Computing and Social Welfare

Eric K. Clemons (), Ravi V. Waran (), Sebastian Hermes (), Maximilian Schreieck () and Helmut Krcmar ()
Additional contact information
Eric K. Clemons: University of Pennsylvania
Ravi V. Waran: Clearwater Paper Corporation
Sebastian Hermes: Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Maximilian Schreieck: University of Pennsylvania
Helmut Krcmar: Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Electronic Markets, 2022, vol. 32, issue 2, No 4, 417-436

Abstract: Abstract Social Welfare Computing is an emerging discipline that seeks to direct technology to cause minimum societal disruption, and in particular seeks to minimize the harm caused directly by technology itself. This is markedly different from the better-understood uses of technology to create value or to address existing social needs. Innovative technologies that are widely adopted created significant value for their users; otherwise, they would not be widely adopted. Often the companies that create them obtain new sources of wealth and power, which inevitably lead to new forms of abuse of power and new forms of societal disruption. Societal disruption in turn requires social adaptation, including new regulations to influence the behavior of firms and to define and to protect the rights of individuals in the changed society. The governance of online business models is complex because regulators must meet the conflicting objectives of different segments of society, and because regulators must avoid imposing restrictions that stifle innovation. Social Welfare Computing seeks to guide social adaptation, combining insights from disciplines as varied as anthropology, business strategy, economics, strategic planning, and law.

Keywords: Social Welfare Computing; Dark side of computing; Fake news; Platform envelopment; Life control interfaces; Regulation of Big Tech; D60; K21; L40; L50; L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12525-021-00512-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:elmark:v:32:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s12525-021-00512-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ystems/journal/12525

DOI: 10.1007/s12525-021-00512-0

Access Statistics for this article

Electronic Markets is currently edited by Rainer Alt and Hans-Dieter Zimmermann

More articles in Electronic Markets from Springer, IIM University of St. Gallen
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().