Cultural Politics of the Digital Divide in Thailand

1. Cultural Politics of the Digital Divide in Thailand Soraj Hongladarom Department of Philosophy Chulalongkorn University Presented at the 3rd International Convention of Asia Scholars, Singapore, August 19-22, 2003

2. Outline of Talk • Digital divide in Thailand • Current government’s policy to combat the DD • My plan: To critique the policy and to reflect upon what is actually needed. • Argument: Cultural factors play a crucial role. • Philosophical reflections on the ethics of the global digital divide

3. Digital Divide in Thailand: Key Indicators • Telephone lines for 100 people: 8.45 (Singapore: 48.41; South Korea: 44.97) • PCs for 100 people: 4.04 (Singapore: 39.09; South Korea: 18.13) • Internet users: 2.3 million, or 1.6% of population (Singapore and South Korea: ?) Source: Internet User Profile of Thailand 2000, Bangkok: National Electronic and Computing Technology Center, B.E. 2543.

4. Key Indicators • Total .th domain names: 6,515 • Total number of computers registered under .th which are connected to the Internet: 71,995 • Total bandwidth: 316.375 Mbps incoming and 215.437 Mbps outgoing URL of Source: http://www.nectec.or.th/

5. Key Indicators • Gender gap: Ratio of male to female internet users significantly decreased (65/35 in 1999 and 51/49 in 2000). • *More than 70% of the entire Internet users in the country live in the Bangkok Metropolitan area. • The 20-29 year old age group still dominates the internet users.

6. Key Indicators • *More than 72% of internet users are holders of bachelor’s degrees or higher. • Most internet users describe themselves as being ‘fair’ or higher for their English proficiency (88%).

7. Key Indicators • The NECTEC study concludes that there is still a clear digital divide between the residents of the Bangkok area and all others. • The divide also exists between groups with different educational background and English proficiency.

8. Government Policy • Increase communication infrastructure so as to increase competitiveness with other leading countries in the region. • Increase internet penetration • Goal  More than 70% of the population can get access to the Internet. Source: Policy of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology: http://www.ict.go.th/

9. Government Policy • Increase IT literacy • Goal  To increase the percentage of population who can use ICT to 60 percent. • Determine an acceptable cost of internet access. • Goal  The price must be such that 80% of the population can afford it. • Develop ‘Digital network system’ to faciliate information flow among the government agencies.

10. “Good Wish Computers” • This year the Thaksin government has instituted a policy of selling desktop and notebook PCs to the general population at a much reduced price. The most basic kind sells at around 10,000 baht (240 USD), and around 20,000 baht (480 USD) for a notebook. The operating system was a version of Linux developed by NECTEC.

11. “Good Wish Computers” • The policy was dubbed ‘good wish computers’(คอมพิวเตอร์เอื้ออาทร)following the earlier policy of selling cheap land plots and houses to the poor. • The ‘good wish’ policies have been very popular. And it almost certainly will guarantee Thaksin another term in office.

12. Some Past Experiences • In 1996, the Chavalit government initiated a policy of giving away computers to schools nationwide. The scheme was much criticized for lack of transparency and corruption. It seemed only those benefiting from it were the hardware dealers. Many complained that the computers were not used; some villages did not have electricity; some lacked qualified teachers.

13. The incident showed how much was needed in order to implement this kind of policy fully. Thus it appears that this government’s policy might end up in the same way. • So the aim of my project is to investigate this question in lights of recent findings and theories in philosophy and other disciplines.

14. The thinking behind the Chavalit and Thaksin governments appears to be that the development can be effected by just pushing hardware, software and physical infrastructure to the people. • This yields tangible results, which is good for reelection prospects. • But experiences show that this does not work. • There seems to be a circle.

15. Hardware, software and infrastructure But in order for the goals to be attained the hardware, software and infrastructure need to be there already. Something more is needed in order to achieve ‘development’. Attaining the goals of development How are these goals arrived at?

16. What else is needed? • Since merely pushing the hardware and the physical infrastructure does not work, we need to think hard on this issue. • The root of the discourse about the digital divide stems from the belief that technology can solve all problems. • This is a naivete.

17. The policies of successive Thai governments toward the poor is almost always to push things to them. • Many times those things are not wanted or needed. • There is no concerted effort at learning what the people in the rural areas really want out of the technology.

18. This is where cultural factors become crucial. What is meant here is the specificities of the people’s or communities’ beliefs, desires, agendas, etc. that altogether make up the totality of their identities. • The question then becomes: How should the ICTs be adapted such that they fit in with these factors?

19. So research agenda: In what way should the ICTs be adopted such that they become merged with the lifeworld of the people? • My thesis: My previous research has shown that there is a distinct possibility that ICTs and possibly other technologies can be ‘co-opted’ into the lifeworld. The technologies become subservient to the already existing agenda of the communities.

20. How? • Local communities could use ICTs to forge stronger ties that bind their members together. • The Thai government thinks that knowledge goes one way only: West  Bangkok  countryside • But that is way too simple.

21. How? • But in order for the villages to be able to do that, they must be given the opportunities first. • Education plays a key role. • The vicious circle mentioned above can be broken with attacks from many sides. • Infusion of capital could be key. (Here the Thaksin govt. does deserve some credit.)

22. Philosophical Background • This is a stance against technological determinism • Philosophical underpinning: • Most philosophers are traditionally against technology  Heidegger, Ellul, Mumford, Borgmann • It is quite surprising that both opponents and proponents of technology subscribe to determinism in one way or another.

23. Other agenda (more philosophical) • Digital divide as instance of global inequality and (in)justice • The global flow of information  this is another aspect of global justice problem that is rather neglected.

24. If my argument is correct, then we should aim for a situation where the local communities are not dominated by the world dominant player, resistance can be effected through ICTs.