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The 'Blue Book', the annual report on the development of Hungarian Information Society during the past year, has been published for the fourth time. It reveals that in 2008, the development of the Information Society failed to become a priority and a strategic area for the promotion of the socio-economic competitiveness of the country.
"Similarly to the previous years, we are still a demanding Information Society, although it would be possible to take offensive steps producing competitive advantages. During the last year, the building of Information Society from the ground up kept on strengthening, the reflexivity of the civil society improved, but this process met the governmental and market initiatives only occasionally” – states the report produced by the BME-UNESCO Information Society Research Institute (ITTK) in its first sentences.
2008 was an important year in the European Union, since more than half of the adult population can be regarded as Internet users now. Hungary approached this rate before the end of 2008, and the Hungarian youth showed a sufficient level in Internet usage and in the consumption and production of digital culture. As regards eGovernment however, the country reached average levels. For about half of the society, ICT tools still do not bring any direct advantage in everyday life.
In addition to assessing last year’s most important data, the Blue Book analyses the broadband public utility development, the results of reducing the digital divide and community informatics. It moreover presents the importance of green IT and the Hungarian eGovernment achievements. The report urges for immediate action in the fields of social innovation, broadband Internet access and the development of eGovernment.
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