tout d'abord ces hypotheses ne tiennent pas toujours compte de l'influence qu'exercent ces sortes de facteurs sur l'individu lors de l'adoption de ces nouvelles techniques de la communication et des reactions de ce meme individu face a ces techniques). C'est un colloque (CATaC'98) dont le theme etait comportement et mentalite culturels a l'egard du progres technique qui servit de point de depart a l'exploration de ces hypotheses. Ce colloque avait pour objet de reunir les reflexions et les conclusions des specialistes de la recherche interdisciplinaire; nous avions conjecture la facon dont la culture influencerait l'acquisition et l'usage des nouvelles techniques de communication a la lumiere des theories et pratiques avancees.

La conference se tint a Londres, au Musee des Sciences (Sciences Museum), en aout 1998. Le choix de cet emplacement fut dictee par le souci de mettre a la disposition des specialistes un lieu en dehors des Etats Unis d'Amerique en vue d'eviter que les presentations et les discussions ne subissent trop le poids des travaux etasuniens. De plus le musee renferme une exposition qui a pour theme machines a differences et analytiques de Charles Babbage et le developpement de la programmation de ces machines par Lady Ada Lovelace. On pourrait soutenir que ces machines representent l'ancetre mecanique et conceptuel le plus important des ordinateurs contemporains (Swade, 1991). En effet, en 1843 Lady Lovelace posa elle-meme une question qui constituait le theme general de notre conference, a savoir: "Qui peut prevoir les consequences d'une telle invention?"

Pres de 60 conferenciers et participants, representant 18 pays, assisterent a ce colloque. Comme nous l'avions espere, la conference reunit des reflexions hautement theoriques, mais aussi de nombreux rapports affines ayant trait aux comportements varies a l'egard des techniques de communication (Ess and Sudweeks, 1998). Ces reflexions et ces rapports nous aident a comprendre les heurts parfois violents mais souvent fructueux qui se produisent entre le progres technique et les diverses cultures.

Ce numero special comprend des articles provenant de la premiere conference CATaC. D'autres articles de conference, accompagnes de textes supplementaires portant sur les memes sujets paraitront dans de prochains numeros speciaux sur papier, y inclus AI and Society. Nous osons esperer que les exemplaires qui figurent dans notre numero special serviront de base a d'autres explorations dans ces territoires encore mal connus. Nous invitons nos lecteurs a nous envoyer leurs commentaires et leurs suggestions par courrier electronique, a participer a des groupes de discussion engages dans l'etude des questions relatives a la conference CATaC (catac@hhobel.phl.univie.ac.at) et a assister a de futurs colloques CATaC.

Nous tenons a remercier Mme Teri Harrison de nous avoir suggere le theme d'etude pour ce numero special du EJC/REC, et nous remercions egalement ceux qui ont collabore a la conference CATaC'98, notamment le Musee des Sciences de Londres qui a eu l'obligeance de mettre ses lieux a la disposition de la conference, le Technology Assessment Program of the Swiss Council of Science qui a fourni un soutien financier important, et enfin, les diverses revues universitaires et societes savantes dont la campagne de publicite a grandement contribue au succes de cette conference.

Nous remercions tout specialement les participants a la conference CATaC'98. Il n'est pas possible de rendre justice a la richesse de la conference ni aux nombreuses communications faites a cette conference ni meme aux debats engendres dans un esprit de collaboration peu commun. De tres estimables anciens collaborateurs ainsi que d'energiques nouveaux venus engagerent des dialogues ou les questions d'ordre litteraire cedaient souvent le pas a des interactions passionnees entre partenaires d'une entreprise vecue ensemble.

Abstract. The Internet and other interactive networks are diffusing across the globe at rates that vary from country to country. Typically, economic and market structure variables are used to explain these differences. The addition of culture to these variables will provide a more robust understanding of the differences in Internet and interactive network diffusion. Existing analyses that identify culture as a predictor of diffusion do not adequately specify the dimensions of culture and their impacts. This paper presents a set of propositions to be used in analyses of the impact of culture on the diffusion of interactive networks. The propositions were developed using cultural constructs presented by Hofstede (1980, 1991), Herbig (1994), and Hall (Hall & Hall, 1987). Diffusion of innovations theory and critical mass theory provide the theoretical base. The development of the propositions resulted from a close examination of the theories for relationships mediated by culture. The resulting propositions use cultural variables in relationships established by the theories. It is hoped that the propositions will serve as a starting point for future research in the area of cultural influences on the diffusion of interactive networks.

Abstract. This paper addresses the questions of whether, and if so, how and to what extent the Internet brings about homogenization of the local cultures in the world. It examines a particular case, that of Thai culture, through an investigation and interpretation of a Usenet newsgroup, soc.culture.thai. Two threads of discussion in the newsgroup are selected. One deals with criticisms of the Thai government and political leaders, and the other focuses on whether Thai language should be a medium, or perhaps the only medium, of communication in the newsgroup. It is found that, instead of erasing local cultural boundaries, creating a worldwide monolithic culture, the Internet reduplicates the existing cultural boundaries. What the Internet does, on the contrary, is to create an umbrella cosmopolitan culture which is necessary for communication among people from disparate cultures. That culture, however, is devoid of "thick" backgrounds, in Michael Walzer's sense.

Abstract. The past decade has seen the development of a perspective holding that technology is socially constructed (Mackenzie and Wacjman, 1985; Bijker, Hughes and Pinch, 1987; Bijker and Law, 1992). This paper examines the social construction of one group of technologies, systems for computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). It describes the design of CSCW in Japan, with particular attention to the influence of culture on the design process. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the argument that culture is an important factor in technology design, despite commonly held assumptions about the neutrality and objectivity of science and technology. The paper further argues that, by looking at CSCW systems as texts which reflect the context of their production and the society from which they come, we may be better able to understand the transformations that operate when these texts are "read" in the contexts of their implementation.

Abstract. This paper reviews the history of three German-language discussion lists (two of them initiated by the author). The fits and misfits between CMC environments and the academic projects of teaching and learning philosophy are presented within an account modeled on the traditional Bildungsroman. Electronic interactions dramatically alter our experience of time and space, seriously invalidating the metaphor of the "electronic classroom". The presuppositions underlying the "hybrid" technology of e-mail groups that promise global, context-independent communication within very specific, context-dependent environments are explored and related to the (quite often unrealistically overdrawn) promises of computer assisted communication. Emphasizing instantaneous textual publicity changes some of the basic rules of literacy. Complementing curricular modules with continuous and spontaneous group activity, they issue in a new genre, semi-scholarly on-the-spot writing, transmissible across the planet. While ambivalent about the future of computer-mediated philosophy, the paper looks to the possibility that philosophical communities and communication - marked first of all by participants' equal footing in their exchanges - may become a more permanent feature of philosophy, despite clear incompatibilities between the current education system and the new CMC environment.

Abstract. Switzerland has no less than four official national languages. This "multiculturality" within a narrow space, however, is not often exploited fully in order to enliven and enrich national discussions and debates. Often, the public remains focused within its own language domain. It is hence of little surprise that linguistic boundaries are also cultural boundaries. This is also apparent with regard to the use of communication technology. While the "latin" cultures are more open to new information and communication technologies, those in the German-speaking part of Switzerland hesitate to adopt this new media. Empirically, this can be showed by studying the use of traditional media and by analysing the Swiss local authorities (the "Communes") present in the World Wide Web.