Evaluating ICT for Education in Africa - Royal Holloway, University of ...

A more reasoned approach is offered by Castells (2000), who highlights howICT has caused a diminution of hierarchy within structures and instigated atransition towards reliance on a network-based approach to social andbusiness interaction. Although still idealistic, his analysis of potential impactsis more appropriate than the generic optimism often expressed. However, itremains important to avoid transposing such ideas, reasonable in adeveloped context, simply to be assumed as being applicable in thedeveloping world. To do this would be a naïve oversimplification: optimismregarding the potential of ICT to dissolve or realign hierarchies and powerrelationships must be tempered with realism regarding embedded structuralinequalities that dictate much use and abuse of technology.Regardless of the context or level of optimism, the spread of technologyserves to raise the consequential stakes across society, with a simultaneouslyincreased potential for both greater control and manipulation and alsoliberation and freedom (Feenberg 1995). However, in spite of this there existssomething of a philosophical vacuum regarding how society defines whatconstitutes an appropriate response to the power, opportunity and potentialdanger offered by new technologies (Winner 1995 p.65). This reality requiresmore than a superficial acknowledgement, focusing attention on intentionallymaximising the non-subjugative potential, recognising that the progressionof democratic society is intrinsically aligned with perceptions of andresponses to technology (Feenberg 1999).Despite the varying potentials, the primary current use of technology is as atool of global capitalist hegemony, serving to define linear conceptions ofprogress, legitimise consumerism and enable the status-quo to bemaintained. Indeed, choosing to engage with a topic so delicately positionedat the interface of conflicting agendas could easily serve unwittingly to lendcredence to the aforementioned technocratic, expansionist agendas. Anyattempt to develop a pro-poor alternative to this system requires intentionalsubversive action, caution and humility. This in turn requires a clearframework for decision making that is distanced from the worldview of globalcapital and instead focuses on the priorities of the poor and marginalised.38