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Between the Hype and the Hope

Between the Hype and the Hope. Democratizing ICTs for Development: Public Access and Beyond. Foundation for Media Alternatives/2001 Asian Internet Rights Conference Seoul 8-10 November. Roadmap. The ICT Revolution The Hope: E-Democracy

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Between the Hype and the Hope

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  1. Between the Hype and the Hope Democratizing ICTs for Development: Public Access and Beyond Foundation for Media Alternatives/2001 Asian Internet Rights ConferenceSeoul 8-10 November

  2. Roadmap • The ICT Revolution • The Hope: E-Democracy • The Hype: Aspects of the Digital Divide in the Philippines • A Civil Society Agenda: Democratizing ICT, Public Access & Beyond

  3. The ICT Revolution Information & Communications Technology • Fusion of computing and communications(esp. Internet) • has transcended barriers of Time, Distance, andCost • Global information networking:knowledge & connectivity

  4. The ICT Revolution • Internet Users • late 1995: less than 20 million users • late 2000: more than 400 million users • 2005 (estimate): 1 billion • Number of Websites/Web Pages • Web sites > mid-1993: less than 200; late 2000: 20 Million • Web pages > 2.5 Billion, 7.3 M added daily • early 1999: 43.5 M host computers • early 1999: > 2 M registered domain names • Internet data traffic doubling every 100 days • source: UNDP HDR2001, ITU

  5. The ICT Revolution • Increased computing power > speed of microprocessors has doubled every 18 months • Declining Costs > data transfer costing $150,000 in 1970 costs $0.12 in 1999 > megabit of DRAM storage costing $5,257 in 1970 costs $0.17 in 1999

  6. The ICT Revolution How long before a new technology gains widespread acceptance (50 M users) Radio: 38 years Television: 13 years Personal Computer: 16 years World Wide Web: 4 years

  7. The ICT Revolution • Qualitative changes in how people live • economics: production, distribution, competition, commerce • politics: sovereignty, democracy, empowerment • culture: recreation, relationships with others & nature • identity & community

  8. The ICT Revolution • Rise of Knowledge-based sectors and industries, “Convergence” • Electronic Commerce as world’s fastest growing industry • Information as the new asset: “information is power.” • Social construction of thecomplex globalization process

  9. The HOPE: ICT for Development • Providing information • Raising productivity • Strengthening advocacy • Promoting good governance • Building community • Enabling empowerment

  10. The HYPE ?

  11. Philippines: Indicators & Trends Telecommunications Telephone Density, Selected Countries, 1995-1999 (No. of telephones per 100 people) Country 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Growth (1995-1999) United States 60.7 62.1 64.3 66.1 66.4 9.4 Japan 48.6 50.1 50.3 50.2 55.8 14.7 Singapore 47.8 51.3 54.2 56.2 48.2 0.1 Korea, Rep. 41.2 43.0 44.4 43.2 43.8 6.3 Malaysia 16.5 17.8 19.4 19.7 20.3 23.0 Thailand 5.8 7.0 8.0 8.3 8.6 47.7 Philippines 2.0 4.6 8.1 9.1 9.1 353.7 Indonesia 1.7 2.1 2.4 2.7 2.9 71.1 India 1.3 1.5 1.8 2.2 2.7 104.6 Sources: World Bank, International Telecommunications Union, National Telecommunications Commission

  12. Philippines: Indicators & Trends Telecommunications SMS Capital of the world: 32 M text msgs/day

  13. Philippines: Indicators & Trends Telecommunications

  14. Philippines: Indicators & Trends PC Penetration Ratio(market size as a % of GDP)

  15. Philippines: Indicators & Trends PC Ownership: 15.1 per 1,000 persons Internet Use: Subscribers: 500,000 Users: 1999 > 1.1 Million 2000 > 1.3 Million 2001 > 2.0 Million (est.)* 2002 > 2.9 M (projected) 2003 > 3.4 M (projected) 2004 > 4.2 M (projected) *Only ~ 2.5 % of the population

  16. Philippines: Indicators & Trends Source: Philippine Internet Directory 2000

  17. Country 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Singapore 76.24 94.91 195.5 187.99 208.10 Japan 21.47 58.40 75.79 106.97 133.33 Korea, Rep. 6.51 14.55 28.78 37.65 39.79 Malaysia 2.03 11.93 18.71 18.38 21.07 Thailand 0.68 1.54 2.11 4.16 3.33 Philippines 0.25 0.50 0.59 1.01 1.20 Indonesia 0.12 0.49 0.54 0.52 0.75 India 0.01 0.03 0.05 0.11 0.13 Philippines: Indicators & Trends ISPs: 200 (half in Metro Manila Internet Hosts (per 10,000 people) 2000 > 4.0

  18. Philippines: Indicators & Trends • Telecommunications • Deregulation of telecoms industry: raised landline teledensity; compelled rollout of lines but only 2.8M of 6.8M available lines subscribed • Phenomenal growth of cell phone technology: SMS/”texting” • PCs/Internet • Steady growth but very slow diffusion issue of cost: affordability

  19. E-Democracy: The HYPE? Reality Bites:global trend of exclusion • “New Times, Old Problems”: basic contradictionspersist in an online world • income, education buys access • English dominates • ethnicity & gender count “Digital Divide”: info-haves & have-nots

  20. Other Realities Reality Bites:internet colonization by the Market • Privatized, profit-driven • Medium for marketing: consumerist, commodified • “Entertainment and commercialism have edged out information, education and learning as the primary driving force…”

  21. Towards Digital Inclusion DIGITAL DIVIDE: aspect of deeply rooted inequalities on modern societies:within communities, countries, continents, the world • ICTs are neither positive or negative in themselves, but are not neutral. Left alone, they end up reproducing and deepening existing inequalities in society • ICTs are not inherently necessarily or beneficial.The challenge is to be able tell when, and under what conditions, ICTs/the Internet can contribute to development

  22. Challenge to Civil Society: DEMOCRATIZING ICT Access & Equity (Songs in the Key of C) CONNECTIVITY CREATIVITY CONTENT CAPACITIES COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

  23. Democratizing ICT: Access & Equity(Songs in the Key of C) • Connectivity: access to computer equipment and telecom infrastructures • Creativity: adapting technology to local needs and constraints • Content: appropriate, relevant, value-driven, strategic (e.g., local views, culture, & commerce; best practices, etc.)

  24. Democratizing ICT:Access & Equity(Songs in the Key of C) • Capacities/Competencies: building human skills (e.g., literacy, HRD) • Community: focusing on group access/ ownership/content • Collaboration/Consensus: principled partnerships between stakeholders

  25. Democratizing ICT Equitable Access Meaningful Use Social Appropriation CAPACITIES COMMUNITY COLLABORATION CONNECTIVITY CREATIVITY CONTENT

  26. Socializing the Net • ICT inequities rooted insocial inequities; Struggle to democratize ICTis apolitical struggle • Developing a common social vision & strategicInformation & Communication Agendas > POLICY ENGAGEMENT • Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships > within civil society> Civil Society with State/Market

  27. Democratizing ICT Equitable Access Meaningful Use Social Appropriation Right to InformationRight to Communicate From “Information Economy” to a“Communicative Society”

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