Kentaro Toyama

1
(Some of the) Ten Myths of ICT for International
Development

• Kentaro Toyama
• Visiting Scholar
• University of California, Berkeley
• CITRIS Research Exchange
• UC Berkeley November 10, 2010

2
Where I used to work
Photo credit Natalie Linnell
3
A Project
4
A writer keeping records in a microcredit group
meeting
Photo credit Aishwarya Ratan
5

• Hand-written records preferred, but
• error-prone
• (2) difficult to digitize.

Transaction record from a microcredit group
meeting
Photo credit Aishwarya Ratan, PRADAN
6
Electronic tablet write on paper, digitize
with real-time feedback
Photo credit Microsoft
7
Microfinance self-help group writer testing the
prototype
Photo credit Sunandan Chakraborty
8
Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan, Sunandan Chakraborty,
Pushkar Chitnis, Kentaro Toyama, Keng Siang Ooi,
Matthew Phiong, Mike Koenig. "Managing
Microfinance with Paper, Pen and Digital Slate.
To be presented at International Conference on
Information Technology and Communication and
Development, London, Dec. 13-16, 2010.
Faster,
Rs. 985 ? Rs. 946 (US21.89) (US21.02)

Cheaper,
More Accurate!
9
Microfinance Technology
IT and Microentrepreneurs
Paper-and-Digital Forms
Microfinance PC mobile Qualitative
studies Business analysis Research only
Microenterprise PC mobile Mixed-method
study Research only
For NGOs PC scanner HCI Research only
Information ecology of very small businesses
Potential of technology to support microfinance
Easily digitized paper forms
Kelsa
Featherweight Multimedia
Simultaneous Shared Access
Information access PC Qualitative study Usage
analysis Pilot
General education Electronics HCI User
studies Ongoing research
Primary education PC HCI User studies Commercializ
ation
Free access PCs for low-income office staff
Multi-user systems for educational
Paper and cheap electronics for low-cost
multimedia
Text-Free UI
Warana Unwired
Digital Green
AgricultureVideo Intervention Control trials NGO
spin-off
Info systems Mobile Intervention Rural
kiosks Pilot
User interfaces PC Design User studies Guidelines
Video and mediated instruction for agriculture
extension
Substitution of mobile phones for rural PC kiosks
Text-free user interfaces for non-literate users
10
Kids in the developing world need the newest
technology There is a pressing need to employ
information technology for rural healthcare in
sub-Saharan Africa. Can the cellphone help end
global poverty? The Internet should be a human
right in and of itself.
Sources Negroponte, N. 2005, Friedman, E. 2008,
New York Times, 2008 Best, M. L., 2004.
11
The Myths
12

• You and a poor rural farmer are each given a
  single e-mail account and asked to raise as much
  money for the charity of your choice.
• Who would be able to raise more money?

13
ICT undoes rich getting richer.
Myth 6

• The Internet democratizes
• The world is flat
• Technology magnifies capacity,
• it doesnt substitute for it.
• Tichenor et al., 1970
• Agre, 2002
• Warschauer, 2008

Photo credit Rikin Gandhi. References Tichenor,
P.J., Donohue, G.A., Olien, C.N. (1970). Mass
media and the differential growth in knowledge.
Public Opinion Quarterly, 34, 158-70. Agre, P.
(2002) Real-Time Politics. The Information
Society, 2002. Warschauer, M., M. Knobel, L.
Stone. Technology and Equity in Schooling
Deconstructing the Digital Divide. Educational
Policy, 18(4) 562-588.
14

• Are you as rich as youd like to be?
• Are you as educated as youd like to be?
• Are you as compassionate as youd like to be?

Sources http//www.google.com/search?qhowtobe
rich http//ocw.mit.edu http//zenhabits.net/200
7/06/a-guide-to-cultivating-compassion-in-your-lif
e-with-7-practices/
15
Information is the bottleneck.
Myth 10

• Information is just one of many deficiencies in
  developing world.
• Other deficiencies
• human capacity
• economics
• infrastructure
• institutional capacity
• political clout
• Information ? education
• Communication ? commerce
• Social networks ? community
• Technology magnifies intent.

Photo credit Kentaro Toyama
16

• If you had 20 of your annual income to spare
  right now, and had to spend it on one of the
  following, which would you spend it on?
• A part-time personal assistant
• Travel and tourism
• iPad or other gadget

() Or, use your expected financial status as a
working adult, if youre a student.
17
Needs are more pressing than desires.
Myth 3

• Needs are relative.
• Need ? demand
• Needs assessments say people need
• Better healthcare
• Better education
• Better income opportunities
• But people spend lavishly on
• Ring tones
• Music and movies
• Weddings and funerals
• Customized photos
• Technology magnifies intent,
• but intent is hard to gauge.

Photo Credit Udai Singh Pawar Sources Udai
Singh Pawar, Nimmi Rangaswamy, Thomas Smyth, Etc.
18

• Should members of the army have guns?
• Should police officers have guns?
• Should ordinary civilians have guns?
• Should 5-year-old children have guns?
• Should convicted serial murderers have guns?

