Category: General

Thanks and Goodbye!

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Dear reader,

As this exercise comes to a close, we would like to thank you for reading and for the great comments you made, which helped us with our own reflections and let us see things through your eyes.

 

We would also like take a moment for a few final reflections:

  • The blog exercise was interesting and challenging. While we faced some difficulties we came together as a group, working hand in hand, helping each other. We learned new things about ICT4D topics, our classmates, team members and ourselves.

 

  • As you know our blog “Spotlight on Development” focused on how ICT4D impacts development professionals, their work and those whom they are trying to help. We chose this topic in part because we all felt that it is good to stop from time to time and evaluate what you have been doing, where you have been going and where you are heading. Through this exercise we managed to do just that, it has been a great and fun learning experience and we hope that you enjoyed it too!

 

We wish you all the best for the future, stay healthy, safe and reflective!

 

The Development Spotlight Group

 

For a decolonized digital development: fostering digital rights & dignified storytelling

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In this thread I would like to discuss on a deeper level three topics that particularly caught my interest, in the broader discourse of development decolonization and coherent ICT4D participatory practises, and that I think are of fundamental importance:

–         Risks & Solutions of Digital Aid (introduced here)

–         Digital Dignity: How do we ensure digital rights? (I discussed about it here and here)

–         Media representations & dignified storytelling

When we talk about “international development” we have to discuss digital media and communication approaches of every actor and sector, as international development relies greatly on digital communication. The implementation of digital solutions provides huge opportunities to enhance the performance of humanitarian practices and reinforces peacebuilding and protest activities.

If we talk about the most commonly used tools, as messaging apps grow in popularity, their usage in emergencies is also on the rise and could play a crucial role in the future (Lunt 2017). Affected communities can keep in touch with each other, have access to updated information and connect with humanitarians to report on emergency situations. When a disaster occurs, access to right information is not always easy, but it is critical to provide fast, diversified, safe and sustainable communication streams that will help organizations make quicker and pondered decisions that can save lives. (Heeks. 2017). 

The implementation of advanced information systems, such as humanitarian apps, contributes to tackling a wide range of problems (Lunt 2017). For example, 4W maps were developed to provide information for humanitarian assistance planning, covering critical questions, such as who is doing what, where, and when. Crisis mapping is also one common means of digital humanitarianism. Drone application instead permits mapping, delivering essential items to remote locations, monitoring environmental changes and damage evaluations (Fondation Suisse de Déminage 2016).

RISKS

At the Wilton Park conference the implications of digital technology for individuals affected by armed conflict were discussed, identifying five major existing problems: 

  •  Dual-use technology: Facial recognition software, drones, biometric and digital identity systems, crisis mapping tools and satellite imagery, although initially used for good, may also do a lot of harm on crisis-affected populations that can become targets and cause issues, such as data protection.
  • Third-party service providers: It highlights the question of ownership and consent over information and data that is being shared. Especially when the third-party is a commercial entity that clearly benefits from the exploitation of this data.
  • Humanitarian Data Incidents: Events involving the management of data that have caused harm or have the potential to cause harm to crisis-affected populations, organizations on the field and other individuals or groups.·
  •  Humanitarian and Civilian Data Targeting by Military Actors
  • Handling of requests for access to biometric data by state authorities. 

While digital solutions provide the capabilities to respond to crises in a better way, if mismanaged, these same technologies risk exposing users to violations of their rights (Hill 2018), causing problems related to data protection, privacy, misinformation, propaganda, data interception, or unauthorized access.

Unfortunately, humanitarian organizations do not have appropriate standards or internationally agreed and approved ethical digital regulations, that in combination with people’s living conditions, culture, inequalities can cause serious obstacles in facilitating humanitarian support. The biggest issue is the fact that legislation around the protection of metadata and data is not uniform worldwide, and the places where humanitarian facilities operate tend to be under-legislated (Bouffet and Marelli 2018). This gap can be used to violate human rights, freedoms, and create threats to lifes of humanitarians, volunteers, or affected communities.

MAKE DIGITAL RIGHTS REAL

Protecting personal data means protecting life: there is an urgent need to identify the ways to mitigate risks in humanitarian action digitalization. Some attempts to protect personal data and information apps are performed by their developers, as of Telegram, even prior to the implementation of the GDPR in Europe. The International Committee of the Red Cross also deals with the issue of metadata protection in the framework of humanitarian action. (ICRC and Privacy International 2018)

All parties involved in humanitarian action should understand the need to prevent the leakage of personal data and violations of privacy. Unfortunately, much depends on the decision-makers, CSR initiatives and policies within the companies and appropriate support from the government.  According to Kaspersen and Lindsey-Curtet, it is essential to provide “proactive discussion on global standards for collecting, sharing and storing data in times of crisis – and a zero-tolerance for attempts to penetrate these organizations to gain insights into people at their most vulnerable”.

 The Digital Geneva Convention would safeguard civilians around the world from state-led or state-sanctioned cyberattacks in any moment. (Microsoft 2017). Thus, this initiative is an urgent call to action to update and adapt rights and obligations to the current dynamic realities, ensuring digital dignity and protection for all parties involved. World government leaders, NGOs, humanitarian organizations should incorporate cyber threats into legal, social, and political frameworks.

