Technologies of Choice?

Undoubtedly, information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a key role in our lives. But in her book Technologies of Choice, Dorothea Kleine, a professor at the University of London, points out that we haven’t yet figured out how best to use them. She raises two key questions that we can consider about the role of technologies in development:

First, how can disadvantaged people gain access to technologies that meet their needs?

Second, once these people have gained access, how can we make sure that technologies are useful in the unique and diverse contexts of their lives?

These questions come from Kleine’s interest in ICT4D, which stands for ICTs for Development. Studies in ICT4D look at the ways that organizations and people use technologies for economic and community development. David Souter gives a brief history of the concept and the term here. ICT4D is a loaded term because there is no consensus about what development means.

People think about development in different ways. Sometimes it refers to economic growth, while other times it includes access to health and education. Critics argue that uneven development, dependency, and inequality are bound up in capitalist approaches to development. Some go so far as to dismiss the idea of the ‘development project’.

The video below is a half-hour talk from Kleine that outlines some ideas she explores in her book.