Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming the lives of communities and groups in developing countries. This book shows that we are slowly beginning to understand how these communities are appropriating ICTs to address their needs. ICTs are being integrated into wider community-based activities and adapted to fit different contexts. A significant development has been in the growth of telecommunications, in particular mobile phones, that have proven to be relatively cheap and powerful tools for poor communities, even in remote areas.
The power of oral communication through telephones and radio cannot be underestimated. Whether for strengthening social relations, checking that remittances will arrive on time or increasing market opportunities, voice-based communications are appropriated far quicker than those based on the written word or even video. The challenge is to adapt the new, usually computer-based ICTs to the needs of poor, predominantly oral-based communities so that they can be appropriated effectively and quickly.
However, two years on from the paper, ‘Discovering the “Magic Box”, there are still too few examples of community-driven and locally appropriated ICT initiatives - and an absence of standards or guidelines to evaluate ICT-based projects. This book offers some analytical frameworks and indicators that move us further in the direction of identifying good practice and evidence of impact.
The case studies provide a useful insight into the daily challenges and ingenuity of people using ICTs. Extrapolating from them we have established four guiding principles for integrating ICTs to development activities:
the need for communities and outsiders to monitor and evaluate ICT projects and to develop frameworks or guidelines for measuring impact
that ‘process’ is vital to development interventions
the need to focus on the benefits not the technology
the need for access to be accompanied by capacity building for local content.
There is strong support for community-based media as an alternative to mainstream mass media and to respond to locally specific needs. At the same time, there is also the need to be able to appropriate global content for local consumption. The case studies of FIRE and WOUGNET show how organizations can connect voices, technologies and actions, and strenghten networks of organizations working for positive social change.
Networking is becoming one of the key themes of the 21st Century. People are recognizing that there is strength in numbers - whether for advocacy or business - and they are using ICTs to create virtual information sharing networks to add value to their ‘real’ world.
Two years ago the ‘Magic Box’ paper stated that those initiatives that demonstrated local appropriation received scant international visibility. This remains true, partly because where local communities appropriate new technologies, they do not see anything ‘newsworthy’ in their actions - lending a neighbour your mobile phone is hardly front-page news!
The ‘Magic Box’ paper identified an absence of participatory needs assessments in ICT initiatives. This too is changing as ICTs become more integrated into ongoing development work. Initiatives such as Gyandoot and WOUGNET use ICTs to enhance existing development programmes according to pre-defined and specific needs. Radio La Voladora in Mexico has learned that including the community in radio production not only legitimizes the radio station but ensures the sustainability and relevance of the broadcasts. However, the lack of participation in the creation of content remains a serious concern for the international development community. This book outlines a conceptual way to discuss content that can be used in ICT discussions.
Do the principles of today provide us with guidance for interventions in the future?
These statements do not mean that the digital divide is narrowing or that the information superhighway provides a fast track to prosperity for all. The future hangs on many variables and ICTs are just one of them. The case studies show that local appropriation offers benefits to communities however, further research is still required to understand their impact. Some of the needs identified through the case studies call for: more awareness raising and training; greater networking amongst those already using ICTs and; the integration of other media to complement and extend the outreach of information and communication services for rural and poor communities.
ICTs should be seen as a means to enhance communication for development activities and networks, not a distinct sector. This approach shows that the mechanisms of local appropriation are in fact well-known - they are the mechanisms for good practice in development.
We end this book with a challenge. Communities have shown their ability to adapt technology to fit their needs and their circumstances. They have appropriated technologies ranging from the telephone to radio to the Internet to support their livelihoods. We need to learn from community-based examples of local appropriation, such as those outlined in the case studies and build on the creativity and resilience of communities to ensure that the benefits of the new technologies are made available to all.