For the Digital Freedom Fund, it is fundamental to “make digital rights real” – for them to be tangible and relevant to everyone in society, not just to a privileged few. They have to be firmly situated in broader social justice. Hopefully, this will help to realise more ambitious goals, like defunding surveillance tech that targets racialised communities and re-directing resources to communities. It was found that what are considered top priorities are different than the practical issues that marginalised groups face on a daily basis (ex: digital access), and that some digital rights organisations approach systemic injustices from a merely technical perspective, rather than considering them harms that intersect with other human rights violations. 

The Human Rights Watch proposes three suggestions to protect human rights in the digital sphere:

–  Creation of a “special rapporteur” for the right to privacy at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

– Contribute to Development of Multi-Stakeholder Internet Governance: Being tested by global connectivity,  some governments (ex: China), increasingly endorse a concept of Internet sovereignty. The multi-stakeholder model for Internet governance must be protected and strengthened.

– Human Rights Protection should be a National Security Priority: it is needed to solidify the international understanding that protection of human rights and adherence to the rule of law in the digital realm are essential to the protection of national, global security and human rights, rather than antithetical to it. Digital attacks on human rights activists and civil society actors have become the way of repressive governments to undermine human rights work.

Digital risks are an integral part of our lives, as we cannot ignore the new opportunities that enhance the performance of humanitarian action, but we should create an environment that is friendly to human rights, freedoms, and dignity.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS

Since the 20th century, the media has been using images of violence, suffering and trauma to engage with the public to generate emotion and demand that something needs to be done to alleviate suffering of those in crisis (Neuman, 2017). The power of humanitarian imagery is used in order to create a “community of interest” as a form of solidarity, with the hope that it would generate a larger public interest and subsequently, a CNN effect.  According to Lobb and Mock (2007), during humanitarian response efforts, the mass media serves as the primary informational intermediary, informing donors, and policy-makers as well as the non-affected public: “disaster and crisis response often is hampered by poor communication.” . In fact, media coverage and its intensity on crises has very little, if any, to do with humanitarian needs and it is decided based on other aspects such as “geographic proximity to Western countries or elites, costs, logistics, legal impediments, risk to journalists, relevance to national interest, eye-catching story and news attention cycles”.

The overwhelming media coverage and the trap of imagery can do more harm than good. Media has the power to generate funding, but the selective nature of media’s interest affects the sustainability of the resources, and lots of needy emergencies are not covered. NGOs are also guilty of using negative images: although they can instill compassion and will to donate, audiences could also feel manipulated through the feelings of guilt and cause them to be resistant (Orgad and Vella 2012), can spark a desire for revenge and campaigns can also lead to compassion fatigue, leading the audience to fail to respond. Often, there is less coverage in certain areas of conflict due to accessibility and safety reasons and the media would rely on alternative sources such as the NGOs on the ground. In return, NGOs could get good publicity and create public pressure and challenge official sources.  Still, the media lacks critical analytical assessment of information, which leads to error in judgement and inappropriate response to aid. The amount of effort and resources mobilised by the sensationalism could be coordinated better, channelled to aid crises which are neglected.

In order to mobilise appropriate humanitarian response, humanitarian NGOs and agencies, officials and the media need to work together in order to thoroughly consider the social imaginaries of the groups of people they are sending aid to and prevent misconception of information from being broadcasted and educating the public so to achieve a better understanding of the communities.

DIGNIFIED STORYTELLING

As I stated, it is important to avoid poverty porn not just for directing the aid properly, but also for ethical reasons, to ensure a dignified and empowering storytelling for the communities.

So how do you create a powerful message which both respects the subject?For Mr Echwalu, a refugee worker in Uganda, the answer is simple ” humanising people. An ideal way is to tell stories – positive stories about ambitions. Yes,- they were in a bad situation-, but I would always use the voices of the people. I think there is a media landscape: bad news is more interesting than good news, the challenge is to tell the true story, with dignity and respect.” For example the 2017 Golden Radiator Award went to Batman, by War Child Holland, with the jury describing it as “powerful” and as “effective humanitarian crisis imagery“. I would like to stress the importance of the “Principles of Dignified Storytelling” and The Dignified Storytelling Forum that will take place at Dubai’s EXPO, that promises to expand an enriching discussion about what really is dignified representation.

 In order to end poverty porn we have to be careful about 3 corcerns:

  •    There’s something fundamentally wrong with the equation “more fundraising = less poverty”, as only a fraction of humanitarian aid goes through local organisations.
  •   It’s time to stop interacting with audiences in a transactional way, and make them join the change, not just “click and donate” 
  •  Reinforcing narrative frames that center whiteness and wealth is dangerous, irresponsible, and unacceptable.

 Even though they may carry fundings, we should avoid PR-ized stories:

 “Despite her good intentions, the focus of the PR-ised story is clearly the celebrity herself, as a corporate brand, while the people she purports to save are pushed outside the frame. They don’t have much to say about (…) an inherently unequal, competitive & unjust system-perhaps because their privileged Western, white, middle class backgrounds have not adequately prepared them for the realities of intersectional race & class based oppression” 

Celebrities firstly get to decide which causes should receive the attention, they take away the focus from the recipients of aid but also from successful local initiatives. We can say that white saviorism is often connected to celebrity humanitarianism, and it is crucial to aim for for helping communities help themselves instead of trapping them in an eternal need of foreign aid.

I think that it also crucial that practitioners keep ironically interrogating themselves about field work through memes, satyrical videos and parodies as in #HumanitarianStarWars. Irony is often a double-edged sword, but if used properly, it can amplify exponentially the power of criticism.

