Mistrust and social hierarchies as blind spots of ICT4D projects

Abstract

Information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) are seen to have great potential for boosting democratization processes all over the world by giving people access to information and thereby empowering them to demand more accountability and transparency of authorities. Based on ethnographic research in Togo and Rwanda on an SMS-based citizen monitoring and evaluation system, this article argues that focusing on access to information is too narrow a view. We show that it is crucial to take into account the respective socio-political backgrounds, such as levels of mistrust or existing social hierarchies. In this context, mobile phone usage has rather varied and ambiguous meanings here. These dynamics can pose a challenge to the successful implementation of ICT4D projects aimed at political empowerment. By addressing these often overlooked issues, we offer explanations for the gap between ICT4D assumptions and people’s lifeworlds in Togo and Rwanda.

'Technology of Freedom' or 'Technology of Inequality'? Smartphones, Activism, and the Digital Divide in Senegal

“…Keja and Knodel (2019), for example, argue against the assumption that potential access to information alone will lead to drastic changes. Rather, aspects such as trust and mistrust, as well as social hierarchies need to be taken into consideration.…”