Are we making a Better World with Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) Research? Findings from the Field and Theory Building

As Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) continue to penetrate people’s lives the world over, there is a sense that understanding the role of ICTs in the context of development needs to be conceptualized theoretically while making empirical contributions that add to what we know (Avgerou, 2008; Davison, 2012; Sein and Harindranath, 2004; Sahay and Walsham, 1995). Other scholars have pointed to the importance of this research for the field of Information Systems (ISs) in offering broader contributions. Avgerou (2008) suggests that in the era of globalization such research offers contributions in ISs beyond “organizational organizational and national boundaries and support global economic and political activities” (p. 134). If the concept of development can be used to conduct research and offer contributions that lead to improvements in people’s lives globally, then it follows that we should be, at some level, making a better world. The purpose of this editorial is to understand the challenges faced by scholars hoping to make contributions to this field and explore the ways in which they may continue to create a better world

Has the environment changed - what can be done to help the fishermen community? the views of the small scale fishermen in Malaysia

The inconsistencies among findings and lack of related studies have led to this study, the main objective of which is to gain the views of Malaysian small-scale fishermen on environmental changes and to recommend several strategies that can assist the fishermen community in coping with changes. This study is qualitative in nature. A total of three FGDs and one in-depth-interview were conducted among small-scale fishermen. Based on the thematic analysis, their awareness of environmental changes, the causes of environmental changes, the impact of these changes on the community and measures taken to absorb this impact have been identified. A number of recommendations related to providing alternative skills, conducting research, encouraging proactive roles by influential persons, using fisheries technology, conducting extra monitoring activities and making conservation efforts are highlighted

Analysis and Implications of the Information Equity System Model for Coastal Communities

Riau Islands Provincial Medium-TermDevelopment Plan for 2016-2021, was explained thatinvestment opportunities in Riau Islands began to get intocoastal areas. For this reason, coastal communities areexpected to be able to support the realization of theseinvestments. In Batam City, there are still many coastalareas that are far from the city center, and are located onsmall islands. For communities in small islands, equaldistribution of information is needed. The Batam CityGovernment has tried to distribute evenly informationthrough information technology, such as internet, that hasget into small islands. But unfortunately, the existence ofinternet access on small islands has not been maximized.Although coastal communities have commonly used theinternet through smartphones, the internet is still widelyused only as entertainment such as playing online games,or social media. This study aims to develop a concept forsystem development that can be used to presentinformation needed by coastal communities to increaseproductivity and quality of education for coastalcommunities. The system will show the informations thatconvenient with the needs of coastal communities. Thissystem will be built with the Agile method with anextreme programming approach. The steps in this studybegin with understanding the process of exchanginginformation that occurs in coastal communities, thenidentifying the needs of coastal communities. The resultsof this study are a framework for how the system can runto present framework will also facilitate the developmentof the system in the future

New media practices in India: bridging past and future, markets and development

This article provides a review of the academic and popular literature on new media practices in India, focusing on the country’s youth's use of mobile phones and the Internet, as well as new media prosumption. One particular feature of the Indian case is the confluence of commercial exploitation of new media technologies and their application for development purposes in initiatives that aim to bring these technologies to marginalized segments of the Indian population. Technology usage in turn is shaped by the socioeconomic location of the user, especially in regards to gender and caste. The potential of new media technologies to subvert such social stratifications and associated norms has inspired much public debate, which is often carried out on the Internet, giving rise to an online public sphere. In all of the writings reviewed here, the tension surrounding new media technologies as a meeting place of the old and the new in India is paramount

Information and Communication Technologies for Development (IC T4D) in Indonesia: Opportunities and Challenges

Information and CommunicationTechnologies (ICTs) are now advancing quickly in emerging markets such as Indonesia. Between 80-95% of the Indonesian population already has access to mobile phones while Internet access, increasingly via mobile phones, is growing rapidly. In 2012, at least 20% of Indonesians had some form of Internet access—nearly half of who access Internet via mobile phones. The number of Indonesians online has doubled in the two years since 2010. As the uptake of mobile phones and mobile Internet has swiftly increased, so to has the use of social media. Facebook, in particular, has for many Indonesians become the Internet. There are nearly the same number of Facebook users as Internet users in Indonesia; and increasingly now for many new Internet users the rst interaction with the Internet is through accessing Facebook applications already loaded onto even basic (non-smart) mobile phones. At the same time, throughout emerging markets around the world in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, development practioners are increasingly focusing on how ICTs can be used for social and economic development purposes. Over the past decade, development organizations focusing on issues ranging from micro nance to disaster relief have increasingly begun to utilize mobile phones— and to a lesser extent, the Internet—to provide better access to services needed by marginalized and poor target groups.This study aims to provide an overview of the varied ways in which ICTs for development, or ICT4D, has taken root in Indonesia and to examine the opportunities and challenges that remain for ICT4D advocates as the variety and reach of ICTs continues to grow in Indonesia

ICT Usage at Rural Libraries: Does Positive Youth Development exist?

This study was to discover the Positive Youth Development (PYD) dimensions towards ICT usage in rural libraries among youths in Malaysia. This is a quantitative design and descriptive study in nature, which involved 400 respondents among rural youths from 16 selected rural libraries in four states of Peninsular Malaysia were chosen based on multistage cluster and simple random sampling. Rural youth community in Malaysia exhibited a high level of PYD towards ICT usage at rural libraries especially on the level of confidence when using ICT. Based on the analysis performed, education level and employment status have significance difference, meanwhile, age has a positive relationship with PYD towards ICT usage at rural libraries. The findings are of limited generality due to the small size of the sample. However, the study has implications on the understanding of the acceptance of technology among socioeconomically disadvantaged people towards PYD. The practical implications are the implementation of PYD through ICT usage in local rural libraries instead of other positive places, particularly in terms of local community participation. Data on demographics can be used as evidence of service provision for the rural community in the future

Mobile Phone Use by Zimbabwean Smallholder Farmers: A Baseline Study

This article provides findings from a baseline study on mobile phone use by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. The study investigated use of mobile phones by 58 farming households in a village in Zimbabwe’s Midlands Province. Via a survey questionnaire and a focus group discussion, the study found that 100% of the surveyed households identified “asymmetry of information” as a challenge they face in their agricultural activities, and 90% cited “absence of market information” as a challenge. Yet at the same time, the study found low levels of household mobile phone usage, with only 50% of households were found to be using mobile telephony in support of a farming activity. The article concludes with a recommendation for how to close this apparent gap between the smallholder farmers’ felt need for increased agricultural information and, at the same time, their lack of use of mobile telephony to access such information.CA201