Integrating mobile technologies to achieve community development goals

Vannini, Sara; Nemer, David; Rega, Isabella

doi:10.1145/3083671.3083684

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In this vein, libraries, and other venues for public access to information (e.g., telecenters, community technology centres, community multimedia centres, etc.) have been identified as privileged actors for bridging the digital divide because of their central role in providing digital skills training and for being communities' focal points to fulfil contextual informational needs (Gómez, 2011;Rega et al, 2013;Sey et al, 2013;Sey & Fellows, 2009;Vannini, Nemer, & Rega, 2017).…”

Section: Information For Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Critical scholars in the field have examined the relationships between researchers and communities in terms of power dynamics, and they have tried to offer frameworks to improve scholars' work in intercultural contexts (Brunello, 2015; Vannini et al. , 2017a, b). However, this very same analysis reflects a view where researchers, mostly coming from the North, recreate colonial power dependencies and dynamics between the North, where development comes from, and the South, where it has to land.…”

Section: Library and Information Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A holistic decolonial lens for library and information studies

Jiménez

Vannini

Cox

2022

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PurposeThe aim of this paper is to introduce a holistic decolonial lens for Library and Information Studies (LIS). As such it centres in the following questions: what does decolonisation mean in the context of LIS? How can a holistic approach help improve our understanding of the field?Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that draws on theoretical analysis and discussion with in-depth examination of two cases of librarianship and information for development.FindingsThe paper presents a decolonial framework for interpreting and comprehending LIS-specific issues. As a result, we believe it is critical to recognise three interconnected types of colonial legacies and identify ways in which LIS academics and practitioners can consider these in the context of their research and work.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper introduces a holistic framework for thinking about decoloniality in the LIS discipline. Further work should consider how this framework can be useful for other LIS fields.Practical implicationsThe framework is of practical significance for LIS academics and practitioners who wish to take a decolonial approach to their research and thinking. We provide questions intended to lead to action.Originality/valueThe paper provides a holistic decolonial approach to critically reflect on research and teaching practices in the context of LIS.

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Section: Information For Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Library and Information Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A holistic decolonial lens for library and information studies

Jiménez

Vannini

Cox

2022

Self Cite

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“…Some practitioners have questioned the relevance of CTCs in the age of mobile internet, where smartphones and data plans are more and more accessible (see [15]). However, studies have shown that mobile internet, and phones, are rather complimentary to CTCs than substitutes of these centers [2,15,26,27]. Currently, CTCs continue to receive considerable attention from both practitioners and academics, and the number of telecenters has continued to grow, especially in developing countries [2].…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of these centers target low-income people in underserved communities. CTC is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of types of organizations, from public facilities, such as Telecenters and Public Libraries [2,3], to for-profit venues, such as LAN houses and cybercafés [4,5]. The CTC movement started in 1968 in the U.S., but had its "explosive" growth in the 1990s with the support of national agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), which maintained more than 20,000 in the 2000s throughout the country.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going beyond the “T” in “CTC”: Social Practices as Care in Community Technology Centers

Nemer

2018

Information

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Community technology center (CTC) is a term usually associated with facilities that provide free or affordable computer and internet access, and sometimes training, to people in underserved communities. Despite the large number of studies done on CTCs, the literature has focused primarily on the use of ICTs as the main, if not the only, activity in these centers. When it comes to addressing social concerns, the literature has often seen them as an outcome of ICT use. It does not highlight CTCs as an inherent and important social space that helps to tackle social issues. Thus, in this study, I present an ethnographic account of how residents of favelas (urban slums in Brazil)-who are from understudied and marginalized areas-used these centers beyond the "T" (technology) in order to fulfill some of their social needs. I highlight the social practices afforded by the CTCs that were beneficial to the underserved communities. By social practices, I focus exclusively on the acts of care performed by individuals in order to address self and community needs. I argue that CTCs go beyond the use of technology and provide marginalized people with a key social space, where they alleviate some of their social concerns, such as lack of proper education, violence, drug cartel activities, and other implications of being poor.

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“…The rapid proliferation of mobile phones across the developing world has not only bolstered the prospect of them becoming new tools for economic and social development of the poor, but has also raised concerns about the relevance of telecenters in the changed landscape (see Sharma and Ray, 2019). However, the current scholarship tends to suggest that mobile phones have not substituted telecenters; instead, they co-exist, complementing each other in providing services to the low-income groups (Donner, 2015;Vannini et al, 2017;Nemer, 2018). As such, telecenters continue to enjoy strong popularity, especially among the policy elites, international donors, and development professionals who seek to extend the benefits of the ICT to the poor and underprivileged groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The magic bullet for rural development? Exploring the impacts of community telecenters in Bangladesh

Siddiquee

Faroqi²

2021

Information Development

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This paper explores the impacts of Bangladesh’s Union Digital Centers (UDCs) as government information and service delivery hubs in rural areas. Drawing on user-surveys and semi-structured individual interviews it demonstrates that the UDCs have produced generally positive yet modest impacts on governance of service delivery. It shows that the UDCs are at an early stage of development, and that they offer only a limited set of services. While they helped extend ICT-enabled services to sections of population that would otherwise have missed them, the UDCs do not have much to do with rural livelihoods and empowerment of the poor and marginalized groups. These findings point to current inadequacies and pitfalls of the UDC approach to development. We argue that enhanced viability and effectiveness of the UDC experiment would warrant embedding more value-added governmental services and further strengthening of their capacity, mandate, and connectivity with government agencies at various levels, among others.

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Integrating mobile technologies to achieve community development goals

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

A holistic decolonial lens for library and information studies

A holistic decolonial lens for library and information studies

Going beyond the “T” in “CTC”: Social Practices as Care in Community Technology Centers

The magic bullet for rural development? Exploring the impacts of community telecenters in Bangladesh

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