The driving forces in the virtual society

This article examines the factors propelling the evolution to a virtual workplace and the arrangements being used to implement these changes in a societal context. The term virtual society refers to all components that are part of a society's culture based on the functional rather than the physical. It extends to include significant enhanced effects or actions, physical behavior of non-physical entities, and the supporting use of telecommunications and computing technologies. Companies no longer talk about "work at home" programs, they talk about "work anywhere, anytime." Individuals, groups, organizations communities, and the world can communicate with one another and do business independent of time zones and geographic locations. The purpose of this article is to review existing articles in academic and business journals within the fields of information science, social science, economics, and management for the purpose of deriving a conceptual framework to study the creation and impact of the ensuing virtual society. This study provides important insights into the forces and the issues in virtual societies.