SOLUTIONS

We need to decolize aid work, as Kenyan writer and development consultant Ciku Kimeria says: “the development sector today is still full of examples of paternalistic attitudes from the West: average Western undergraduate educated people get to chair meetings of local experts with decades of experience” .We understood that “Technology as an abstract concept functions as a white mythology”, and that AI, the digital realm and the whole development sector are intrinsically racists. (Denskus T. ,2020)

One solution is to foster more and more participatory practise. The book by Buskens and Webb (2009) had three emancipatory themes: agentic use, critical voice, and personal and social transformation. It is important to discuss situational awareness of the role, reflexivity and power over the use or design of ICT. Receivers are not just recipients but participants in the decision making process, they retake control over the media coverage of the crises they face, instead of waiting for others to reach them, increasing community engagement. Participatory methods have often been perceived as a means to address power inequalities within technology design in developing countries.

At least as much attention needs to be paid to issues of inequality as to the use of ICTs for economic growth. For example, it is crucial to address the gender problem in the digital sphere: a significant gender gap in mobile phone ownership and usage exposes women to the risk of being left behind and it would affect the possibilities to be rescued from dangerous situations and to express the rights to life, liberty, and security of a person, as it is stated in the UDHR (1948). Mobile operators, software developers, humanitarian facilities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can work together to promote policies and initiatives aimed to reduce the cost of phones and digital literacy.

To sum up, there are different steps that can be taken, including: fostering digital literacy, strengthening data protection practices and creating the right safeguards for the adoption of digital technologies, adopting suitable humanitarian policies, ensuring humanitarians continue to put people at the centre of their work.

In a world that relies and manages policies and commercial strategies on the usage of data, it is important to secure proper legislation regarding our daily communication privacy. In the Global South data extraction is unfortunately expected to become a booming business, “Mining” people for data is reminiscent of the colonizer attitude that declares humans as raw material.” (Birhane A.)

We should narrow the digital divide but it is needed to improve the knowledge of affected people and aid workers on the use of new technologies, to ensure the most secure and ethical use of digital devices. The continuous coverage of real problems faced by humanitarian missions, as well as a joint search for solutions should be always sought after. It is crucial to identify ways for covering the humanitarian principles such as humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence in the era of digitalization.

During this blogging experience, I found interesting to read about, and discuss the whole spectrum of reflective ICT4D practises, decolonization of development, datafication and digital rights (all so pressing, actual and critical topics!), and to explore new communicative methods and techniques. It was engaging for me to post content on my social media platforms and analyze the responses and to open threads linking different inspiring sources taken from my daily experience. What I would do differently next time is that I would experiment more with podcasts or videos, that I didn’t feel comfortable using this time. I think that even recording our online sessions and discussions would have been an inspiring documentation on how to create a blog from scratch. It was inspiring to collaborate with my colleagues and build together such a crucial and urgent discussion. I really enjoyed the collaborative approach of this examination, reading and engaging with blog posts permitted to reflect and to learn a lot while interacting with very knowledgeable people. Everybody has been very responsive and helpful, and I really appreciated having the possibility to discuss and e-meet other fellow students, as in online learning the socializing opportunity is not always easy to grasp.  Thank you for your precious support and enthusiasm!

 

SOURCES:

Digital Rights (2) : The case of Palestine

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“Technology in general is never either neutral or objective; it is a mirror that reflects societal bias, unfairness, and injustice.”

 In May 2021, 7amleh, The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, worked to document digital rights violations occurred during the 2021 Israeli attacks, and in the document Hashtag Palestine 2020 are listed detailed digital rights violations committed by government authorities and technology companies against Palestinians.

 This year, Palestinian groups have been demonstrating against the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to displace Palestinians in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. This time not radicalists nor Hamas soldiers, but young Palestinians used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and TikTok to document and denounce human rights violations. Social media companies started removing Palestinian content from platforms, often without clear reasons or violations and Israel arrested around 800 Palestinians because of their posts.  In 2014, Israel’s world exports of cyber security and surveillance technologies exceeded its military equipment exports. Such technologies were sold to authoritarian and repressive regimes in Colombia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Sudan, the UAE…

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

In many occasions, various social media platfoms silenced the voice of Palestinian people and activists. Israeli cyber units sent requests to social media platforms to take down specific content without a court order, through the use of a specific app that can be used  “remove inciting content from social media, fight antisemitism and anti-zionism, and take part in special pro-Israel campaigns and efforts.”

Artificial intelligence is being used to censor pro-Palestine sentiment. Haaretz revealed that algorithms were used to build profiles of what Israel views as likely Palestinian attackers, based on a prediction of violence, rather than any actual attack – or even a plan to commit it, and the popularity of the suspect. Israeli intelligence hacked Facebook accounts to gain access to such private information as Israel occupies and controls the entire telecommunications infrastructure used by Palestinians.

Facebook is often criticized for its lack of transparency and arbitrary decisions, and it’s regarded as “pro-Israel”, as he lists Zionists as a “globally protected group,”  and that “people must not praise, support organizations that intimidate an internationally recognized state.”, and terrorism for FB includes the use of premeditated violence by non-governmental organizations “to achieve a political, religious or ideological aim.” As a result, Facebook has censored activists and journalists in disputed territories such as Palestine, Kashmir, Crimea, and Western Sahara.

