IT is not exactly what it is, but what you do with IT that can make a difference. Charles Dickens, ya say? NO WAY MAN! Did he use a legacy network to foster social change through IT in tough economic times? You bet your sweet parsnip he did.
To quote Wikipedia: "Another important impact of Dickens's episodic writing style resulted from his exposure to the opinions of his readers. Since Dickens did not write the chapters very far ahead of their publication, he was allowed to witness the public reaction and alter the story depending on those public reactions. A fine example of this process can be seen in his weekly serial The Old Curiosity Shop, which is a chase story." Was Charles, in essence, blogging his storyline? I think so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens
You might say Dickens put the human-y around the IT of the Victorian Age. Dickens exposed problems not prosaically but with the wit and wisdom of a growing social consciousness.
"Rags to Riches" was a cute level climbing game with a great social imagination for 1985 but quickly disappeared as game programming became more sophisticated. It is a somewhat iconic homage to the still existent street people with shopping carts. Today a young man pushing a cart of gathered bottles was ringing doorbells in a residential block. Push bell, count to ten or fifteen, then off to next home. At least he was wearing off some energy. Later in the morning I drove through a developing scenic area of West Kelowna and snapped this picture of Dahl (Bighorn) Sheep browsing on a re-engineered hillside.
What I am trying to relate is that perhaps what we perceive as problems are not so much their problems but our problem. Some people are using legacy networks to achieve a manageable quality of life. How can IT help? IT can re-educate us, broaden communications and let us be ourselves. Legacy network for the homeless? Where's their economy, their stores their social clubs, their schools. At Parks, Hostels, Counselling centres, dumpsters, bottle depots, sidewalks and shade trees. There are many other places but we would probably lump into a group noted as, trespassing. Perhaps if there was a legacy economy modeled more to their lifestyle that could lead to a safer and healthier existence but offer social commitment in a re-assuring not over-powering style. Maybe as the sheep browse, some people have a need to browse to feel comfortable with their life, after all nature does provide what is necessary. A gardener teaches the joys of sharing a garden, a fisherman the gift of the waters, or a baker the exercise of kneading (I love that word). The IT (is that itinerant tech, information tech, Interested tinker) worker, or computer ceaird, would help teach alternative, necessary technology and help to resource information.
In Dickens day it was workhouses for the indebted, today economic incubators, tomorrow? Well that might take a lot of communication.