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Work in progress: article Community Informatics

=Definition= Community informatics is a name given to the approach aiming to apply information and communication technologies for generating positive social change at a local level.

=Examples= We can group the different possibilities offered by ICT for positive socio-economic outcomes in two types of strategies: Information and communication technologies can facilitate market access for small businesses      and “can assist the creation of new relationships and economic linkages”.
 * providing opportunities for economic development.

Information and communication technologies can be used as a tool to gather “a range of ‘linked’ resources of value to improving quality of life”. Bringing together “dispersed linguistic communities”, or other communities of interest, making easier the access to “skilled practitioners” are possible outcomes of ICT. New forms of public participation in the tourism development process. Indeed, information technologies offer new possibilities for collecting and presenting data: GIS, web survey, reports available online, forums, blogs…
 * reinforcing cooperation and enabling individuals to have better control over their destiny.

ICT can be a tool for an advocacy purpose: “giving amplification and global voice to unheard minorities (or majorities)”. Political and cultural activism using ICT to build “a counter-hegemonic discourse” can be found, among others, with Zapatistas (in Chiapas, Mexico), the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador, the Mapuche in Chile.

Wireless technologies (such as mobile phones, GPS devices, PDA, satellite internet radios…- can help to overcome the lack of infrastructure -electricity, landline telephone, computer ownership, internet access-, support itinerant work (for instance, animal trackers in African national parks), nomadic lifestyles -information about agriculture and environment, weather forecast…- or emergency situations -famine early warning system…-.

=Criticisms=

Too much focus on technology
In ‘community informatics’, by focusing on the “computer as a central tool”, there is a risk to perceive “all problems as technological”. “[I]f the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, all problems look like nails”.

Too much faith in technology
However, problems resulting from the introduction of information technologies are likely to occur, for example issues related to: literacy and language, skills, financial cost, environmental conditions (temperature, noise, glare, rain, dust, heat, humidity), support and maintenance, technical constraints, variety and compatibility of hardware and softwares, cultural values, technophobia, communication effectiveness, dependency .

ICT can reproduce traditional social patterns (inequalities, exclusion, surveillance, control, exploitation, commodification, ideological homogeneisation…), increasing actual divisions and creating new ones.

Among the potential negative outcomes of ICTs, we can quote exposing people to “socially undesirable influences such as pornography and gambling”.

Technology, far from being neutral, embodies particular values and forms of authority and power.

For instance, there are some concerns about the use of geographical information system (GIS) and the way such technology represents “the other” : “there is generally some type of filtering process before providing information in maps or on website”. With the emphasis on spatial data and spatial constraints , there is a risk to give not enough attention to aspects which are hard to represent in GIS. Geographical information system is accused of “replacing old traditional views of geographic knowledge with new, progressive, scientific and technological ways”. Palmer compares the effects GIS with the “civilizing mission in which Christian missionaries and government agents infiltrated the homeland of indigenous peoples and effectively suppressed cultural traits such as language, religion and symbiology”.

“Cyberspace and information technology are limitless in their potential as the modes of transmission for the dominant society to continue colonization practice. Information accessed through the internet has no context in which to position it and is distanced from the indigenous peoples that it purports to represent” . ‘Distance’ is a feature of a colonization process.

In short, GIS can be a tool used for “cultural assimilation” which contribute to “deskilling” the marginalized populations (Palmer, 2007: 228). “[T]hrough colonization, the individual can be distanced, or separated, from the physical environment, the community […] the individual is separated from his/her self, family, community, nation, land and universe. They are further separated from their history, culture, language and traditions. This complete separation of the self -physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually- is the true nature of the colonial process”.

“[T]echnologies and ICTs are social products” which serves the interests of the groups “that have made such technologies possible” ; for instance, those who “invested in their development and deployment”.

“[T]he opportunity (and the benefits which follow) of being a producer as well as a consumer are reserved not for those who have simple ‘access’ but for those in the privileged position of designing and developing the uses and applications to which this access is being put”.

For Gurstein, “ICTs are […] as much an opportunity as a problem”. Indeed, technology can contribute, either to the instrumentalisation of humans, either leading to their liberation.

Idealistic view of the "community"
By giving importance to "communities", community informatics projects risk to be built on the assumption that “communities are ‘densely-knit and tightly bound’ “.

“Societies are, and will always be, shaped among by social actors, mobilised around interests, ideas, and values, in an open conflictive process”.

“[T]echnology cannot be regarded as a ready-made tool that can be used to create community”.

Components not necessarily compatible with each other
The three components of community informatics -community, technology and information- do not have objectives which are always compatible with each other. “What happens if community is the most important concept, or if information is, or if technology is?” Without purpose(s) or priority(ies) clearly defined, there is a risk of missing the point or discovering lately some negative outcomes. It is often not obvious what aspect is priviledged in a ‘community informatics’ project.

We can find different reasons explaining the failure of some ‘community informatics’ projects: social tensions within the community, lack of strategic and operational project management (poor communication, unrealistic expectations…), conflicting agendas (“commercial aspects” versus “community aspects”)….

=Autres= However, governments can “enable or constrain participation” according to technologies they use, the kind of knowledge they choose to include (or exclude), the efforts they make to “initiate change” (Puri & Sahay, 2007: 140).

Puri S.K., Sahay S., 2007. Role of ICTs in participatory development: an Indian experience. Information Technology for Development 13 (2), p. 133-160.

Possible ICT applications aiming to generate positive socio-economic outcomes can fit into several strategies (Dyson et al., 2007; Gurstein, 2000; Gurstein, 2003; Keeble & Loader, 2001; Marshall et al., 2004; Milne et al., 2004; O’Neil, 2002; Pitkin, 2001):

Dyson L.E., Hendriks M., Grant S., 2007. Information technology and Indigenous people. Information Science Publishing: United States of America & United Kingdom, 346 p.

Gurstein M., 2000. (Ed.) Community Informatics: enabling communities with information and communications technologies. Idea Group Publishing: United States of America & United Kingdom; 596 p.

Gurstein M., 2003. Effective use: a community informatics strategy beyond the digital divide. Retrieved on October 12, 2007 from: http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issu8_12/gurstein/index.html

Keeble L., Loader B.D., (Ed.) 2001. Community informatics: shaping computer-mediated social relations. United States of America & Canada: Routledge; 388 p.

Marshall S., Taylor W., Yu X., (Ed.) 2004. Using community informatics to transform regions. United States of America & United Kingdom: Idea group Publishing; 346 p.

Milne S., Mason D., Hasse J., 2004. Tourism, Information, Technology and development: revolution or reinforcement? In. Hall A., Lew A., Wiliams A., (Ed.) A companion to tourism geography. England: Routledge; p.184-195.

O’Neil D., 2002. Assessing community informatics: a review of methodological approaches for evaluating community networks and community technology centers. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy 12 (1), p. 76-102.

Pitkin B., 2001. Community Informatics: hope or hype? Proceeding of the 34th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Retrieved on October 12, 2007 from: http://csdl.computer.org/comp/proceedings/hics/2001/0981/08/09818005.pdf

- - - - GIS (Geographical Information System; also known as ‘geographical information system’ or ‘geospatial information system’) is a computer-based system for collecting, storing, analyzing and displaying geographical data (Dyson et al., 2007: 318).

Dyson L.E., Hendriks M., Grant S., 2007. Information technology and Indigenous people. Information Science Publishing: United States of America & United Kingdom, 346 p.

=Notes and References=