Digital and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Revolution

In relation to information-power resources and connectivity manipulation it probably depends from country to country. While in the Philippine setting it seems that private corporations are in control, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the government seems to be in full control of everything. The government is in close coordination with all the internet service providers. Sensitive website, for example, cannot sneak in unless you have very special application that can let you open pornographic sites. This could be an advantage. Nevertheless, the government has even regulated the use of audio and video calls in every application.

If anything, because of the Saudi culture it seems that the development in ICT is at its slowest pace. Not to mention, the cost of having an internet connection is relatively high and the connection itself is relatively slow compared to other countries. When I was in the Philippines I could do on-line tutorials on Skype but here in Saudi Arabia it is impossible to conduct on-line classes on Skype since the government regulates the use of audio-video calls in all applications may it be WeChat, Viber, Facebook messenger, Skype among others.

ICT’s implication is coupled with downside risks such as: wasting scarce development resources; exacerbating inequalities; reinforcing existing power distributions; and controlling, rather than empowering the individual.

None of the promises or dangers is predetermined by the technology rather they are the consequences of complementary economic policies and socio-political choices. This definitely contends for an integration of the ICT agenda into the development and reform agendas in the most creative and dynamic ways possible.

Boas, Dunning, and Bussell’s (2005) argument on the implication of digital revolution lies on the fact that with the foregoing, the development depends on several considerations such as the extent to which these technologies foster within-country linkages among different sectors and socio-economic classes, the degree to which new technological applications may be customized or transformed to advance local development, and the outcome of political contests between organized interests that are promoting different ways of organizing and governing the global digital economy. Like I said previously, it may vary from country to country, culture to culture per se; however, there’s always both a boon and a bane that it brings. More than anything it has definitely revolutionized the way we live today and will more be in the future.

Reference

Boas, T., Dunning, T., & Bussell, J. (2005). Will the digital revolution revolutionize development? Drawing together the debate. Studies in Comparative International Development, 40(2):95-110.