A comparative study of mobile technology adoption in remote Australia

The paper presents a comparative study of mobile technology adoption\ud and use by two communities – one Aboriginal and the other non-Aboriginal –\ud both located in a remote region of Australia, the Bloomfield River Valley of Cape\ud York. Both communities have high levels of ownership of mobile phones relative\ud to, on the one hand, the low uptake of other ICT such as fixed-line phones by the\ud Aboriginal community at Wujal Wujal and, on the other hand, the poor mobile\ud coverage in the non-Aboriginal community at Bloomfield. For both groups\ud communication is of paramount importance, followed by listening to music. In\ud addition, the Aboriginal community make extensive use of other multimedia and\ud Internet features of their devices. Key factors in the motivation to acquire mobile\ud phones, in comparison to other ICT, are the superior cost management that\ud mobiles offer for Aboriginal people and the convenience of being able to\ud communicate while away from home for Bloomfield residents. The authors\ud conclude that mobile technology needs to be taken seriously, even in areas of\ud limited coverage such as the Bloomfield River Valley

Indigenous Australians in the Information Age

Information Technology is not a neutral tool but a medium which embodies the values of the civilization which produced it. This could have serious implications for Indigenous Australians as they adopt the new technologies and move into the Information Age. Computer use is certainly low amongst Indigenous Australians, but a review of the existing literature shows no evidence of rejection of the technology on the grounds of its ideological bias. Instead, there appears to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, limited only by a difficulty in accessing the technology due to cost, isolation, poor telecommunications infrastructure, low computer literacy and lack of awareness. It is proposed that attributes inherent in Information Technology, such as its flexibility, interactivity, its non-judgemental and non-hierarchical nature, and its use of graphics mitigate any potentially negative effects and allow Indigenous Australians to achieve their own goals while avoiding Western enculturation

Indigenous People on the Web

This paper explores the ways in which Indigenous people around the world are participating in the World Wide Web, through establishing their own websites or accessing services via the Web. Indigenous websites are remarkably diverse: in addition to those representing Indigenous organizations and promoting Indigenous e-commerce, many websites have also been established to further unique concerns of Indigenous communities such as the maintenance and revitalization of Indigenous cultures, intercultural dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, political advocacy and mobilization, community rebuilding and social support for disadvantaged communities. Despite the early involvement of Indigenous people on the Web, there still remain many unresolved issues, which include low levels of computer literacy and Internet connectivity, the cost of the technology, low levels of business understanding to support e-commerce, and concerns over the misappropriation of Indigenous knowledge and culture

Laurel Evelyn Dyson Indigenous Australians in the Information Age Indigenous Australians in the Information Age: Exploring Issues of Neutrality in Information Technology Abstract

Information Technology is not a neutral tool but a medium which embodies the values of the civilization which produced it. This could have serious implications for Indigenous Australians as they adopt the new technologies and move into the Information Age. Computer use is certainly low amongst Indigenous Australians, but a review of the existing literature shows no evidence of rejection of the technology on the grounds of its ideological bias. Instead, there appears to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, limited only by a difficulty in accessing the technology due to cost, isolation, poor telecommunications infrastructure, low computer literacy and lack of awareness. It is proposed that attributes inherent in Information Technology, such as its flexibility, interactivity, its non-judgemental and non-hierarchical nature, and its use of graphics mitigate any potentially negative effects and allow Indigenous Australians to achieve their own goals while avoiding Western enculturation

Cultural issues in the adoption of information and communication technologies by indigenous australians

Abstract. This paper investigates cultural issues concerning Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Indigenous Australians. Firstly, it examines whether the low adoption of ICTs by Indigenous Australians derives from a rejection of Western values embodied in the technology. A review of the existing literature shows no evidence for this. Instead, there appears to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, limited only by a difficulty in accessing the technology due to cost, isolation, poor telecommunications infrastructure and low computer skills. Secondly, the paper looks at how ICTs can be implemented to reflect particular Indigenous Australian cultural concerns. Contrary to the view of the technological pessimists, who see computers as a vehicle for marginalizing non-Western cultures, ICTs are shown to be adaptable to other cultures, especially once people from that culture have input into ICT design and management. A number of examples of how this is being done in practice are given. 1