themes
Social Acceptance
The introduction of new technologies in any context should stimulate scientific progress and improve quality of life of all. CyberEthics Lab. provides guidance for favouring responsible progress and greater transparency for end users of technologies across the spectrum.
Social acceptance is central to the development of any disruptive technology, from its inception to its adoption. On the one hand, understanding a technology’s strengths and weaknesses can impact whether that same technology benefits from a widespread and appropriate adoption in the market. On the other hand, imagining society’s ever-changing and diverse concerns and needs can shed light on unmet demands. At CyberEthics Lab., we have developed the “Close the Loop” model, which we have represented in the "social acceptance hexagon". Our evaluation model is based on 6 crucial points that reflect the main aspects of the relationship between technology and society: Perception, Motivation, Awareness, Trust, Skills Enabling, and Responsibility. This model can be applied to many areas where emerging technologies play a leading role in capacity enabling and where social impacts need to be considered, but may not yet garner widespread trust due to a lack of understanding or a sense of excessive associated risks.