Moreover, in 2016, the Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced an agreement between Israel and Facebook to set up teams to monitor and remove “inciteful” content. Facebook may fear being sued and Israel as a geopolitical actor. In 2015, a pro-Israeli organization, Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, filed a suit against Facebook because of a leaked internal document regarding content that denies the Holocaust.

Regarding Youtube, Although YouTube’s mission statement promises “to give everyone a voice and show them the world,” this is not always the case with its ongoing and unjustified declaration that some videos violate its community guidelines. This raises significant problems when it comes to users’ digital rights. YouTube is not held accountable regarding the clarity and equity of its four guidelines; it can maneuver between them interchangeably to justify content removal. One of YouTube’s justifications for using AI programming is that it could be much more efficient and fast in detecting inappropriate content. However, Dia Kayyali at WITNESS explains that while “computers might be efficient in detecting violence, they are not as nuanced as humans. They are not good at figuring out if a video is ISIS propaganda or vital evidence of human rights violations.” Whether explicitly acknowledged or not, the central aim of commercial companies developing AI is not to rectify bias generally but to infer the weaknesses and deficiencies of individual “users,” as if people existed only as objects to be manipulated”

In a range of videos, researchers found that many YouTube videos about the Israeli army and military remain on YouTube. Another incident of hate speech and harassment is the video promoted by Israeli clothing brand, Hoodies. The Islamophobic video ends with the slogan “Freedom is basic.” despite activists’ critiques, the video remains on YouTube. In interviews, Palestinian human rights defenders reported experiencing language and locative discrimination against their content on YouTube and silencing “because it is violent”.

Instagram is reported to have  silenced many accounts in Palestine. The excuse by Mosseri was “many people thought we were removing their content because of what they posted or what hashtag they used, but this bug wasn’t related to the content itself, but rather a widespread issue that has now been fixed”. However, Mona Shtaya, 7amleh manager, said “The excuses that have been used by the companies, such as ‘global technical bug’ are neither logical nor convincing” she told Al Jazeera.

FB censoring Still I Rise NGO

Many people and organisations across the world continue to face low reach and engagement on their posts on Instagram and other platforms, this is a phenomenon called “shadow banning”. Given the targeted and repeated nature of such censures, activists continue to express doubts about such explanations from social media companies, I linked here the example of Govoni, of the organization “Still I Rise”. In addition, several Palestinians in Jerusalem have reported receiving threatening text messages from Israeli Intelligence, the messages are believed to be an intimidation tactic meant to keep activists and residents of the surrounding areas from engaging in protests or other political action.

It is not only Israel and social media platforms that suppresses Palestinian social media users: The Palestinian Authority does this as well, to destroy unfavorable political views or criticisms of Palestinian leadership. The PA recently passed a law that further curbs Palestinians’ freedom to express themselves online. The controversial Electronic Crimes Law was signed by Palestinian President Abbas in 2017, without any public consultations with Palestinian civil society. The pretext of the new law is to fight online crimes,, but the law itself is in stark contravention of basic privacy protection laws and freedom of speech. It confers extensive power to state institutions to monitor, collect, and store data pertaining to online activities of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Digital rights concerns are a relatively new concept in the OPT.

–        Palestinian civil society organizations have a responsibility to raise awareness about these rights, most importantly regarding digital security. Keeping one’s accounts protected and private information private should be a priority, especially for journalists and activists.

–        Palestinian civil society and media must also expose and mobilize against Israel’s unethical surveillance practices, censorship, and persecution of Palestinians’ freedom of expression. Online campaigning (such as #FBCensorsPalestine), has proven effective in addressing social media companies’ digital rights violations due to biased positions, despite claims of neutrality.

–        Social media platforms should publish transparency reports for deletions, blocks, or restrictions of content and profiles of users and it must clearly explain how a person can appeal the decision.

–        Palestinians also need to build coalitions with international digital rights organizations that should ensure that AI is not hyper-surveying and discriminating against Palestinian content and that can help exert pressure on social media companies and the Israeli government to discontinue their violations.

–        The human and digital rights of Palestinian children and youth should be safeguarded, and support for their activism and full protection in accordance with international lawshould be provided.

–        Pressure should be exertet on Israel to comply with UN resolutions and respect international laws that protect the Palestinian population living under occupation and publicly condemn violations of these rights.

However, despite the biases, limitations and unclear policies of social media companies, their platforms have allowed for international outrage at the brutality and trauma Palestinians have been suffering for decades and protests in other countries around the world are also erupting, due in large part to mobilisation and activism through social media. Increased attention and exposure to these linguistic biases has allowed people to reject the narrative presented by Western media outlets. This is in large part due to the visibility of Palestinian voices, which are finally telling their own stories and narrating their own experiences, in spite of the limitations of social media. The censure we’ve seen big tech companies exercise paints a disconcerting picture of how easy it is to rob a person of their voice, particularly if that person belongs to a marginalised group. This is exactly why support and amplify Palestinian voices, and indeed voices of all oppressed groups, is now more important than ever. 

➡️ If you want you can check Labiba’s network blog and Instagram page: here we write about Palestine “from a different perspective”.

