Chapter 1 - Global Context

Summary

Introduction

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have tremendous potential to enhance the lives of people in general and, particularly, those in developing countries. Use of ICT can boost business, support education and healthcare systems and also enhance all levels of government in their development processes worldwide. Currently, it is difficult to imagine our lives without computers. They exist in cars, phones, aircrafts, banks, schools, etc. Technology-mediated applications are increasingly popular and have become part of our daily lives. Examples of such applications include, but are not limited to:

1. • Appliances (coffee makers, microwave ovens, toasters, etc. — for instance, a toaster uses an internal program to determine when the bread will pop up);

2. • In-car automated surveillance, which is used to monitor driving behaviors and to promote driving and traffic safety;

3. • Text messaging to arrange meetings and appointments;

4. • Car equipment such as mobile/smart phones, GPS localization/driving services, laptops/notebooks to carry out daytime work and portable printers to prepare handouts;

5. • PDAs or fitness watches (equipped with fitness software) to monitor one's workout program and track fitness targets (heart rate, weight loss, etc.);

6. • The internet, which can be used to communicate with friends and family members, or even for mass communication to engage in forms of activism; and

7. • Distance learning programs to pursue an academic degree to further advance career opportunities.

One defining feature of our time, in developed countries (DC), is the omnipresence of technology and the related prevalence of internet access.