Les usages et pratiques Internet sont plus sensibles aux interactions sociales que tout autre usage, qu’elles prennent la forme d’externalités de réseau, d’externalités informationnelles ou de soutien technique (Forman et Goldfarb, 2006, Goldfarb, 2005, Goldfarb et Prince, 2006, Goolsbee et Zittrain, 1999).

Nous avons, dans ce projet, plusieurs objectifs, plusieurs angles d’approche dans l’analyse du lien entre Internet et vie sociale.

Internet uses and practises are more sensitive to social interactions than other uses, no matter if they take the form of network externalities, of informational externalities or of technical support (Forman and Goldfarb, 2006, Goldfarb, 2005, Goldfarb and Prince, 2006, Goolsbee and Zittrain, 1999).

In this project, we have several objectives, several angles of approach for the analysis of the bond between the Internet and the social life.

This program aims to observe the circumstances and to analyse the potential consequences of a phenomenon that has a crawling impact on media since two decades and has brutally speed up from the beginning of the year 2000: the process of “multi-mediatization” (or convergence) of information contents produced by media companies. This phenomenon finds expression particularly in a reorganisation of companies’ capital and production structures on the one hand, in a modification of continuums and information products on the other hand. These evolutions would denote a double shifting. Firstly, it would indicate a shift of the place of media companies within the communication market, henceforth in competition, especially in the diffusion/distribution process, with other actors of whose are telecommunications providers, equipment manufacturers, content or software developers who invest massively in the production of individual terminals or other devices that provide access to information content (portals on the Internet). Secondly, it would denote a shift of competencies, status and finally identity of journalistic staff that has to produce contents in which production-broadcasting-valuation processes are evolving. This project intends to tackle these issues on a socio-economical approach decentred from the information strategies of a large and emblematic North American group, News Corporation and on the other hand, by a set of in-depth case studies on French media companies involved in convergence development strategies.

It consists of three main objectives:

► to reproduce historical technical objects which are not or not anymore accessible (fragility, materials or disappeared technical objects) and thus to constitute a technical database related to national heritage. The technical object involved in this particular project is the National Bridge in Brest (the swing bridge between Brest and Recouvrance) build in 1861 (by Cadiat and Oudry) and destroyed during the 1944’s bombings.

– to represent scientific or industrial technical objects with virtual images and consequently to develop computer-based environments for human learning in order to realize learning activities within the frame of:

i). museology

ii). engineering teachers training (schools, colleges)

– to describe the use and the new competencies at stake for the targeted users of the computer-based environment (students, visitors) as well as the professional skills for the actors (teachers, museum...)

Dans cet article, nous étudions les relations de coopération entre les entreprises, comprises en tant que diffusion et partage de connaissances, proximité entre partenaires et mode de diffusion. Nous avons réalisés une étude empirique auprès de 348 entreprises. Les résultats sont en ligne avec ceux trouvés dans la littérature : la distance, les communications virtuelles et le savoir-quoi (know-what) augmente la connaissance codifiée échangée entre les entreprises, alors que les communications « physiques » ont l’effet inverse. De plus, plus les entreprises échangent de savoir-quoi, plus elles échangent aussi des types de connaissance complémentaires (savoir comment, savoir pourquoi) ; plus la collaboration est inter-régionale, et fondée sur des communications virtuelles, plus la connaissance échangée est codifiée.

Cet article fait suite à une revue de la littérature sur les relations de coopérations entre les entreprises et le lien avec l’usage des TIC.

Mots clefs : diffusion des connaissances, utilisation des TIC, proximité géographique, changement technique.

ABSTRACT.

In this paper, we analyze the cooperative relations of firms, in term of knowledge diffused and shared, proximities between partners, and modes of diffusion. An empirical investigation is undertaken near 348 firms. The results are consistent with the literature : the distance, the virtual communication and the know-what increase the codified knowledge shared among firms, while the real communication have the opposite effect. However, the results do not suggest an opposition between virtual and real communication or between know-what and know-how, but rather a complementarity of these elements. Indeed, the more firms share know-what, the more they share complementary types of knowledge (know-how and know-why), and the more the collaboration is inter-regional and funded on virtual communication, and the more the shared knowledge is codified.

Keywords : knowledge diffusion, ICT use, geographical proximity, technological change

Dans le cadre du projet E-santé et lors du forum des projets ingénieurs de l’ENST Bretagne, une journée d’étude sur les travaux mobilisant les sciences sociales et les sciences de l’ingénieur autour des objet E-santé est proposée.

The dissemination of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within firms induces organizational changes which modify employee perceptions of working conditions. This article aims to evaluate the effects of the use of cell phones, computers and the Internet on job satisfaction, striving to distinguish between direct effects (due to ICT) and indirect effects (due to ICT combined with organizational changes). We have used the results of a survey by the INSEE (French national statistic institute) on standards of living in French households, conducted in October 2005. Econometric results show that these three technologies have complementary and globally positive impacts on job satisfaction, especially the computer. As for the cell phone, it has ambivalent effects, as it is also a source of stress for the employee. Finally, our results clearly show the existence of direct and indirect effects of ICT, effects which can sometimes cancel out or reinforce each other.

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have deeply modified the relations between ships and land. Thanks to the ICT (telephones by satellites and, possibly the Internet), a ship (trading vessel, military ship or fishing vessel) at sea is no longer cut off the world : it stays in contact with its armament, with the traffic control stations, with the harbour services. The ICT also allow the sailors to stay in touch with their families. As a consequence, the ICT have modified the sailors’activities in a positive way. From now on, thanks to remote maintenance or to telemedicine, it is possible to use skills which are not present aboard. However, the links maintained with the ground can be perceived like a violation towards the independence of the sailors (e.g. an increase in the control of the trajectories of the ships) and contribute to the drop in value of the work of sailor. The purpose of the study is to bring support to the public decision within the scope of the diffusion of information and communication techniques.