The Network Society - University of Massachusetts Amherst

Challenges of the Global Information Society 363
• sports (from running and swimming to tennis and football
• yoga, Method Putkisto, etc.
• gym, aerobics
• lifestyle physical activity (walking to and from work, using the
stairs instead of taking the lift, etc.)
• dancing
• going for a walk with friends
• outdoor activities
• cultural tours
Having more exercise would have a considerable positive effect not
only on the health of those who exercise, but also on society’s welfare
expenses as a whole. This development could be promoted by providing
people with economic incentives to exercise, for example by giving
them the right to use public sports facilities (e.g. swimming halls) free
of charge on certain conditions. People could also receive a tax
allowance on certain sports expenses. This is the “exercise always pays
back” principle, as the investments made in exercise today can save
considerable amounts of money in the future. The facilities provided
by the information society, for example the Internet, can be used for
the preparation of easy-to-use weight-loss and exercise programmes
and for the centralised booking of sports services.
In the end, this kind of a balanced culture of creativity would
improve the quality of people’s lives (through increased job satisfaction
and a better balance between work and other aspects of life) and
would thus enhance the productivity of work (as companies would be
better able to adjust to fluctuations in demand and employees would
be more energetic and would achieve better results at work) and guarantee
the maintenance of the welfare society.
Cultural balance
Finally, it should be specifically noted that the cultural balance of
development also requires self-fulfilment outside work. Underlying
this entire review is, indeed, the idea of an active approach to life that
is realised not only in the private sector (entrepreneurship) but also in
the public sector (innovativeness) and non-governmental organisations
(caring, art, hobbies etc.).