SOURCES

Birhane A.(2019) The Algorithmic Colonization of Africa, retrieved from: https://reallifemag.com/the-algorithmic-colonization-of-africa/

Nadeem R. (2021), Silencing Palestinian Voices in the Digital Age, retrieved from: https://www.digitalrightsmonitor.pk/suppressing-palestinian-voices-in-the-digital-age/

Nashif N, Fatafta M (2017), Surveillance of Palestinians and the Fight for Digital Rights, retrieved from: https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/surveillance-palestinians-fight-digital-rights/ 

Nazzal A. (2020), YouTube’s Violation of Palestinian Digital Rights: What Needs to be Done, retrieved from: https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/youtubes-violation-of-palestinian-digital-rights-what-needs-to-be-done/

PAX for peace (2020), Palestinian Digital Rights, retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFC0OI_hDHQ

7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media (2019), The Attacks on Palestinian Digital Rights, retrieved from:  https://7amleh.org//storage/The%20Attacks%20on%20Palestinian%20Digital%20Rights.pdf

7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media (2021), Unsafe spaces: How the digital rights of young Palestinians in Jerusalem are being increasingly violated online, retrieved from: https://ifex.org/unsafe-spaces-how-the-digital-rights-of-young-palestinians-in-jerusalem-are-being-increasingly-violated-online/

7amleh (2018), Digital rights in Palestine, retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed5IAVwgLL0

How Development Professionals Can Use ICT4D Effectively

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By Katharina Hribernigg

In my final blog post I wanted to review some of the ICT for development aspects from previous blog posts as well as new ones. In order to do this my post has been divided into four parts. The first part will focus on how development professionals can effectively use ICT in their projects, how strategies can help identify what works or does not and why. The second part will focus on two ICT tools, blogs and podcasts and how these can be used by professionals, again reflecting on when and why these tools work well or do not. The next part is a short section on ICT use of development professionals during the pandemic. The focus here being how an increased use of ICT tools has impacted the work of development professionals and questions about the future. The final part is about my personal experience with the blog exercise.

ICT for development comprises many tools that development professionals can use. How well development professionals are able to use ICT4D in their projects depends on a number of factors. Having an ICT4D strategy can be very helpful. In his book on Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) Richard Heeks defines an ICT4D strategy as “…a plan for ICT4D initiatives and their supporting infrastructure which maximizes the ability of organizations to achieve international development objectives. “ (Heeks 2017 p.96) This is what development professionals should aim for in order to work effectively. Heeks goes on to saying that there are three main questions that need to be asked. Those are:
“Where are we now: what is the current status of ICT4D?
Where do we want to get to: what should be the future of ICT4D? How do we get there:
what actions should be taken to transform the current situation into the future one?” (Heeks 2017 p.97) Heeks also stresses the importance to align the ICT4D strategy with the broader strategy of the organization. To keep the context in mind, have a clear strategy and map out the road to implementation. (Heeks 2017)

While having an ICT4D strategy can help development professionals to be successful, ICT4D projects often fail. Knowing why projects fail and how to avoid this is an important point that development professionals should look at. Heeks (2017) argues that most ICT4D projects fail,and that while there is limited data up to 70% percent of these projects could fail. While this may seem alarming, he goes on to saying that in general most development projects, as well as other projects fail. But the simple fact that they “failed” says very little because it is important to define what failing means. He argues that very few projects are total failures, most fail to achieve a part of the objectives. And even if the project turns out to be a total failure development professionals can still learn valuable lessons. (Heeks 2017) When development professionals reflect on why an ICT4D project has failed, they can make changes and avoid these mistakes in the future.

Heeks (2017) states that ICT4D project managers must manage “hybridly” in order to be successful. Projects which are too technology centered tend to fail because they do not take people and the social context into consideration. On the other hand, projects which are too focused on the social side often fail because they do not make use of new technologies and therefore opportunities are lost. In order to avoid failing, project managers need to find a balance between the two also keeping in mind that projects which have a very strong top-
down or bottom-up approach also tend to fail. (Heeks 2017 p.108) This shows that development professionals need to be aware of many different aspects when using ICT4D. Having a good strategy, being aware of potential problems and knowing why other projects have failed can help development professionals with their ICT4D projects.

Apart from strategy on how development professionals can manage ICT4D projects I also wanted to use this post to talk about an ICT for development tool. I choose blogging and podcasts partially because of the blog exercise, and partially because blogs and podcasts are ICT tools which are widely used by development organizations and professionals.

Blogs and podcasts can be interesting tools for development professionals and organizations. A look at a few statistics shows some of the potential for reaching others using these tools. In 2021, globally there were 4.66 billion active internet users and 3.78 billion people used some form of social media. (Jovic,2021) It is difficult to say exactly how many people have read a blog but estimates suggest that it could be around 3 billion people.
(Galov,2021) Listening to podcasts is also becoming more and more popular around the world with over half of South Koreans and Americans listening to them, and Chile having a podcast growth rate of 85%. (Jovic,2021)

A large potential audience is only one of the reasons for development professionals to have a blog. Tobias Denskus, development blogger and professor at Malmö university talks about the potential of blogs in one of his own blog posts.“ Our research on development blogs has highlighted a range of interesting dynamics with regard to reflexive and reflective learning processes. Peer learning in the blogosphere, mentoring of students or colleagues through intergenerational exchanges between seasoned veterans in the field and aspiring aid
workers, and multidisciplinary inputs all contribute to learning processes…. “ (Denskus, 2019) In their 2013 article Denskus and Papan asked development bloggers why they blog. The dialogue with readers was an important aspect. One blogger said that it allows them to test new ideas and get feedback. This person particularly appreciated the exchange with other development professionals through blogging. Another person stated that putting their ideas into writing helped them reflect on their own work. (Denskus, Papan 2013).

