A systematic assessment of the impact of public access to computers and the Internet, with findings from developing countries in South America, Asia, and Africa. Shared public access to computers and the Internet in developing countries is often hailed as an effective, low-cost way to share the benefits of digital technology. Yet research on the economic and social effects of public access to computers is lacking. This volume offers the first systematic assessment of the impact of shared public access in the developing world, with findings from ten countries in South America, Asia, and Africa. It provides evidence that the benefits of diversified participation in digital society go beyond providing access to technology. Public access venues—most often Internet cafés in cities and state-run telecenters in rural areas—are places for learning, sharing, working, empowerment and finding opportunities. The book documents the impact of public access on individuals, on society and networks, and on women. Chapters report findings and examine policy implications of research on such topics as users' perceptions of the benefits of Internet café use in Jordan; ICT job training in Rwanda; understanding user motivations and risk factors for overuse and Internet addiction in China; the effect of technology use on social inclusion among low-income urban youth in Argentina; productive uses of technologies by grassroots organizations in Peru; use of technology by migrant ethnic minority Burmese women in Thailand to maintain ties with their culture and their family and friends; and women's limited access to the most ubiquitous type of venue, cybercafés, in practically all countries studied—and quite severely in some places, e.g. Uttar Pradesh, India. Contributing Editors Erwin A. Alampay, Roxana Barrantes Cáceres, Hernan Galperin, Abiodun Jagun, George Sciadas, Ramata Molo Thioune, Kentaro Toyama Chapter authors Ali Farhan AbuSeileek, Carolina Aguerre, Oluwasefunmi 'Tale Arogundade, Nor Aziah Alias, Sebastián Benítez Larghi, Jorge Bossio, Juan Fernando Bossio, Marina Laura Calamari, Nikos Dacanay, Jean Damascène Mazimpaka, Laurent Aristide Eyinga Eyinga, Mary Luz Feranil, Ariel Fontecoba, Omar Fraihat, Martin S. Hagger, Jianbin Hao, Sulaiman Hashim, Izaham Shah Ismail, Haziah Jamaludin, Xuemei Jiang, Laura León, Guoxin Li, Balwant Singh Mehta, Nidhi Mehta, Marina Moguillansky, Marhaini Mohd Noor, Avis Momeni, Théodomir Mugiraneza, Jimena Orchuela, Patricia Peña Miranda, Alejandra Phillippi, Jimena Ponce de León, Ghaleb Rabab'ah, Saif Addeen AlRababah, Wei Shang, Ryan V. Silverio, Sylvie Siyam Siwe, Efenita M. Taqueban, Olga Balbine Tsafack Nguekeng, Xiaoguang Yang

17 Structural Crises of Meaning and New Technologies: Reframing the Public and the Private in the News Media through the Expansion of Voices by Social Networks -- 18 A Starting Path for a Great Future -- List of Contributors -- Index

Cybercafés play a key role in providing internet access to developing countries. This paper examines the challenges of internet connectivity in rural and remote areas and how cybercafés now serve as a model behind government efforts to set up telecenters to extend internet connectivity to rural communities. Find out why telecenters remain popular as highlighted in two case studies: a government run initiative in the Philippines and a public-private partnership in Sri Lanka.

As the world becomes digitalized, developing countries are starting to see an increase in technological advancements being integrated into their society. These advancements are creating opportunities to improve both the economy and the lives of people within these areas. Affordability Issues Surrounding the Use of ICT for Development and Poverty Reduction is a relevant scholarly publication that examines the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) and its ability to aid in developing countries and the methods to make such technologies more accessible and cost less. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics, including community networks, infrastructure sharing, and the digital divide, this book is geared toward academics, technology developers, researchers, students, practitioners, and professionals interested in the importance of understanding technological innovations.

As discussions about the roles played by information in economic, political, and social arenas continue to evolve, the need for an intellectual primer on information ethics that also functions as a solid working casebook for LIS students and professionals has never been more urgent.

Drawing on ten years of empirical work and research, analyses of how open development has played out in practice. A decade ago, a significant trend toward openness emerged in international development. "Open development" can describe initiatives as disparate as open government, open health data, open science, open education, and open innovation. The theory was that open systems related to data, science, and innovation would enable more inclusive processes of human development. This volume, drawing on ten years of empirical work and research, analyzes how open development has played out in practice.

The development of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has transformed the world over the last two decades. These technologies are often seen as being inherently 'good', with the ability to make the world better, and in particular to reduce poverty. However, their darker side is frequently ignored in such accounts. ICTs undoubtedly have the potential to reduce poverty, for example by enhancing education, health delivery, rural develop and entrepreneurship across Africa, Asia and Latin America. However, all too often, projects designed to do so fail to go to scale, and are unsustainable when donor funding ceases. Indeed, ICTs have actually dramatically increased inequality across the world. The central purpose of this book is to account for why this is so, and it does so primarily by laying bare the interests that have underlain the dramatic expansion of ICTs in recent years. Unless these are fully understood, it will not be possible to reclaim the use of these technologies to empower the world's poorest and most marginalised.