Network Society

 People and Organizations Online (Stage 4)

The majority of the population of the Netherlands are interested in using the Internet for their daily lives, with normal users logging in every day to access music, chat online, online investment, or connecting themselves online with each other. Examples of websites include Meetic, a popular European online dating company and widely recognized as the default pan-European leader when it comes to online dating located in Amsterdam. Members of the community within the Netherlands have created websites to cater to the their domestic audiences, as numerous websites have been created within Amsterdam that are aimed at communication and online commerce. such examples are: Online fashion site Fashiolista.com, which was launched in The Netherlands last year, or YouTellMe a social shopping website in Europe that focuses on product comparison.

Whether its services such as online investing through Robecco, or the online music community Tribe of Noise, the Netherlands provides numerous outlets online for users to explore content.

Interestingly the practice of file sharing has a very large presences within the Netherlands, as some of the largest sites offering torrents of copyrighted material are located within the Netherlands, including famous websites such as the Piratebay, Mini-nova and Demanoid. Many computer users within the Netherlands regularly use these torrent services to download copyrighted or fair-use material, which led to the creation of Brein, the dutch equivalent of the RIAA which protects copyrighted material.

 Locally Relevant Content (Stage 4)

Local content in the Netherlands is generated by citizens to improve their daily lives through online communications. In Amsterdam programmers are creating new and innovative ways of accessing information across their country, whether through traditional websites or though new technologies that share information for their users. One such example is Yellow Bird, a start up organization in the Netherlands which is similar to google maps but instead specializes in the production of 360º video content. The development of technology offers interactive 360º video playback and the distribution and delivery of that content through a wide variety of channels.

A second example are the makers of mobile Augmented Reality (AR) browser Layar which was developed in Netherlands's Amsterdam which enables augmented reality scene, available for both Android and the IPhone.

Many affordable opportunities exist for Web-related training as even global organizations such as Vodafone have launched a competition to identify and reward innovative Internet start-ups. Now in its third year, the competition is open to any fledgling mobile Web start-up in the Netherlands with a prize fund of €150,000

 Information and communication technologies or ICTs in Everyday Life (Stage 4)

The Netherlands offers a number of network services for voice and data services as well as a fast growing number of WiFi locations where users have access to a high speed mobile Internet connection; connections which are applied to the populations everyday life in online communication, business and commerce. T-mobile for example offers Wifi hot spots that are available throughout the Netherlands at online cafes for a service fee similar to the service provided in the united states. In comparison, the Netherlands is ahead of the united states in the availability and purchase of smart phones that arrive in Europe before becoming available in the United States.

 ICTs in the Workplace (Stage 4)

The Netherlands scores high when it comes to the use of information technology in society. The Netherlands ranks 9th in the world on the 2009-2010 Global Information Technology. The majority of organizations throughout the Netherlands are technologically sufficient in information and communication technologies. Many organizations throughout the Netherlands are global businesses operating on a world wide scale, with networked intranets that connect various branches to each other across the globe. One example of a prominent organization is Philips, one of the largest electronics companies in the world. Located within Amsterdam Netherlands, it operates with various branches across the world and has racked in sales of 25.42 billion in 2010. An organization of this immensity is obviously connected to the Internet and provides online support through websites, online support, and networked offices.