Multimedia inquiry
The Multimedia Enquete is an initiative of the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg . The parliament had on 1 December 1994 as the world's first parliament , a commission of inquiry established, which should provide an overview of the opportunities and risks associated with the expected spread of new information and communication technologies are connected. Above all, the social and economic options of multimedia technologies and the political options for action should be explored.
The study commission "Development, opportunities and effects of new information and communication technologies in Baden-Württemberg" was made up of representatives of the parliamentary groups, high-ranking experts from business and science as well as the collective bargaining parties. She saw her most important concern in working towards building consensus in society at the beginning of a major technological innovation :
- “Our society knows, or at least suspects, that the new information and communication technology can change its usual life in an almost revolutionary way. In an orderly community with its hard-won and repeatedly threatened possessions, this expectation initially creates uncertainty and unrest. That is why the acceptance of such revolutionary technologies must first be achieved in public discourse. Acceptance presupposes acceptability. After weighing the discernible effects, people must be convinced that the possibilities that arise from such technical innovations can be useful for them. With its jointly supported report, the study commission made an important contribution to building consensus in society. It was possible to bring together the knowledge and experiences from the different professional environments of its members in such a way that in the end jointly supported evaluations and recommendations could arise. It is an important concern of the study commission to continue this social consensus building in an organized public discourse and to successfully develop the projects started in public and private partnership and to take up new suggestions ... ” (from the preface to the study report).
The inquiry led on 20 October 1995 to a unanimous written report, which was considered groundbreaking in its assessment of the social options and to contribute to the interests overarching opinion and far beyond Baden-Wuerttemberg addition, attention was (parliament of Baden-Wuerttemberg, printed matter 11 / 6400).