While blogs undoubtedly have lots potential it does not mean that they automatically achieve being a medium for education and communication. There are potential problems that development professionals wishing to engage in blogging should be aware of. In his 2013 post on reflexive engagement and blogging Denskus and Papan point out that the blogging landscape is dominated by northern ideas and readers. (Denskus, Papan 2013. Being aware of this might make development professionals actively seek to promote other points of view and reach readers outside of the global north. In his 2019 blog post on strategies to diversify discussions in blogging Tobias Denskus talks about his efforts to do just that.

Tobias Denskus talks about how over time his focus has shifted to portraying more non-traditional and female voices, focusing on “…less traditional locations of how and where development is communicated – and who is part of the story. “(Denskus, 2019) He also reflects on how well this is working. He reflects that as he is a white, male European he is careful not to overstate his contribution do decolonization. Yet he also reflects that his
approach of engaging with a variety of sources, authors and topics adds important diversity to academic practices in communication for development. (Denskus, 2019) This shows the importance of reflection. By reflecting on what he was doing Denskus made his blog evolve, showing his students and readers new perspectives, making them to think and improving the chances of getting a more diverse group of readers interested in his blog.

In her report “Podcasts where next?” Chloe Choppen (2020) explores how organizations and development professionals can use podcasts effectively. A major benefit of a podcast is the low barrier to entry. Unlike a radio or television broadcast a podcast can easily be created by practically anyone. That does not mean that anyone can produce a good podcast. Choppen advises development professionals and organizations to have a distinct offer, know who the target audience is, have a good host as well as the necessary funding to produce and advertise a podcast series. (Choppen,2020)

Choppen states that podcasts allow organizations and development professionals to reach new and other audiences than they would have using other media formats. Good story telling, innovation and communication makes podcasts interesting for listeners. Successful podcasts meet the organizations and the listeners needs. (Choppen,2020) The report points out some of the downsides of podcasts. Podcasts are generally not the best tool for reaching large audiences. It may also be difficult to reach older audiences as podcasts are more popular with younger generations. Not every podcast format works for every topic or organization and figuring this out may not be easy. Also, podcasts should have regular episodes or listeners might lose interest. (Choppen,2020)

Choppen also advises to development professionals and organizations to evaluate how the podcast is doing, who and how many people are listening. She also suggests looking at comments and see if and how the conversation has shifted. (Choppen,2020) Podcast can be a very interesting ICT for development tool if development professionals are well informed, have a good strategy, evaluate and reflect on what they are doing.

ICT strategies, podcasts and blogs are relevant when discussing the impact of ICT for development professionals and their work. But an aspect which this post has not yet touched is how the current situation has impacted development professionals both in general and in regards to ICT for development.

The pandemic has undoubtedly had an effect on the working life of development professionals. Devex, a media platform for the development community interviewed persons working in the development sector in 100 countries, asking them how the pandemic effected their working lives. Almost 60% of people said that the pandemic and the restrictions that came with it (such as travel restrictions, curfews and mandatory home
office rules) negatively impacted their work. Participants said that they found working from home difficult. (Smith,2020) Development professionals needed to increase their use of ICT tools. Some found this stressful and felt isolated saying that there was less team interaction, more frustration and at times they could not carry out work that had an impact. (Smith,2020) Others saw an opportunity saying that unnecessary meetings were reduced and that there was a general willingness to try out new working practices. (Smith,2020)

It will be interesting to see what impact this push towards an increased use of ICT in development will have. There may be questions around the use of ICT in the daily work of development professionals such as the use of virtual communication, using tools like blogs, vlogs, online meetings and conferences. Development organizations and professionals might also reevaluate their use of ICT4D and focus on new strategies. Either way reflecting on past and current practices and sharing this knowledge with others can be beneficial for all development professionals.

Reflecting on this exercise I was excited about the blog exercise already before it began. I really liked the topic that the group chose. I thought that it would be very interesting to reflect on how ICT for development impacts the work of development professionals.

Unfortunately, I developed a health problem in late September which required surgery and a longer hospital stay. As a result I was not able to devote as much time and energy as I would have liked to the blog exercise. I regret this because I think that I could have said more, done more and explored the topic from different angles.

None the less I enjoyed the exercise and learned a lot. I did not have previous experience with blogs but found blogs as a tool very interesting. I really enjoyed reading other people’s posts. It made me aware of issues that I had not previously known about. Through other people’s posts I was also able to see topics from a new angle and in a different light.

Creating my own posts was an interesting experience. I especially liked that I could produce my first podcast episode. While I encountered some technical difficulties and it was not perfect, I found the medium of podcasts great. It got me interested in the subject and made me want to learn more about podcasts.

Finally, I would like to say that I was part of a really great team. The team worked together very well. At meetings everyone could voice their opinions and the team was always open for suggestions. The team members were always there to answer questions and help one another and for that I would like to say a big thank you to all of you!

References

Choppen, C. (2020). (rep.). Podcasts-where next? How INGOs can embrace the power of the
podcast (pp. 2–22). London: International Broadcasting Trust.

Denskus, T. (2019, December 17). Blogging and curating content as strategies to diversify
discussions and communicate development differently [web log]. Retrieved November
5, 2021, from https://aidnography.blogspot.com/2019/12/blogging-curating-globaldev-
content-diversify-communicate-development-differently.html.

