ICT and Human Development

The Illusion and the Negative Social Impact of ICT on Human Development

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are wonderful tools with an enormous potential for Social Impact, Human Development and improving the lives of the people they serve.

Through ICT people can communicate better, have access to more information, develop collaborative and research skills, become aware of their options and opportunities and gain confidence on their potential. People can communicate, buy, sell and trade with the entire world; express themselves and made their voices be heard. People can be better informed and exercise their right to demand accountability from those supposed to serve them.

But just because they can, doesn’t mean they will.

Countless papers have been written on the infinite potential of ICT for social and economic change in developing regions (commonly referred to as Information Technologies for Development or IT4Dev). Several examples are pointed out as successful initiatives where people are empowered to do more, improve their living conditions and build themselves a better future for them and their communities. We all have heard the motivating stories, or can imagine them just the same, of change-making tele-centers, education networks, virtual marketplaces, community radio, distant learning and telemedicine initiatives to name just a few areas.

But for some reason, beyond the hype of connectivity, access to information and entering some informal markets, if we look closely into those communities, we will find that they remain poor and living conditions remain low. At best some individuals have been able to take advantage of the technology deployed and made some progress, becoming profiles and the center of case studies on the successful impact of technology in developing regions.