Dude, Where Is My Identity?!

An evening discussion on how young people, “yoof”, actually use technology.  Young people relate to technology in different ways than their elders, more messaging via social networks than email, new values on privacy, more awareness of media and cost.  Liam Maxwell, Head of Computing at Eton College, will be speaking about identity, forgetting, personality and young people's interactions with the internet and society. There is a generational gap that spans more than just techniques and privacy practices, it demonstrates a profoundly different approach and one which older adults may not, and perhaps should not, be able to fully comprehend.  Liam intends to include in the discussion some students from secondary schools to add personal impact.  Given Liam’s own views on many subjects of interest to the Real Time Club, it promises to be a vigorous discussion.

Liam Maxwell is Head of Computing at Eton College and an active teacher, as well as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies.  He is a Councillor and the Cabinet Member for Policy at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, a Freeman with the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and a technology specialist with a background as an IT Director in major business service companies.  Liam has published widely, including two policy books, “It’s Ours, Why We, Not Government, Must Own Our Data” (Centre for Policy Studies, 2009) and “How The Internet Took Obama Back To The 1950s” (Centre for Policy Studies, 2008), and co-author, with Mark Thompson, and a 2008 report for the Conservative Party, “Open Source, Open Standards: Reforming IT Procurement In Government”.  Liam has a number of open government policy recommendations of note, including putting all council expenditure over £500 online, real-time online reporting of council energy consumption, publishing every expense claim no matter how small and league tables of attendance and voting.  His blog on open government, affordable technology and better for less is here - http://www.liammaxwell.com/.