IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2018 - 7

vote. In the U.K., entitlement to ben-
efits (for disability, unemployment,
or housing) is predicated on access
to a computer, which for the less well
off without a computer at home can
entail a trip to a library (yet libraries
themselves are being closed due to
lack of funding), and an ability to fill
in and return long and complicated
online forms.
Therefore this discussion of park-
run and its underlying technology,
as an exemplar of collective action
in order to address a wicked (social)
problem, while uncovering several
secondary issues, is intended to high-
light the distinctive qualities of Technology and Society Magazine, and
the importance of the magazine as a
focal point for commenting on, analyz-
ing, and understanding such phenom-
ena as the digital transformation, its
technology, and its impact on society.
These qualities include (although
not necessarily exhaustively) the
following:
■■ Interleaving: T&S studies not
just the impact of technology on
society, nor just the need of soci-
ety for a particular technological
solution, but also the cr itica l
interleaving, in particular where
technology interleaves with eth-
ics, morality, and qualitative hu-
man values.
■■ Responsibility: too often engi-
neers and scientists plead the
"Oppenheimer defense" - they
are only developing technology, the
use to which it is put is not their
concern. The magazine places
an emphasis on researchers and
innovators asking themselves not
only "can we do this?" but also
"should we do this?" Educators
and professionals alike should
be well aware of the precaution-
ary principle.
■■ Advocacy and scholarship: the
magazine offers a unique oppor-
tunity for researchers to advocate
original positions or opinions,
march 2018

analysis, or argument of a partic-
ular social phenomenon caused
or affected by technology, demon-
strating scholarship in the form of
evidence to support the argumen-
tation, e.g., surveys, technologi-
cal review, interviews, numerical
data, etc.
■■ Inter-disciplinarity: almost ex-
plicitly its title, this magazine
provides a forum for analysis of
issues that by their very nature
are interdisciplinary, trans-disci-
plinary and cross-cutting.
■■ Positive thinking: the magazine
plays a critical role in contri-
bu ting to the discussion, with
articles highlighting innova-
tive approaches to technological
solutions, for example by design
guidelines, policy recommenda-
tions, and conceptual or theoreti-
cal frameworks.

Concluding (Personal)
Remarks
It is a great honor and privilege to be
the successor as Editor in Chief to
the awesome and wonderful Profes-
sor Katina Michael. I am extremely
grateful to the IEEE search team,
and to Katina, John Impagliazzo,
and Keith Miller for influential dis-
cussions. I very much look forward
to carrying on the work of many tal-
ented and dedicated people that has
built T&S into what it has become
today, and the opportunity "to stand
on the shoulders of giants".
I am also grateful to, and extreme-
ly pleased to welcome, the new (or
renewed) members of the Associate
Editor Board: Roba Abbas (Wollongo-
ng University), Diana Bowman (Arizo-
na State University), Ada Diaconescu
(Telecom ParisTech), Khanjan Mehta
(Lehigh University), Jennifer Trele-
wicz (Deutsche Bank), and Agniesz-
ka Rychwalska (Warsaw University).
Between them they cover a great of
interdisciplinary ground, including IT,
law, health, design, psychology, com-
∕

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

plex systems, and engineering, with
backgrounds in academia, entrepre-
neurialism, and industry. I will also
get my thanks in advance to people
in various important editorial roles
(especially Terri Bookman) and the
"back office" team at Imperial Col-
lege (Joan O'Brien, Kristina Mila-
novic, and David Burth Kurka), and
similar advanced thanks to all those
who will act as reviewers.
It is also a pleasure to welcome
and directly address the reader-
ship of T&S Magazine. I have given
seminars where I have said, indeed
I slipped it into a paper once, that "if
your only tool is an Ostrom-shaped
hammer, then every problem is a
collective action shaped nail." On
that basis, T&S Magazine is also a
collective action problem, and we
are trying to have transformative
impact by debating and promoting
pro-social and beneficial outcomes
from the interleaving of technology
and society. So, the benefits of col-
lective action really can begin with
a single deed... your deed to be pre-
cise, and whatever contribution you
are able to make to the magazine, it
would be very well received.

References
[1] H. Rittel and M. Webber, "Dilemmas in
a general theory of planning," Policy Sciences, vol. 4, pp. 155-169.
[2] C. Tavris and E. Aronson, Mistakes Were
Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify
Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts Paperback. Harcourt, 2007.
[3] J. Doyle, "Survey of time preference,
delay discounting models," Judgment and
Decision Making, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 116-
135, 2013.
[4] R. Thaler and C. Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 2008.
[5] R. Vallacher and A. Nowak, Dynamical Systems in Social Psychology. Elsevier, 1994.
[6] R. Praszkier and A. Nowak, Social Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice. Cam-
bridge, U.K.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011.
[7] D. Bourne, parkrun: much more than
just a run in the park. Chequered Flag
Publishing, 2014.
[8] E. Ostrom, Governing the Commons.
Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge Univ. Press,
1990.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2018