Denskus T. & Papan A. (2013): Reflexive engagements: theinternational development
blogging evolution and its challenges, Development in Practice, 23:4,455-467

Heeks, Richard. Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D),
Taylor & Francis Group, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/malmo/detail.action?docID=4912767.
Created from malmo on 2021-11-06 16:58:56.

Galov, N. (2021, November 1). 29 shocking blogging statistics. is blogging dead in 2021?
TechJury. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://techjury.net/blog/blogging-
statistics/#gref.

Jovic, D. (2021, January 5). 40 powerful podcast statistics to tune into – 2021 edition.
SmallBizGenius. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from
https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/podcast-statistics/#gref.

Smith, E. (2020, September 25). Remote work takes a toll on development professionals …
Devex. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.devex.com/news/remote-work-
takes-a-toll-on-development-professionals-well-being-98166.

Barriers, failures and strategies of digital learning for development

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In previous blog posts we have looked at what the general barriers to digital learning have been in Africa during the pandemic. With this new post we will try to elaborate further on why these projects didn’t work. However we will see that, even when they don’t work, they are still useful to understand new things. In fact, it is important to monitor results to comprehend in what they fail and, when they succeed, if they really succeeded and why. It is also useful to consider the dark side of ICT4D (for example, as pointed out in a comment from the previous post on digital education, Kenia’s acclaimed distance learning co-occurred with an increase rate of domestic violence towards girls in that country). So how do you set up a truly emancipatory e-learning project? Through research projects with the beneficiary rather than for the beneficiary: participants have to understand the needs and interpret them correctly from a close perspective. We will see that they have to find a balance between technical and social objectives, between soft and hard views and between a top-down and bottom-up approach.

The difficulties related to digital learning in Africa during the lockdown are primarily dictated by some structural limitations related to the availability, accessibility and affordability of projects: the availability of internet connection and infrastructures in the first place, but also the possibility of accessing technology and the economic availability linked to the implementation of the project. The lack of solid basis made the delivery of digital learning totally impossible. We have previously seen how many governments totally abandoned online learning and switched to more traditional means, such as radio, TV or hard paper learning material. Very few cases of online learning were reported, not only because ICT does not have a mass presence yet in those countries but also because students and teachers would not have been prepared to such a revolutionary switch. Without participation in the making of ICT4D initiatives from the start or a training, the only way possible was to find alternatives that did not imply digital ways.

As illustrated by Heeks in his Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), in the Global North, monthly broadband usually costs less than 10 dollars in purchasing power parity terms while in majority of Africa the price is over 100 dollars. The book then explains that in addition to economic ones, ICT faces further types of barriers: educational, cultural, age or gender related. For example, the use of Facebook in a slum in Nairobi was differentiated among genders, with a more limited use from women trying to avoid online hassle from men. There is then a motivation barrier among those who are motivated in using an ICT4D tool and those who don’t find the benefits from it for their practical work and lives. Some can access data, competences, knowledge, technology, money or networks related to ICT4D while other cannot. An institutional barrier separates authorities within local institutions involved in ICT4D initiatives from those who are outside them. Other barriers divide “those who employ others in an ICT4D initiative vs. those who do not […] those who determine the discourse and meaning of ICT4D vs. those who do not”. (Heeks, 2017)

Despite these numerous divides, ICTs are “sold” as levelling artefacts that can help improve development countries’ economies and reduce poverty. However they can also contribute to “global class stratification through their concentrated ownership structure, research and development clusters and other effects”. They can improve poor people’ lives but also make the rich richer. Furthermore recent research showed a weak connection between ICT usage and per capita income (Murphy & Carmody, 2015). Nevertheless, leaving aside the economy for a moment, technologies and internet, if supported by an appropriate context and structure, can be truly beneficial for any person in any location, in terms of knowledge and learning possibilities and availability.

The presence of these barriers is irreconcilable with the effective development of an e-learning project, but countless other elements dictated by the complexity of the project are linked to this: the more complex the project, the more it will be necessary to evaluate all the elements that may hinder its success. For this reason, an institutional context is needed. Attempts to digital learning during the pandemic have failed because governments were not prepared at all. The emergency required fast solutions but time was too limited to make all communities connected and ready for properly use ICT4D, especially those in rural areas. Likewise, there was no time to network and partner with privates for the delivery of e-learning. Moreover, partnership with telecommunications companies and internet providers for a mere reduction of costs of services or provision of devices would have not been sufficient. Tailored learning approaches for reaching and motivating students in rural areas would have been needed.

Governments, privates and NGOs cannot simply fund technologies. They first have to make sure that these technologies will be effective and really useful for the beneficiaries. Those involved in ICT4D initiatives, must therefore prepare in great advance these initiatives and consider the long and complex work behind them. (Unwin, 2017). Unwin relates this hurry and crave of institutions, private sector and international community in delivering fast projects, to their ultimate scope, being economic growth. He claims for a change of rules and policies that should be more aimed at supporting the more marginalised and in need and at reducing inequalities than just simply pointing at increasing GDP. This regulatory change should not only involve stakeholders involved in infrastructure and electricity but also those in education, health, rural development, etc. ICT4D initiatives, in order not to fail, should be made up of stakeholders that all share the same scope of supporting the least advantaged. (Unwin, 2017)

The failure of e-learning projects must lead to an understanding of the causes of this failure. Only by investigating them will it be possible to understand the errors committed, which are often closely linked to the territorial context of reference. At the same time, it should be noted that “any partial failure can also be seen as a partial success since some goals are wholly or partly attained, in which case failure may be a disappointment but not a disaster. Failures – even total failures – may bring benefits if those involved and others learn from the experience”. (Heeks, 2017)

Despite almost half of African youth did not have access to digital learning during the pandemic, the fact that public discourse and institutional attention about the possibility of online learning delivery have started is undoubtedly positive. And so are results such as the higher distribution of digital tools, the motivation in using devices that increased in teachers, students but also their families or the gaining of new digital competences which are not strictly connected to learning.

