PowerPoint Presentation

Myths of Information Technology for International Development

Kentaro ToyamaVisiting ScholarUniversity of California, Berkeley

University of Pennsylvania ICT4D Lecture SeriesPhiladelphia October 13, 2011

Photos: http://indiveggie.wordpress.com/; http://VegIndiaRecipe.com

Ghar ki murgi daal baraabar2Microsoft Research IndiaBangalore

- Observational research- Intervention research- Research lab

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OutlineIntroduction

ICT for Development

Myths of ICT4D

A Theory

ICT for Development, Revisited

RecommendationsOutlineIntroduction

ICT for Development

Myths of ICT4D

A Theory

ICT for Development, Revisited

Recommendations

How can an application UI be converted into one that is usable by non-literate users?The Problem

8Text-Free User InterfacesDesign principles:

Pen or touch interface

Liberal use of imageryNo text (but numbers OK)Semi-abstracted cartoons

Aggressive use of mouse-over functionality

Voice feedback

Consistent help icon

Full-context video

Screenshot of text-free job search

9Evaluation ResultsNon-literate users strongly prefer text-free user interfaces

Indispensable featuresVoice annotationFull-context video

100% task completion versus 0% for text-based!

Text-Free User Interfaces

Indrani Medhi and a subject during initial evaluationUsers like it!Better task completion!Faster task completion!Photo: Safaricom; Source: http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Topics/Development/Mobile-Phones-and-Savings-A-Powerful-PairTechnology can be a major force to advance financial inclusion, which can help improve the lives of the poor in the developing world. Bill Gates

Photo: Khalil Hamra, Associated Press, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/world/middleeast/09egypt.htmlSource: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/opinion/28iht-edcohen28.htmlFacebook-armed youth of Tunisia and Egypt rise to demonstrate the liberating power of social media. Roger Cohen [New York Times]Photo: http://jobsblog.com/blog/wumpus-outreach-project;Source: Shirky, Clay. 2010. Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. We want to be connected to one another, a desire that our use of social media actually engages. Clay Shirky

Sources: New York Times, 2011; Bill Gates, 2011; Clay Shirky, 2008.Facebook-armed youth of Tunisia and Egypt rise to demonstrate the liberating power of social media. Roger Cohen [New York Times]Technology can be a major force to advance financial inclusion, which can help improve the lives of the poor in the developing world. Bill GatesWe want to be connected to one another, a desire that our use of social media actually engages Clay Shirky14OutlineIntroduction

ICT for Development

Myths of ICT4D

A Theory

ICT for Development, Revisited

RecommendationsYou and a poor rural farmer are each asked to raise as much money for the charity of your choice, and to do so using free, unlimited, high-bandwidth access to the Internet over the period of one week.

Who would be able to raise more money?

16The Internet democratizes.Or, the world is flat because of technology.

Or, technology levels the playing field.

Underlying human capacity and social connections matter.

Photo credit: Rikin GandhiMyth

Which of the following will have the most impact on making you more physically fit?

Buying a treadmill Promising yourself youll exercise every dayHiring a physical trainer

18Technology is the cause of positive behavior.Technology causes many changes:Greater powerGreater convenienceGreater desires

People are whats important forReal educationPolitical actionSocial change

Technology causes little change in entrenched values and capacities.

Source: http://www.squidoo.com/wtf-witness-the-fitnessMyth

Are you as rich as youd like to be?

Are you as educated as youd like to be?

Are you as compassionate as youd like to be?

Sources: http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+be+rich http://ocw.mit.edu http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/a-guide-to-cultivating-compassion-in-your-life-with-7-practices/

20Information is the bottleneck.Information is just one of many requirements for positive change.

Other requirements:willcapacityInfrastructuremoneyetc.

Information education

MythSources:http://ecigblogs.com/tag/electronic-cigarette/

Should members of the army have guns?

Should police officers have guns?

Should ordinary civilians have guns?

Should 5-year-old children have guns?

Should convicted serial murderers have guns?

22Widespread technologies also have negative impacts

TV: violence, envy, reality TVInternet: illegal content, yberbullyingMobile phone: corruption, consumption displacement

Negative intentions are also magnified.Technologys impact is always positive.Photo: http://www.poptower.com/nicole-snooki-polizzi-jersey-shore-picture-15288.htmMyth

Thomas Edison, 1922

William Levenson, 1945

Wilbur Schramm, 1964

Patrick Suppe, 1966I believe that the X is destined to revolutionize our educational system.

The time may come when X will be as common in the classroom as is the blackboard.

What is the full power and vividness of X teaching if it were to be used to help the schools develop a countrys new educational pattern?

The huge information-processing capacities of X make it possible to use them to adapt mechanical teaching routines to the needs and the past performance of the individual student.X = cinema

X = radio

X = television

X = computer

24Technology X will save the world.Wasnt true for X = radio, TV, or landline phone.

Doesnt seem true for X = PC.

How about X = mobile phone, or X = social media?

