Information and communication technologies (ICT) are increasingly developed hand in hand with science and the development of human civilization. The era of globalization seems so real with the ease of digital access in various corners of the world. Developing countries, often considered lagging behind and underdeveloped, actually respond quite quickly to ICT advances.
As expressed by the Rector of the UII, prof. Fathul Wahid, Ph.D as a keynote speaker at the Special Lecture Series "Globalization: Information Technology in Developing Countries" held on Wednesday (30/06) at the International Relations Studies Program (HI).
In his presentation, Fathul Wahid mentioned the perspectives of seeing development i.e. development as economic growth, as sustainable life and as independence. Fathul highlighted the third point i.e. development as independence, in this case ICT facilitates higher capability and functioning.
When something becomes a conscious choice that is not the only choice, that is when development is seen as independence. Developing countries have their own dynamics in responding to ICT advances. He gave an example of having a food ordering app that offers a variety of foods at relatively low prices. Of course, this small example is not tested in developed countries.
Fathul Wahid also highlights the perspective of seeing ICT as a social materiality. Technology and context also influence each other. This means that technology is not without value, but rather contains value. In other words, technology cannot be separated from the social world.
When development is linked to economic growth, there is an ethical goal, which is to make the world a better place. But this can become a deeper gap and chasm for those with access to benefits who don't have to miss out on many opportunities.
Fathul Wahid described a field study he had conducted in Bantul which discussed the use of mobile phones in the agricultural sector. It uses a capability approach (Sen, 1999), i.e. the process of moving from commodity to capability and then performance is influenced by conversion factors such as personal, social and environmental factors.
One interesting discovery Fathul found was a discussion of ownership and access. Not all farmers have cell phones, so they often borrow their children's cell phones to communicate with co-workers. When we talk about globalization, we benefit from it because access is more important than ownership, especially for developing countries. The development of information technology is certainly different in each region, as is each region's willingness to develop. There are areas ready to be abandoned if accompanied, there are also those that return to the old decadence. When learning to mentor to be more independent, the key word is to be sustainable.
"Independence becomes meaningful when it's not just for a moment, but can last a long time," she added. Fathul Wahid is also optimistic that ICT can bring developing countries to developed countries with collective action so as to achieve optimal benefits. (MRS/ESP)
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar