Text in English / The role that locally relevant services and content can play in the development of societies cannot be underestimated. The proliferation of mobile phones in Africa’s developing countries is a significant enabler, which provides access to such locally relevant services and content. Mobile applications have the potential to support the development of the African continent through bolstering the main mechanisms of innovation, inclusion and efficiency. This has been demonstrated by instances of increased literacy, improved access to health care, banking, crowd sourcing and provision of farming and/or agricultural assistance. Successful cases of such mobile-based services include Kenya’s M-Pesa, which has allowed millions of rural people, who do not have access to traditional banking facilities, to send and receive money as well as pay utility bills and school fees. The development of similar innovative and locally relevant mobile-based solutions, which is currently considered to be in its infancy, is key to improving the lives of people in developing countries. This study identifies the essential components of an innovation ecosystem, for the development and presentation of a Mobile Applications Innovation Ecosystem Framework for Botswana. An innovation ecosystem enables effective interaction amongst entrepreneurs, companies, universities, research organisations, investors and government agencies towards maximising economic impact and potential. To gain a practical understanding of the context in which locally relevant mobile-based services can be developed, the study adopted a pragmatic research approach. Through combining the 4Cs Framework for ICT and the systems theory’s Triple Helix Model of Innovation, the study proceeded to develop the framework using a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. DSR guided the identification of the components, which make up the mobile applications innovation ecosystem within government, industry and higher education sectors, as extracted from the literature review. This process facilitated initial framework designs, which were demonstrated to and evaluated by conveniently sampled stakeholders from relevant helices. Thereafter a synthesised framework was presented for evaluation by knowledgeable professionals from the mobile applications innovation ecosystem. The study contributes to the theoretical knowledgebase by presenting a theoretical framework for understanding ICT4D innovation frameworks and mobile applications / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Information Systems)

This netnography depicts the notions of India’s subaltern voices entering the public via social media. The study puts an emphasis on feminists and caste critics, divided into two case studies. The study witnessed dynamics of Twitter use between sociality and activism as well as the notions of performance and identity of these two intersecting, yet polarised groups.Privilege remains a governing factor, which regulates access, accessibility and the use of the subaltern sphere and makes it exclusive for a privileged group of the subaltern. The main benefits of Twitter in the subaltern sphere, as the study suggests, is the factor of sociality and networking around causes, which leads to peer dialogue in the public sphere and increases visibility. This eventually leads to more attention for certain causes in the public discourse and to the countering of mainstream media narratives, for example in the case study of the Dalit Lives Matter Movement and its ad hoc fame, which evolved after the suicide of the Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula.Further, while online activism is present, its impact remains hard to measure. The main benefits of the space are the plurality of voices that inhabit it. Also, the unleashing of the counter­narratives towards the mainstream media that are even more controlled by the state than the new media landscape, is an important benefit.

Access, use and ownership of mobile phones is increasing rapidly in Tanzania, as in the rest of Africa. It is estimated that a staggering 97% of the population are able to access a mobile phone, according to a study carried out by the Centre for Economic Policy Research and Vodafone. The growing number of people using mobile phones has led to optimism and speculation regarding its effect on economic and social development. Expectations from mobile phones are high and it has already been coined as Africa’s PC. Expectations are further fuelled by sensationalist headlines in the media such as, Mobile phones join war on African poverty, The mobile revolution sweeps across Africa or Cell phones the latest tool in Africa's fight against HIV and is shaping the discourse on mobile phones for development (M4D). This study was carried out between January and March 2010 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and funded by SPIDER, The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions and commissioned by Femina HIP (Health Information Project) a Tanzanian multimedia civil society initiative that expressed desire for research to be conducted on mobile phones and SMS (Short Messages Service) in Tanzania. This paper contains data from three group interviews and one quantitative survey that was completed by 97 youths. The empirical material gathered is discussed in relation to empowerment and participation, two concepts that have become mainstreamed in development theory and practice and in communication for development. The paper is structured as following. The first chapter provides the aim and purpose of the study as well as its delimitations. The second chapter discusses mobile phones for development while critically looking at the M4D and ICT4D discourse. Also incorporated in this chapter is an example of a mobile phone project that was started in Bangladesh in the late 1990s and is used as an example to represent the empowerment narrative in M4D. A short discussion on this sentiment will conclude the second part. In the third chapter I present my theory. I take a critical look at empowerment and participation, two concepts that have gained, one can say, a moral authority that effectively hides power relations amongst participants, facilitators and donors in development projects. In the fourth chapter I discuss my methodology and how I gathered my material. In the fifth part I present my data and in the last chapter I analyse the empirical material by applying the framework of participation and empowerment. I also discuss what an organisation such as Femina HIP could gain from incorporating mobile phones into their communication strategy.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Agência-Barco-Aprovada.pdf: 4270624 bytes, checksum: cafe099ca1c9d7e52e77a38bea7575fc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-19 / The challenge in offering public services infrastructure in less developed areas in Brazil, often furthest from the large urban centers, mobilizes society sectors in search of new and creative approaches that can reduce large interregional disparities. One of the shortcomings faced by some brazilians is the lack of access to the financial system, compromising their capacity of full insertion in the economy and making it more difficult to create and accumulate wealth, prevailing situation in Ilha de Marajó, in the state of Pará, which most of its sixteen municipalities presents low or very low Human Development Index (HDI). In order to change this reality, a traveling bank branch installed on a boat was designed in an innovative way, for the purpose of meeting the needs of the riverside people that lives in vast territorial extension, low population density, transportation difficulties and limited supply of information and communication technology (ICT). Thereby, through an exploratory and descriptive approach, this research aims to identify, from the ICT perspective, how the financial inclusion indicators are influenced by the Agência Barco (bank branch on a boat) in Ilha de Marajó. In addition to the theoretical study, empirical research was carried out by means of direct observation and semistructured interviews applied to users and employees of the Agência Barco (bank branch on a boat), over four days in two cities of Ilha de Marajó. Interviews content analysis techniques were applied in order to data analysis and identify financial inclusion elements, transposing the results to a heuristic model of dynamic infoinclusion (2iD), which was adapted to comprise inclusion financial constructs. The research outcome shows that the Agência Barco (bank branch on a boat) can provides the necessary access to financial services and products for Ilha de Marajó inhabitants, at the same time identifies opportunities to expand aspects related to financial education, enabling strengthen the dynamic components of the financial inclusion process, increasing awareness and, then, increasing demand for financial services and products. / O desafio de ofertar infraestrutura de serviços públicos nas regiões menos desenvolvidas do Brasil, geralmente mais afastadas dos grandes centros urbanos, mobiliza setores da sociedade na busca de abordagens novas e criativas que possam diminuir as grandes disparidades inter-regionais. Uma das carências vivenciadas por parte da população brasileira é a falta de acesso ao sistema financeiro, comprometendo a capacidade de plena participação dessas pessoas na economia, dificultando a geração e acúmulo de riqueza, situação essa presente na Ilha de Marajó, no estado do Pará, cuja maioria de seus dezesseis municípios apresenta Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) baixo ou muito baixo. Para mudar essa realidade, uma iniciativa inovadora é a agência bancária itinerante instalada em barco, para atendimento a populações ribeirinhas de regiões com vasta extensão territorial, baixa densidade demográfica, dificuldades de transporte e limitações na oferta de tecnologia da informação e comunicação (TIC). Assim, essa pesquisa, com propósito exploratório e descritivo, tem como objetivo principal identificar, sob o ponto de vista das TIC, como os indicadores de inclusão financeira são influenciados pela atuação da Agência Barco na Ilha de Marajó. Além do estudo teórico, foi realizada investigação empírica, por meio de observação direta e entrevistas semiestruturadas com clientes e funcionários da Agência Barco, realizadas ao longo de quatro dias, em duas cidades da Ilha de Marajó. Para análise dos dados, foram aplicadas técnicas de análise de conteúdo às entrevistas, com objetivo de identificar a presença de elementos de inclusão financeira, transpondo os resultados para um modelo heurístico de infoinclusão dinâmica (2iD), o qual foi adaptado para contemplar constructos de inclusão financeira. O resultado da pesquisa demonstra que a Agência Barco consegue suprir as necessidades de acesso a serviços e produtos financeiros pela população da Ilha de Marajó, ao mesmo tempo em que se identifica oportunidades para ampliação de aspectos relacionados à educação financeira, possibilitando fortalecer os componentes dinâmicos do processo de inclusão financeira, com aumento da conscientização e consequente aumento da demanda por serviços e produtos financeiros.

This essay explores the early experiences of Bangladeshi blue-collar service workers in digitalising their livelihoods. It is a qualitative study that surveys and interviews service-providers in Dhaka who use the business aggregator platform Sheba.xyz, an online service marketplace, and seeks to understand what brought these self-employed micro-entrepreneurs, previously outside the digital economy, to adopt an ICT-enabled solution. The study is guided by Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory, one of the historically dominant paradigms in the field of communication for development (C4D). The overarching research question is, “Why did blue-collar service-providers in Dhaka adopt and use a digital business aggregator platform?” The aim is to explore what motivated/discouraged and enabled/hindered innovation adoption among a group of users previously marginalised from digital and financial inclusion. The findings suggest that adoption of Sheba.xyz among service-providers was not driven so much by a desire to digitalise one’s business per se, and as a means of mitigating a previous inability to do so. Rather, the factors that emerge from the qualitative data are other perceived relative advantages of the solution – of increase in customers, income, and opportunity. Survey respondents and interviewees also displayed strong affiliation with, and trust in, the platform provider; an alertness for fair treatment; and a drive to prosper, suggesting that they embraced a comprehensive concept and altered life situation where belonging, respect, and self-fulfilment matters, rather than narrowly adopted a new mobile application.

No description available.

The thesis presents a view of film for change set against the manifold approaches, practices or ideologies influencing it, and analysis it as a tool for the self-representation, self-determination and mediation of marginalised people in the face of globalization and the democratization of communication. It seeks to find an answer to the question of how film for change works as a method to empower the disadvantaged inhabitants of three villages in Tanzania, where fieldwork was carried out. The thesis tracks down core parameters that connect the visual communication experience to the social reality and bear the potential to change it. The use of visual communication technology, interactive and horizontal communication practices, fictionalizations and empowerment strategies enable processes among spectators and participants that permit them to reframe or reconsider representations that they witness. Film for change potentially reaches beyond the community and through convergence with Web 2.0 into the much larger public sphere, nationally as well as globally. The thesis suggests that film for change should be adapted to the present day media environment as citizens’ media, whereby media users also become media producers and start broadcasting self-communicated alternatives to the images and interpretations produced by established media corporations that dominate the global flows of information. In this way film for change connects to the right to communicate and becomes a tool for citizens to influence power relations and advocate social change.

In 2024, widespread usage of generative AI affects ComDev practitioners in their day-today jobs and have far-reaching implications for our societies. This thesis aims to (1) discover if humanitarians communicate about GenAI ethically and responsibly, (2) examine the existing power dynamics in shaping the discourses, and (3) determine if AI ethical frameworks help to safeguard the interests of vulnerable communities effectively. Though existing paradigms in Critical ICT4D and Digital for Development have suggested the need for critical reflections, this thesis has identified a gap in practical recommendations for Communication for Development. This research was conducted using a semi-systematic literature review and critical discourse analysis with two coding cycles on NVivo. Subsequently, themes, stakeholder maps, and a longitudinal analysis were derived to provide a practical toolkit to ComDev practitioners. Currently, there are multiple discussions and workshops in the area of GenAI in Geneva. However, the digital divide remains an ICT4D problem. Despite a boom in AI regulations and frameworks, organisations work in silos and maximise profits. Thus, there is a need for cross-sector collaboration and de-colonial programmes to mitigate the risks of the digital divide for vulnerable communities.

Education is one of the deciding factors for poverty alleviation and economic growth. Governments of developing countries is struggling to meet the demand for qualitative education and the nation of Namibia is no exception. Namibia is struggling with the lack of a skilled workforce and the lack of access to qualitative higher education has been identified as one of the prime causes. ICTs have been identified as a potential enabler for an increased access and quality of education in Namibia. This study employed a qualitative approach to examining the success factors and challenges that applies to e-learning at the University of Namibia (UNAM). The study identified a multitude of critical factors within 5 different areas: i) Access, ii) User motivation, -attitude and -awareness, iii) Systematic approach, iv) Evaluation and analytical challenges, and v) Transforming the education. This rapport will discuss the role of e-learning at UNAM, the factors that are critical for e-learning at the learning institution and how this correlate with previous findings made by the scientific community on similar issues.

Este trabajo tiene como objeto el cuestionamiento de la ¿adaptación¿ del ser humano a sus propias invenciones tecnológicas, concretamente en relación a la Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC). En ese sentido, la primera parte del trabajo centra sus objetivos en los aspectos historiográ¿cos de cómo, y en qué contextos, esas invenciones fueron realizadas y evolucionaron. El trabajo de investigación se desarrolla en base a una re¿exión sobre la comunicación, su lenguaje y su política, algo que consideramos esencial para la comprensión de las TIC. Siempre desde el punto de vista de la globalización, en la primera parte del trabajo re¿exionamos sobre las éticas e ideologías que dominan el concepto de lo global (por ejemplo, la Netocracia). Analizamos con especial énfasis el trabajo de Kevin Kelly, concretamente sus re¿exiones sobre la tecnología y el concepto de Technium. Posteriormente, consideramos los estudios de Pekka Himanem sobre la ética hacker y su relación con el trabajo de Max Webber. La segunda parte del trabajo de investigación se aleja de la primera, basándose en conceptos relativos al pensamiento local (no-global). Las re¿exiones parten de las experiencias del propio investigador con las TIC, en entornos y culturas excluidas de la realidad tecnológica descrita en la primera parte. Estas experiencias que implican directamente al autor de este trabajo de investigación, transcurren fundamentalmente a partir del ¿movimiento intercultural ¿ Identidades¿, un colectivo que promueve relaciones humanas entre Mozambique, Brasil, Cabo-Verde y Portugal. En ese ¿movimiento¿ emergen laboratorios interculturales donde se comparten experiencias centradas en prácticas artísticas y culturales, utilizando varias tecnologías, de las más antiguas a las ahora emergentes. Artistas, estudiantes y profesores de arte, escuelas y comunidades Reales, se implican en prácticas que van desde la cerámica a la publicación en la web. En esta implicación emergen nuevas cuestiones éticas, teóricas y instrumentales acerca de las TIC. Una de las acciones creadas con la comunidad Quilombola de Conceição de las Crioulas, en el Nordeste del Brasil, plantea la cuestión fundamental que desarrollamos en esta tesis: ¿puede una comunidad utilizar las TIC al servicio de su cultura y de la lucha por su emancipación? Más allá de la lucha por su emancipación, esta comunidad se enfrenta a otras di¿cultades en la reivindicación por su autonomía, en la construcción de su identidad y por la posesión de su territorio. De la experiencia conjuntan con las TIC entre un grupo de jóvenes de la comunidad y el ¿movimiento intercultural ¿ Identidades¿, fue creado el ¿Crioulas Vídeo¿, la primera productora audiovisual Quilombola de Brasil. Una experiencia que nos aproxima a la problemática de las TIC en las comunidades info-excluidas. De hecho, son las propias TIC, por su con¿guración actual, las que gobiernan, regulan y ¿scalizan estas y otras comunidades. El debate y la investigación sobre este tema está contratado en un pretencioso universalismo ¿globalización¿ impidiendo la participación de las comunidades excluidas. Se retoma, así, el problema de la emancipación y se abre un debate por el interés en permitir que estas comunidades, a través de un plan inclusivo, puedan tener presencia legítima dentro de un entorno plural y global. Este plan, que se inicia en la tercera y última parte de la tesis, se confrontan los puntos de vista globales y locales, donde la primera y segunda parte del estudio se oponen, desarrollando un escenario teórico crítico a las direcciones hasta el momento hegemónicas. La fórmula de nuestra era `el medio es el mensaje¿, se traduce en simulacro al colocar a los netócratas en el poder. Más que una secularización del protestantismo, el capitalismo se de¿ende como fenómeno religioso que se extiende en el Ciberfordismo a través de la Ideología Californiana y el nuevo clero netócrata. La experiencia realizada con una comunidad Real, que aún no ha sucumbio a este tipo de simulacro, permite formular la hipótesis de suspensión, re¿exión y creación de alternativas para las TIC, al servicio de la cultura de las comunidades. Es necesario un (re) enraizamiento de las TIC en la cultura. Es claro que el Código que actualmente gobierna el Simulacro impide la experiencia de una comunidad con su lugar, con su territorio así como también impide la experimentum linguae [experiencia lingüística], vital para una comunidad Real en su respectiva emancipación. Esta problemática se argumenta con un cuerpo teórico apoyado en axiomas de Benjamin y Agamben, dando como resultado análisis basados en la acción/investigación de las TIC al servicio de la cultura y de la emancipación ciudadana. / Barbedo Assis, T. (2013). Comunidad y sociedad en los márgenes del diluvio tecnológico.Impacto e interrupciones de las tecnologías de información y comunicación en las comunidades reales: cultura, lengua y emancipación [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/31381 / TESIS