Photo: Tom Pirelli

MythSources: U.S. Census Bureau, Wikipedia

ARPANETMicrosoftPCCellphoneWWWGoogleiPhone26OutlineIntroduction

ICT for Development

Myths of ICT4D

A Theory

ICT for Development, Revisited

RecommendationsTechnology human intent and capacity.

magnifiesonlyAs a TheoryFalsifiabilityE.g., if ICT has positive impact without positive intent or capacity

Causal explanationE.g., ICTs have positive impacts + ICTs have negative impacts

CorollaryE.g., ICT solutions limited by existing substrate of human intent and capacity.

PredictionE.g., ICTs alone will never turn around an underperforming school system.

Photo credit: Rajesh VeeraraghavanRelated Work (Press & Knowledge)Phillip J. Tichenor, Donohue, G.A., & Olien, C.N. (1970). Mass media and the differential growth in knowledge. The Public Opinion Quarterly. 34(2):159-170.

Knowledge gap hypothesis: Everyone learns, but higher socio-economic strata learn better and faster.

Four factors:Comprehension skillsExisting knowledgeRelevant social contactOpenness to new or correct knowledge

Related Work (Education)Mark Warschauer, M. Knobel, L. Stone. Technology and Equity in Schooling: Deconstructing the Digital Divide. Educational Policy, 18(4): 562-588

Technology helps good schools; technology hurts bad schools. Technology amplifies inequalities between schools.

Reasons:Technology requires resources and coordination to integrate.Bad schools lack one or both.Related Work (Internet & Politics)Philip E. Agre. (2002) Real-Time Politics. The Information Society, 2002.

The Internet amplifies existing institutional forces. It doesnt create new ones. End outcomes are difficult to predict.

Consequences:Social networks cause spread of good and bad information.Background knowledge pooling becomes more consistent.Communities reinforce spacing between members. Tension between democratization and hierarchy is case by case.

Related TheoriesOverlaps withAbsorptive capacitySocial capitalSocial construction of technology

More precise thanSocio-technical theoryContext matters

Alternative toTechnology determinismActor-network theoryStructuration

OutlineIntroduction

ICT for Development

Myths of ICT4D

A Theory

ICT for Development, Revisited

RecommendationsSources: New York Times, 2011; Bill Gates, 2011; Clay Shirky, 2008.Facebook-armed youth of Tunisia and Egypt rise to demonstrate the liberating power of social media. Roger Cohen [New York Times]Technology can be a major force to advance financial inclusion, which can help improve the lives of the poor in the developing world. Bill GatesWe want to be connected to one another, a desire that our use of social media actually engages Clay Shirky35

We want to be connected to one another, a desire that our use of social media actually engages. Clay ShirkyPhoto: http://blog.beliefnet.com/markdroberts/2011/01/in-the-news-does-facebook-make-us-more-or-less-social.html; http://newsone.com/nation/newsonestaff2/glenn-becks-civil-rights-rally-ripped-by-jon-stewart/; http://whsbulldogs.wikispaces.com/+Cyberbullying

Facebook-armed youth of Tunisia and Egypt rise to demonstrate the liberating power of social media. Roger Cohen [New York Times]

Photos: Sergey Ponomarev, Associated Press, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/8719801/Pictures-of-the-day-24-August-2011.html?image=36; http://the-explorer.com/human-chains-tanks-crisis-in-syria-worsens-2/2011/3422172.html/; http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-01/24/content_790804.htm

Technology can be a major force to advance financial inclusion, which can help improve the lives of the poor in the developing world. Bill Gates

Photo: Vishwa Kiran; http://www.electronicstakeback.com/global-e-waste-dumping/; http://in.reuters.com/article/2010/10/14/idINIndia-52199820101014; cameroonechoes.org;

Practical ImpactJob-search database for low-income work

Non-technology requirements:Door-to-door registrationTrainingProcess disciplineLegal framework

Started with paper-based trial ended with paper-based trial.

More success when used by an existing service that focuses on non-technology requirements.

Text-Free User InterfacesWhy do the myths persist?Desire for an easy solution

Desire to see ingenuity triumph

Visibility of tangible artifacts

Not enough insight into social challenges

Mistaking metaphors for causal explanations

Misleading explanations of positive impacts of technology

Photo: Divya RamachandranTwitter is changing the way we live.Sources: Time Magazine, Nonprofit Technology Conference, The Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, Cybermedia.Each of us is simultaneously an individual person and a global publisher.Social networking will transform learningThe Internet changes everything.The Internet democratizes access to information.41OutlineIntroduction

ICT for Development

Myths of ICT4D

A Theory

ICT for Development, Revisited

RecommendationsTechnology only magnifieshuman intent and capacity.

For technology to have positive impact, the right intent and capacity have to be there first.RecommendationsIf constrained to use ICTIdentify institution already having positive impact and use technology to amplify.

If excited about ICT, but not constrained to use itSupport aspiring technology producers.

If not constrained to ICT at allFocus on human intent and capacity.SummaryExamples of ICT4D:Good for development, democracy, community, etc.

Myths of Information TechnologyThe Internet democratizes.Technology is the cause of positive behavior.Information is the bottleneck.Technologys impact is always positive.Technology X will save the world.

Theory: Technology magnifies human intent and capacity.

Beware claims of interventionist ICT4D.

Recommendation: People first, technology second.Thanks!kentaro_toyama@hotmail.comhttp://www.kentarotoyama.org

Photo: Kentaro Toyama