Finland admits failure in building the information society and starts to act?

The Federation of Finnish Technology industries (http://www.teknologiateollisuus.fi/en/) has published a report Digital Finland (in Finnish digitaalinen Suomi -http://www.teknologiainfo.net/content/kirjat/pdf-tiedostot/Sahko_elektroniikka_ja_tietoteollisuus/digitaalinen_suomi-ekirja.pdf?from=11376748755378896).

The report makes an interesting read. First of all it admits that the Finnish Society has to a large extent failed in adopting digital technology and failed in building the information society. I agree with this statement and believe that admitting the fact is the first step to creating change. Secondly the report goes on to show how the Finnish industries can build both products and services, which will help in building change i.e. it argues that this is a potential growth market to Finnish companies. In these respects the report is great.

However I am concerned about the market. I would argue that the potential customers in Finland (and possibly also abroad) do not understand the potential of these new products and services. The potential customers do not know how to build efficiency with information technology. These potential customers need to be educated.

Suvi Linden, the minister of communications in Finland, does not admit failure in building the information society (http://www.digitoday.fi/yhteiskunta/2010/06/25/suvi-lindn-puolustaa-parjattua-tietoyhteiskuntaa/20108959/66). What else could a politician answer when her area of responsibility is attacked. In this respect I understand her answer. However she goes on to argue that many of the elements of building the information society are not and should not be her responsibility i.e. the responsibility of the Ministry of Communications, but the responsibility of the respective ministries e.g. the Ministry of Education and Culture (http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/?lang=en) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (http://www.stm.fi/en/frontpage). I feel that this comment goes along my thinking that the customers - in this case the mininistries representing - the Finnish public sector need to be educated on how to use the possibilities of information tools.

My observation is that there is a need to educate the customer. Lets see if and how this need will emerge.