Exploring old terrains with new technologies - making ICT services and applications work for the poor
27 June 2005
Department of Mass Media and Communication Studies, University of Madras, Chennai, India
Developing countries are struggling with varying degree of success to attain its developmental goals. As ICTs diffuse rapidly, the question about its contribution to the development process has become an issue of much concern. ICTs are seen as a critical resource in the promotion of socio-economic development, with a potency to alleviate poverty. The popular wisdom is that there are various spheres in developing societies where the pace of development can be accelerated significantly by the use of new ICTs. However, the faith in the transformative potential of ICT is also accompanied by concerns about the growing disparity between information haves and have-nots and the emergence of ‘zones of silence’— communities who are excluded from the digital revolution and exist on the margins of information societies. ICTs are making no difference to the lives of many people in developing countries, who are still struggling to address their basic human needs, the endemic problem of poverty, illiteracy etc. As in other services (World Bank Report, 2004), ICTs are also failing poor people in many ways. Thus, in exploring the landscapes of ICTs and social accountability, it is imperative that we address the following questions: How and in what ways can ICTs help poor people and those who are socially excluded? How can ICT-based development strategies and policies be made more accountable to the special needs of the dis-empowered? What are the areas that are likely to create opportunities for the use of ICTs where they have the maximum potentials to benefit the poor? These questions serve as an impetus for the present paper and have guided the choice of background theory, focus theory, research context & design.
Keywords: Developing countries, ICT, ICT-based development strategies, policies
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