NEW technologies can celebrate human ingenuity and stimulate the creative imagination if designed in a human-centred fashion according to Prof Mike Cooley.
Prof Cooley, who comes from Tuam, Co Galway, is an international consultant on science and industry based in England, and he was speaking at the forum on consumers and the information society.
"Scientific and technological developments have invariably proved to be double-edged. They produced the beauty of Venice and the hideousness of Chernobyl; the caring therapies of Rontgen's X-rays and the destruction of Hiroshima," he said.
"It can be a Mecca for those interested in the artistic and educational treasures of our humanity, or a cesspool for pornographers and paedophiles.
"It creates jobs but is also decimating them in their millions worldwide in white-collar occupations such as banking and insurance."
But they could be used in a positive way, he said. This involved starting with human needs and developing technology and organisation to suit them, rather than the other way round.
The greatest asset a society had was the creativity, ingenuity and imagination of its people, and no technology could substitute for that. Technology was part of culture, and we should all ensure that technology was adapted to our own cultures.
The new technologies could be used to create jobs, especially in marginalised areas, and to offer facilities which would allow older citizens retain their dignity and independence for much longer than would otherwise be the case.
"Remote diagnostic and treatment systems for less-populated areas and Third World countries could improve the health and quality of life of many people worldwide," he said.
Mr Axel Edling, the consumer ombudsman for Sweden, said a survey there had shown there were many problems with new technology for people with disabilities.
For example, banking kiosks were often positioned with no consideration for people in wheelchairs; they required good eyesight; they were complicated; some equipment required muscle strength or a twisting movement; and, more generally, there was a problem of lack of uniformity of keyboards.
The Nordic Council of Ministers had introduced a thorough specification of consumer requirements for card-based self-service systems, and similar requirements were now being introduced into European and international bodies on standardisation.
Ms Linda Lennard of the UK National Consumer Council said that for those who could not afford their own, computers, access could be provided through such places as libraries and community centres, day centres and long-stay residential homes.