19
Technologys impact is only positive.
Myth 12

• Widespread technologies also have negative
  impacts
• TV violence, political propaganda, material
  envy, Jersey Shore
• Internet illegal content, piracy, terrorism,
  political oppression, cat videos
• Mobile phone corruption, (ship) piracy, gender
  politics, consumption displacement
• Technology magnifies positive and negative intent.

Photo credit Thomas Smyth
20

• X has never been used to its full capacity in
  support of economic development. It may be
  financially impossible to use it in this way. But
  still the possibility is tantalizing What is the
  full power and vividness of X teaching were to be
  used to help the schools develop a countrys new
  educational pattern? What if the full persuasive
  and instructional power of X were to be used in
  support of community development and the
  modernization of farming? Where would the
  break-even point come? Where would the saving in
  rate of change catch up with the increased cost?

X television Source Schramm, Wilbur. (1964)
Mass Media and National Development The Role of
Information in the Developing Countries. Pp. 231
21
Technology X will save the world.
Myth 1

• Wasnt true for X radio, TV, or landline phone,
  despite initial expectations and significant
  penetration.
• Doesnt seem true for X PC.
• How about X mobile phone?
• Technology magnifies intent and capacity.

Photo credit Tom Pirelli
22
Obvious, right?
23
Kids in the developing world need the newest
technology There is a pressing need to employ
information technology for rural healthcare in
sub-Saharan Africa. Can the cellphone help end
global poverty? The Internet should be a human
right in and of itself.
Sources Negroponte, N. 2005, Friedman, E. 2008,
New York Times, 2008 Best, M. L., 2004.
24
Agricultural Systems?
expert
farmer
Market
Volume buyers
Poor quality control
Device and connectivity not enough!
25
E-commerce?
buyer
seller
ongoing business opportunity
Device and connectivity not enough!
26
Rural Telemedicine?
doctor
patient
Medicine
Device and connectivity not enough!
27
Rural Telemedicine with new device?
doctor
patient
Medicine
Device and connectivity not enough?
28
Successes Exist

• PCs for NGO / MFI back ends
• Unsung success
• Grameen Village Phone
• Mobile killer app voice!
• M-PESA
• Money transfer (160M in first year)
• Same-language subtitling for literacy
• Better literacy for 200M people
• Long-distance WiFi for eye care
• Enabled 50,000 consultations

Photo credit Indrani Medhi
29
Technology is Just One Part
Financial operational costs, maintenance,
training
Digital hardware, software, connectivity, conte
nt
Physical building, goods, transport, roads
Human education, computer literacy, motivation,
awareness
Social institutions, norms, political support
30
In the Developed World
(includes wealthier segments of developing
countries)
Digital hardware, software, connectivity, conte
nt
Financial operational costs, maintenance,
training
Human education, computer literacy, motivation,
awareness
Social institutions, norms, political support
Physical building, goods, transport, roads
31
In the Developing World
Digital hardware, software, connectivity, conte
nt
32
What to do?
33

• Technology magnifies human intent and capacity.
• Technology itself requires support from
  well-intentioned, capable people or institutions.
  
• For best results, use technology to augment
  institutions already having positive impact.

34
A competent non-profit (PRADAN) and a self-help
group make the technology work.
Photo credit Aishwarya Ratan
35
Why the Myths Persist
36
Why do these myths persist?

• Desire for an easy solution
• Desire for a one-time, catalytic investment
• Desire to see ingenuity triumph
• Seductive power of technology in the developed
  world
• Not enough insight into actual poor communities
• Misleading explanations of successful ICT4D
  projects a variation of AIs frame problem

37
Kids in the developing world need the newest
technology There is a pressing need to employ
information technology for rural healthcare in
sub-Saharan Africa. Can the cellphone help end
global poverty? The Internet should be a human
right in and of itself.
Sources Negroponte, N. 2005, Friedman, E. 2008,
New York Times, 2008 Best, M. L., 2004.
38
Twitter is changing the way we live.
The Internet democratizes access to information.
Social networking will transform learning
Each of us is simultaneously an individual
person and a global publisher.
The Internet changes everything.
Sources Time Magazine, Nonprofit Technology
Conference, The Huffington Post, Wall Street
Journal, Cybermedia.
39
Google
ARPANET
Cellphone
Microsoft
iPhone
WWW
PC
Sources U.S. Census Bureau, Wikipedia
40
Summary

• Myths of ICT4D
• ICT undoes rich getting richer.
• Information is the bottleneck.
• Needs are more pressing than desires.
• Technologys impact is only positive.
• Technology X will save the world.
• Conclusion
• Technology is a magnifier of human/institutional
  intent and capacity.
• Recommendation for ICT4D interventions
• Augment institutions already having positive
  development impact.

41
Photo credit http//visionhelp.wordpress.com

• Thanks!
• kentaro_toyama_at_hotmail.comhttp//www.kentarotoyam
  a.org
• Boston Review article http//www.bostonreview.net