Digital Pulse - Ch 2 - Sec 2 - Take Five: A Handful of Essential for ICTs in Development

Summary

In his article, Dagron calls into question the viability of the belief that the ICT and technological revolution that has emerged will bring with it a social and economic revolution for the developing world. He argues that knowledge alone will not be enough to liberate people from poverty and is concerned with both the inappropriateness and market-oriented implementation of ICTs in developing countries. Furthermore, while recognizing the digital divide, he points that it is really just another manifestation of existing divisions between the developed and developing rather than any sort of new phenomenon brought about by the emergence of ICTs. He is also critical of the market tendency to prioritize financial sustainability over “social sustainability” in the development of ICT projects.

Key Points

He argues that the ICT component should develop in tandem with the development process, not in isolation from it. It is the interaction between the community, technical capacity, and the tools for communication and knowledge that will determine the success or failure of any particular ICT project. He then presents a series of “non-negotiable” conditions for ICTs if they are to contribute to effective social change and development.

1. Community Ownership
• Problems – Many projects are initiated without community input that leads to equipment theft or deterioration because of lack of a sense of ownership.
• Challenges – A strengthening of community participation in planning will lead to sense of ownership and contribute to safety and maintenance of equipment. It will also promote local organization and administration, and dialogue between community and planners.
2. Local Content
• Problems – Most Internet content is irrelevant to the developing world's poor and is controlled by commercial rules. The demand for telephone, fax, and computer services far exceeds the demand for the Internet in most rural multimedia centres.
• Challenges – Local content is the most important condition for ICTs because the current “ocean” of knowledge does not meet the needs of the poor. Mini-networks between communities would be more useful than unfettered access to the www.
3. Appropriate Technology
• Problems – Computers remain a luxury, and purchasing decisions appear to be out of step with the needs of communities. The newest hardware/software capacity is generally underused and is not able to be repaired locally.
• Challenges – Technology must be appropriate and adequate to the needs of the communities, not in technical terms, but in terms of utilization, learning, and adoption. There should also be an ongoing process of community appropriation of the technology and the project.
4. Language & Culture Pertinence
• Problems – English dominates the web, and when combined with the Internet's class and cultural uniformity, creates a new type of “Apartheid.” The developing world is also left to inherit a “user culture” because of the lack of opportunities for contribution
• Challenges – Without the presence of local culture/language, ICTs cannot contribute to the development of communities. The present unbalanced “cultural exchange” must be altered and will occur only if communities are empowered to produce more local content.
5. Convergence and Networking
• Problems – Projects are initiated in areas with no history of participation, no convergence with other programs or organizations, and no networking with other ICT projects. Projects are instituted in isolation without alliances amongst each other or the community.
• Challenges – ICT projects should complement existing social development projects and make efforts to converge with existing media (radio/Internet). Projects should seek to benefit networks of citizens, not consumers.

In concluding, Dagron points out a few simple but obvious facts that colour all Western attempts at analysing the potential of the Internet and ICTs for development. All of the academics, policymakers, programme directors and funders have a radically different understanding of the potential of the Internet because they have daily and unfettered access to it. This is not, and will not be the case for the developing world any time soon and must always be taken into account. Secondly, the Internet the developing worlds needs is not just any kind of Internet, but one that serves specific needs and is not overrun with the crass commercialism that now pervades the Western experience. Communications for development must remain distinct form communications for the market.

Source: Alfonso Gumucio Dagron “Take Five: A Handful of Essential for ICTs in Development.”