Precisely because ICT4D projects are never total failures, a monitoring phase is essential to observe the results achieved and understand where the project was actually successful. Even though ICT4D initiatives often theorize about the importance of a serious and impartial monitoring and evaluation phase for their successful implementation, the reality implies very few ICT4D projects that involve a high-quality monitoring and evaluation as an actual part of their process. The lack of monitoring and evaluation makes it very difficult to understand the reasons and the extent of success of these projects. Moreover, when this information is provided, it is biased by the specific objectives of the study’s author and do not always reveal the successful factors to be replicated elsewhere (Unwin, 2017).

In the previous post, we have read how the solution of the Kenyan government was considered among the most successful ones. If effective factors such as Government’s partnership with a local and a Chinese companies or the participatory design of an enabling platform – DigiSchool – from the early stages were acclaimed, no mention was given to the increase rate of domestic violence towards students in lockdown or any other negative consequence in societal and human terms. The prevision of a comprehensive and impartial evaluation from the government or the other involved parties of the initiative seems unthinkable in an emergency phase but proves that such monitoring must not only involve infrastructures, but also people, society, health and human development.

It is thus essential to consider the dark side of ICT4D and deal with its possible harms before starting a project (potential risks being cybercrime; environmental damage; ICT-related social ills such as pornography, gambling and bullying; ICT-induced personal stress, conflict and addiction; restriction of rights to privacy and freedom of expression; and digital monopolies). By assessing in advance, the design and implementation can take place in such a way to avoid these risks. (Heeks, 2017)

So how do you set up an e-learning project for development? By searching for projects with the poor rather than for the poor: by learning from them and using their skills and expertise to serve their interest. (Unwin, 2017) Practitioners should understand the needs and interpret them correctly from a close perspective. They should balance between technical and human aspects. Delivering learning devices and requiring students to study remotely without knowing nor addressing their home situations cannot be the right way to implement ICT4D. ICT alone cannot immediately be the answer to any development problem. It can solve some but it can be of no use or even harmful for the more rooted others.

There needs to be a balance between the technical and the social aspects. The former without the latter would not work because the people would not be considered and answers to participants’ needs would not be provided. Social projects without technologies would not be so innovative and the opportunities given from technologies would be missed. Technology should be localised in its social context of course. In addition to that, rational and logical solutions must be searched together with more political view that goes over the limits of rationality. A third balance should “mixes top-down control, efficiencies and insights with bottom-up flexibility that understands the beneficiaries of development and their needs and agencies”. (Heeks, 2017) An e-learning course that does not take into account participants’ knowledge gaps and needs or that doesn’t consider their expectations about the way of delivering contents will not provide relevant results. The same occurs if the platform is not accessible or too advanced, or on the contrary if it is not sufficient because it did not benefit from technicians’ expertise.

“ICT can become too invisible, detaching the skills and resources needed to use and maintain ICT”. (Bentley, Nemer, & Vannini, 2019) The article suggests practitioners to be open and receptive enough to be aware of both emancipatory objectives and of the ICT situation. This way they can transfer this awareness to participants who will eventually build their own views and practices with ICT. Although this reflection will not increase their technical knowledge, it will allow them to acquire more power and control over ICT and thus more possibility for a change.

Talking about reflection on ICT, writing this blog was a very reflective exercise for me as well. It gave me the opportunity to learn more and elaborate about ICT, development and learning, all topics of deep interest to me. At the same time, it was a very useful exercise: writing is a skill that has to be constantly practiced over time. Blogging was a way of developing this habit. Post after post, I noticed to be faster in identifying errors and modelling my content in a more appropriate way.

Academic writing and blogging can seem very different in style: the former is more serious and persuasive while blogging is more informal and entertaining. However, writing this blog has also improved my academic writing as it helped me write more concisely. I had to compress many concepts into a post and I learned how to focus only on the main argument and cut out the rest.

Before writing I first had to perform some research and reading. I had to understand what topic to work on and where to find enough information and then go through the academic sources, social media or online news. This helped me find the more relevant information and understand whether what I had found was relevant enough. This practice can be useful for academic writing as well.

Finally, the more I publish my posts, the more comfortable I feel in exposing them to others. The feedback session was also very constructive, and feedbacks are essential in academic writing as well. There will always be things done wrong or to be improved that our colleagues or professors can make us notice. So, I really appreciated the other group’s of students suggestions for the Development Spotlight blog.

 

Sources:

Bentley, C., Nemer, D., & Vannini, S. (2019). “When words become unclear”: unmasking ICT through visual methodologies in participatory ICT4D. AI & SOCIETY, 477–493.

Heeks, R. (2017). Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). Abingdon: Routledge.

Murphy, J. T., & Carmody, P. (2015). Africa’s Information Revolution-Technical Regimes and Production Networks in South Africa and Tanzania. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Unwin, T. (2017). Reclaiming Information & Communication Technologies for Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.