Abstract

Information and communication technologies allow us to bridge space and time. New services and industries are constantly being created. People no longer depend on the here and now for their development, but can tap into resources across the globe. Cloud computing, for instance, allows users to make use of remote services and store their data far from home. Increasingly, healthcare makes use of diagnosis and care at a distance. Drones and remote cameras are replacing the physical presence of police and other behavior monitors. In the future, robots will be deployed to act on our behalf. The mediation in space and time by technology also raises new questions. How will distance work out in daily life, in work, in friendships, and in care? How will people adjust to the paradoxical distance and closeness created by technologies? Will the distribution of responsibilities and liability change if activities take place at distances in space and time in complex systems and global environments? What are best practices in multi-level governance to address the rise of distant interconnectivity? This book, the result of a conference held in Spring 2013 at Tilburg University, brings together a collection of papers addressing the questions raised above.