In recent years, many developing regions across the globe have made rigorous efforts to become integrated into the global information society. The development and implementation of information communication technology (ICT) devices and policies within various fields of service have significantly aided in the infrastructural progression of these countries. Despite these considerable advancements, there remains a lack of research and awareness on this imperative subject. Developing Countries and Technology Inclusion in the 21st Century Information Society is an essential reference source that discusses the adoption and impact of ICT tools in developing areas of the world as well as specific challenges and sustainable uses within various professional fields. Featuring research on topics such as policy development, gender differences, and international business, this book is ideally designed for educators, policymakers, researchers, librarians, practitioners, scientists, government officials, and students seeking coverage on modern applications of ICT services in developing countries.

This title was first published in 2000. A discussion of information technology (IT) in developing countries. The contributors can be considered to share the following set of broad premises: information and communication technologies, and related systems, have significant potential to aid the economic growth and improvement of social conditions in the developing world; however, such potential is not released by simply transferring technologies and processes from advanced economies; in order to better serve development needs, people involved with the design, implementation and management of IT-related projects and systems in developing countries must improve their capacity to address the specific contextual characteristics of the organization, sector, country or region within which their work is located. The text thus emphasizes the importance of context in examining the role and value of IT in the developing countries. It focuses attention on the fusion of the activities of "professionals" (technical experts, managers, policy makers) and "users" (more broadly, all other groups affecting or affected by the technologies and systems), with the intention of facilitating locally meaningful and effective change.

Economically disadvantaged communities in many regions around the world are making concerted efforts to become integrated into the global information society. The adoption and use of an array of technology tools and services by these communities will pave the way for their inclusion. Adoption and Use of Technology Tools and Services by Economically Disadvantaged Communities: Implications for Growth and Sustainability examines the challenges facing economically disadvantaged communities with respect to their digital divide and emerging opportunities as they adopt modern ICT tools and services for growth and sustainability. Focus is given to research on ICT adoption, use, and impact on lives, businesses, and societies. Covering topics such as the digital divide, food traceability, and big data analytics, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for sociologists, government officials, community leaders, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

"There has been significant growth in the adoption and use of mobile technology and other forms of information & communication technology (ICT) tools and services in many economically disadvantaged and underserved groups. The book documents constraints to ICT access/adoption; innovative research in ICT that includes ICT access, adoption, diffusion, use and impact for service delivery to many sectors in different countries particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa"--

An expert considers the effects of a more mobile Internet on socioeconomic development and digital inclusion, examining both potentialities and constraints. Almost anyone with a $40 mobile phone and a nearby cell tower can get online with an ease unimaginable just twenty years ago. An optimistic narrative has proclaimed the mobile phone as the device that will finally close the digital divide. Yet access and effective use are not the same thing, and the digital world does not run on mobile handsets alone. In After Access, Jonathan Donner examines the implications of the shift to a more mobile, more available Internet for the global South, particularly as it relates to efforts to promote socioeconomic development and broad-based inclusion in the global information society. Drawing on his own research in South Africa and India, as well as the burgeoning literature from the ICT4D (Internet and Communication Technologies for Development) and mobile communication communities, Donner introduces the “After Access Lens,” a conceptual framework for understanding effective use of the Internet by those whose “digital repertoires” contain exclusively mobile devices. Donner argues that both the potentialities and constraints of the shift to a more mobile Internet are important considerations for scholars and practitioners interested in Internet use in the global South.

Much of the discussion about new technologies and social equality has focused on the oversimplified notion of a "digital divide." Technology and Social Inclusion moves beyond the limited view of haves and have-nots to analyze the different forms of access to information and communication technologies. Drawing on theory from political science, economics, sociology, psychology, communications, education, and linguistics, the book examines the ways in which differing access to technology contributes to social and economic stratification or inclusion. The book takes a global perspective, presenting case studies from developed and developing countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, India, and the United States. A central premise is that, in today's society, the ability to access, adapt, and create knowledge using information and communication technologies is critical to social inclusion. This focus on social inclusion shifts the discussion of the "digital divide" from gaps to be overcome by providing equipment to social development challenges to be addressed through the effective integration of technology into communities, institutions, and societies. What is most important is not so much the physical availability of computers and the Internet but rather people's ability to make use of those technologies to engage in meaningful social practices.