Theories of the Information Society
Theories of the Information Society
Rise of the Network Society
Being Digital
Information Technology, Development and Policy: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Challenges
Information Technology, Development and Policy: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Challenges
Knowledge Societies: Information Technology for Sustainable Development
Knowledge Societies: Information Technology for Sustainable Development
The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth?
The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth?
Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide
Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide
Diffusion of Innovations as a Theoretical Framework for Telecenters
Information Technologies and International Development
Using Stakeholder Theory to Analyze Telecenter Projects
Information Technologies and International Development
Hi-index | 0.00 |
The role of technology in development has seen an exceptional spike in interest in the past decade in academia and industry. India has been a key location in the study and practice of technology and development because of the centrality of the technology industry in its growth over the recent two decades. Examining the public discourse on technology in areas where computers are not ubiquitously used or available, we find that cinema is important in constructing how people in Indian villages and even cities perceive computers. Turning back to the films themselves, we find a strong aspirational discourse in the ways in which computers and technology-users are portrayed on Indian popular cinema. These in turn relate to how technology and development have been portrayed in cinematic discourse over generations, in cinema from around the world, from the earliest days of silent film. We find from interviews with users of technology in rural India that these images create strong ideas of value and legitimacy derived from using technology. Reflecting on this, we find that study of public discourse has been a critical missing piece of ICTD studies. A study of media imagery such as the one presented here is a small step in that discussion.