Knowledge sharing around the challenges of digital society

We live in an increasingly connected society where profound developments in technology are taking place on a daily basis. Many aspects of our lives, such as transport, banking and public services are being transformed every day. We’re seeing the world of technological advancement move so quickly that new technologies are often released before the necessary legislation exists to contain its impact and limit its powers. Each transformation of a service or industry brings a myriad of opportunities and benefits, but also challenges and risks.

Whilst we celebrate innovation and technological advancement here at Disciple, we believe it’s also essential that we question disruptive technologies and recognise their potential to come at a cost to wider society if not scrutinised.

The Observatory for a Connected Society

It is for these reasons that The Corsham Institute (Ci) and RAND Europe have been working with Disciple to create a centralised resource for shared knowledge and a community for thought leaders to help each other make the right decisions on digital issues.

We’re delighted to have worked with these fantastic organisations to launch The Observatory for a Connected Society.

Hans Pung, President of RAND Europe, had this to say:

“The Observatory for a Connected Society aims to help policymakers stay ahead of the game through rapidly providing the very best research and expertise on the UK’s connected society. It will highlight the future opportunities and threats from digital technologies, and the potential impact on UK society. We look forward to laying the intellectual foundations for the Observatory for a Connected Society, which will be the ‘one-stop shop’ for research, insight and analysis on all things digital.”

Rachel Neaman, CEO of Ci added:

“The Observatory for a Connected Society is an exciting opportunity to give all those with an interest in the future of our connected society access to the latest and best thinking in one place, to inform their activities. The app and online resource combine information and data with analysis from a range of leading voices across government, academia, the not-for-profit sector and industry. I am confident that the Observatory for a Connected Society will become the leading authority on research, news and insight related to a connected society.”

The app will bring together the Ci and RAND Europe’s research, insight and analysis into emerging digital technologies and its implications for society. It will also serve as a central hub for conversation and interaction between community members as they discuss the issues raised.

This is important to us at Disciple

Our platform harnesses the power of app technology to create interest-specific communities and new ways for people to connect around key topics or passions. We therefore occupy and operate in the same digital and technological space that The Observatory aims to scrutinise.

We want the platform and its footprint to generate a positive contribution to global society where the rights, data and privacy of the community and citizens we work with are paramount and controlled by these same stakeholders. We also want to help ensure that technology continues to advance with the interest of communities and citizens at heart. To that end, we are thrilled to help Ci and RAND Europe in their mission to provide the research, insight and analysis needed to ensure that technological advancement continues to be a force for good.

Find out more about Disciple’s communities here