Security and activism: using participatory photography to elicit perceptions of information and authority among hispanic migrants in the u.s.

This paper presents results of a participatory photography research where we explore Information, culture and identity in the lives of disenfranchised groups such as undocumented migrants in the U.S.. Information behaviors of undocumented migrants are difficult to uncover, given their legal status. Migrants experience complex relations with authority, security and social activism, and their Information behaviors are mediated by the transience of their life experiences while at the border, the constant fear of detention and deportation in their daily lives, and their growing involvement with protests and activism for their rights as they become more established in their host country. We compare migrants’ experiences at the U.S.-Mexico border with experiences in Seattle, Washington, and we uncover four migrants’ information behavior types, corresponding to different stages of transience in their lives, while reflecting on participatory photography as a methodological framework suitable to a social group at the fringes of mainstream society

The Power of Participatory Photography in ICTD Programs: Freedom to Explore beyond Images

We discuss the contribution of participatory photography as a method to elicit lived experiences from the perspectives of participants, a valuable tool in ICTD research. Building on a participatory photography research project with Latino migrants in Seattle, Washington (USA) and at the US-Mexico border, we analyze the differences between descriptive accounts and interpretations of photographs offered by participants. By opening new possibilities for self-expression, participatory photography offers a powerful tool that allows participants to add not just description but also context, representations, meanings, feelings and memories, among other interpretations. Different effects of the participants’ photographs are also analyzed, to encourage further exploration of participatory photography in ICTD research

When Words Become Unclear : Unmasking ICT Through Visual Methodologies in Participatory ICT4D

Across the globe, our work and social lives are increasingly integrated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), yet massive disparities in the values, uses and benefits of ICT exist. New methods are needed to shed light on unique and integrative concepts of ICT across cultures. This paper explores the use of visual methods to facilitate critical engagement with ICT—defined as situational awareness, reflexive ICT practice and power and control over ICT. This definition of critical ICT engagement is informed by a cultural identity lens, and intends to improve participatory methods in ICT for Development (ICT4D) and community technology design and application. Our notion of critical ICT engagement is developed through an analysis of three case studies, each employing visual methods to shed light on concepts and practices of ICT cross-culturally. This paper makes three contributions to the ICT4D literature. First, it establishes a cultural identity lens to chart out cultural differences between researchers and participants, and to develop situational awareness of ICT in context. Second, it defines the conceptual domain of reflexive ICT practice and establishes the key role of researchers in facilitating it. Third, it argues for the need to support participants to develop capacity to engage critically with ICT as a means to influence social and organizational structures. This paper offers a way for researchers and practitioners to engage with cultural issues in community-based research and design using visual methodologies

Motivations of non-use of telecentres: a qualitative study from Mozambique

On the cutting-edge scene for several years, and recently overtaken by the diffusion of more personal and pervasive technologies, telecentres have attracted and are still luring the interests of Governments in developing regions. To individuate improvement strategies and give food for thoughts to researchers and practitioners in the area, this study presents an in-depth qualitative analysis of the reasons why local people in Mozambique do not access the telecentre component of their local Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs). Based on 229 semi-structured interviews, the analysis allows to depict four main clusters of reasons for non-use, to finally suggest how they can be overcome

Exacerbating the Vulnerabilities of Undocumented Migrants: The Risks Involved in the Humanitarian Information Activities of Migrant-Aid Organizations

The information practices and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by humanitarian migrant-aid organizations, including activities that encompass collecting, storing, processing, analyzing, using, transmitting, and releasing data about migrants to the public can help humanitarian and migrant-aid organizations be more effective in their work. However, the use of ICTs and certain information practices in these contexts may also increase or exacerbate significant risks to the people these organizations intend to help. In this project, we examine and compare HIA-related activities in two distinct con-texts: 1) humanitarian organizations working to provide lifesaving assistance to undocumented migrants crossing clandestinely into the United States from Mexico, and 2) humanitarian organizations and colleges working to provide assistance and support to undocumented migrants already in the United States. We argue that humanitarian organizations need to develop an extraordinary and sophisticated awareness of the limits of information technologies regarding ethics, security, privacy, and permanence of digital information to truly help vulnerable populations rather than inadvertently increase their vulnerabilities

Information and Communication Flows through Community Multimedia Centers: Perspectives from Mozambican Communities.

Community multimedia centers (CMCs) are considered by initiating agencies as instruments able to inform, entertain and educate the population, as well as to offer them a voice into knowledge society and to public initiatives. This article presents a quali-quantitative content analysis of 230 interviews held with staff members, users of the venues, people of the community who listen to their radio component but do not use their telecenters, and community members not using CMCs. The sample includes 10 CMCs around Mozambique. The purpose of the study is to investigate the perception of local communities of inbound, outbound, and shared information and communication flows connected to CMCs. Results highlight how CMCs are perceived as inbound information enablers, mostly by means of their community radio component, and as means to share information and communication within the communities' boundaries. Yet, CMCs still do not appear to be widely recognized as participation means to a reality that transcends the communities' physical borders

Physiological and ultrastructural effects of acute ozone fumigation in the lichen Xanthoria parietina: the role of parietin and hydration state

The physiological and ultrastructural effects induced by acute exposure to ozone (O3) were investigated in the lichen Xanthoria parietina. Our working hypothesis was that parietin content and hydration of the thalli may play a role in the modulation of the effects of O3 exposure. Four batches of X. parietina samples, dry and wet, with (P+) and without (Pâ\u88\u92) parietin, were fumigated for 1 h with 3 ppm O3. The effects of O3 were assessed immediately after the fumigation and after one week of recovery under controlled conditions. O3 fumigation caused physiological and ultrastructural impairment both to the photobiont and the mycobiont, irrespective if samples were fumigated wet or dry, and P+ or Pâ\u88\u92. However, one week after fumigation, a recovery was observed in P+ samples for the photobiont and in dry samples for the mycobiont. We suggest that the hydration state may play a major role in determining the severity of the damage, while the presence of parietin may promote the recovery. Our results provide physiological and ultrastructural basis to explain the ecological insensitivity of lichens to high environmental levels of ozone occurring during dry Mediterranean summers