I would like to present an alternative perspective to the issue of
"access" on the net particularly for the currently "information poor" both
in developing and developed (for the problems to some extent are the same)
countries.
There is quite justifiable (I think) scepticism about how useful or
"accessible" electronically mediated information might be to the
illiterate campesino or urban slum dweller in Africa or Latin America,
equally with the semi-literate fisherman or coal miner in North America or
Europe. But this may be based on accepting the current approach to
information delivery via the net which is seen as primarily delivering
information directly to the individual user through a personnally owned
and maintained device.
In practise this is not likely to be the most common method, certainly in
developing countries and very possibly in many parts of developed
countries as well.
We, for example are working on developing community based health
information in a very low income community where the selection of
information to be made available is being determined by the community.
Our expectation is that the information will not be delivered directly to
the end user (in their home or elsewhere) because many of the users don't
have individual access to computers. Rather the information is being
selected to provide support to intermediaries (health NGO's and
semi-professional health care support workers) who in turn either use the
information to support their activities or provide some sort of selection
and "translation" service for the end user. The end user will still look
to an information centre (Net connected) to get the information but it
isn't expected/required that they will access the needed information
directly.
The intention is that this information/net access is being provided
through community or "public" access sites, in some cases through schools
or libraries or in other cases through community centres and even private
retail sites. In this way the information is not presented as only being
useful/accessible on an individual basis but rather it is being presented
to be made accessible through some sort of publicly accessible and
mediated structures.
Thus the issue of limitations of "access" because of physical/cost
restrictions may be overcome...as through the Canadian Government's
Community Access Program or through the proposed Telecentre Program in
South Africa and in other parts of the the Third World. In addition the
limitation of "access" presented by issues of illiteracy or very limited
"literacy" may also be overcome through the use of information mediators
or "translators" employed through those sites/telecentres.
In this way as well, information of a more technical nature can be made
usable since the "mediator" can be given specialized training in
information selection and search as well as more in-depth training in a
subject area or in a particular identified set of applications.
For example, my Centre (C\CEN) is working with some education/training
service providers and very soon some banks in working out an arrangement
where on a fee for service basis we will train information
support workers to work in community access centre to support
access to on-line training programs.
We are negotiating with those for whom the service is being delivered
that they pay a fee to the Centres delivering the service and to the
information support workers who are assisting the end user in making
effective use of the service being provided.
In our case we see this as a way of creating useful employment in rural
areas around those telecentres and as a way of making these telecentres
financially sustainable over the longer term..
Mike Gurstein
Michael Gurstein, Ph.D.
Director: Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C\CEN)
University College of Cape Breton
PO Box 5300, Sydney, NS, CANADA B1P 6L2
Tel. 902-562-1055 (h) 902-563-1369 (o) 902-562-0119 (fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca
