Through their work, the EINS partners will establish an 'Internet science', which will extend beyond its ICT core to bring together perspectives from social and life sciences. They have put the following topics, among others, in the spotlight: privacy and identity, reputation, virtual communities, security and resilience, and network neutrality. Obtaining more information about these topics will help them improve our understanding about the so-called 'network effect' on human societies and organisations from an interdisciplinary perspective, an effect that benefits users the more they use it.
According to the EINS team, using the Internet is giving people the means to boost their well-being, to obtain the information they need to form opinions and to even build friendships, among others.
The project partners say the Internet has many multidisciplinary stakeholders, and because of this, the team is working together to impact the Internet's evolution in a way that optimises the benefits to people with respect to their private and social life, the economy, the environment and politics.
The main objective of the EINS initiative is to determine what Internet science is or what it should be. They will shed light on whether the interaction of disciplines will help push Internet science further. For instance, the team is investigating whether Internet science can transform online social networking, and is examining which specific analytic techniques and experimental methods from the social and natural sciences can enhance the traditional apparatus of Internet technology scientists.
They are also evaluating what the correct metrics for the expanded problem space are and assessing viable ways for Internet technologists to contribute to the other engaged disciplines.
Internet scientists are fuelling our understanding of the complex techno-social interactions that are driven by the Internet, effectively giving us the theoretical and empirical foundation to make decisions about the Internet. Ultimately, scientists are hoping to establish the future Internet with the technological, economic, social and environmental views of public and private stakeholders.
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