Transcript Cultural Politics of the Digital Divide in Thailand

Cultural Politics of the Digital
Divide in Thailand
Soraj Hongladarom
Department of Philosophy
Chulalongkorn University
Presented at the 3rd International Convention of Asia Scholars, Singapore, August 19-22, 2003
Outline of Talk
Digital divide in Thailand
Current government’s policy to combat the
DD
My plan: To critique the policy and to reflect
upon what is actually needed.
Argument: Cultural factors play a crucial role.
Philosophical reflections on the ethics of the
global digital divide
Digital Divide in Thailand: Key
Indicators
Telephone lines for 100 people: 8.45
(Singapore: 48.41; South Korea: 44.97)
PCs for 100 people: 4.04 (Singapore: 39.09;
South Korea: 18.13)
Internet users: 2.3 million, or 1.6% of
population (Singapore and South Korea: ?)
Source: Internet User Profile of Thailand 2000, Bangkok: National
Electronic and Computing Technology Center, B.E. 2543.
Key Indicators
Total .th domain names: 6,515
Total number of computers registered under
.th which are connected to the Internet:
71,995
Total bandwidth: 316.375 Mbps incoming and
215.437 Mbps outgoing
URL of Source: http://www.nectec.or.th/
Key Indicators
Gender gap: Ratio of male to female internet
users significantly decreased (65/35 in 1999
and 51/49 in 2000).
*More than 70% of the entire Internet users in
the country live in the Bangkok Metropolitan
area.
The 20-29 year old age group still dominates
the internet users.
Key Indicators
*More than 72% of internet users are holders
of bachelor’s degrees or higher.
Most internet users describe themselves as
being ‘fair’ or higher for their English
proficiency (88%).
Key Indicators
The NECTEC study concludes that there is
still a clear digital divide between the
residents of the Bangkok area and all others.
The divide also exists between groups with
different educational background and English
proficiency.
Government Policy
Increase communication infrastructure so as
to increase competitiveness with other
leading countries in the region.
Increase internet penetration

Goal  More than 70% of the population can get
access to the Internet.
Source: Policy of the Ministry of Information and Communication
Technology: http://www.ict.go.th/
Government Policy
Increase IT literacy

Goal  To increase the percentage of population
who can use ICT to 60 percent.
Determine an acceptable cost of internet
access.

Goal  The price must be such that 80% of the
population can afford it.
Develop ‘Digital network system’ to faciliate
information flow among the government
agencies.
“Good Wish Computers”
This year the Thaksin government has
instituted a policy of selling desktop and
notebook PCs to the general population at a
much reduced price. The most basic kind
sells at around 10,000 baht (240 USD), and
around 20,000 baht (480 USD) for a
notebook. The operating system was a
version of Linux developed by NECTEC.
“Good Wish Computers”
The policy was dubbed ‘good wish
computers’ (คอมพิวเตอร์ เอื้ออาทร) following the
earlier policy of selling cheap land plots and
houses to the poor.
The ‘good wish’ policies have been very
popular. And it almost certainly will guarantee
Thaksin another term in office.
Some Past Experiences
In 1996, the Chavalit government initiated a
policy of giving away computers to schools
nationwide. The scheme was much criticized
for lack of transparency and corruption. It
seemed only those benefiting from it were the
hardware dealers. Many complained that the
computers were not used; some villages did
not have electricity; some lacked qualified
teachers.
The incident showed how much was needed
in order to implement this kind of policy fully.
Thus it appears that this government’s policy
might end up in the same way.
So the aim of my project is to investigate this
question in lights of recent findings and
theories in philosophy and other disciplines.
The thinking behind the Chavalit and Thaksin
governments appears to be that the
development can be effected by just pushing
hardware, software and physical
infrastructure to the people.
This yields tangible results, which is good for
reelection prospects.
But experiences show that this does not work.
There seems to be a circle.
Hardware, software
and infrastructure
Something more is
needed in order to
achieve
‘development’.
Attaining the goals of
development
But in order for the
goals to be attained the
hardware, software and
infrastructure need to be
there already.
How are these goals
arrived at?
What else is needed?
Since merely pushing the hardware and the
physical infrastructure does not work, we
need to think hard on this issue.
The root of the discourse about the digital
divide stems from the belief that technology
can solve all problems.
This is a naivete.
The policies of successive Thai governments
toward the poor is almost always to push
things to them.
Many times those things are not wanted or
needed.
There is no concerted effort at learning what
the people in the rural areas really want out of
the technology.
This is where cultural factors become crucial.
What is meant here is the specificities of the
people’s or communities’ beliefs, desires,
agendas, etc. that altogether make up the
totality of their identities.
The question then becomes: How should the
ICTs be adapted such that they fit in with
these factors?
So research agenda: In what way should the
ICTs be adopted such that they become
merged with the lifeworld of the people?
My thesis: My previous research has shown
that there is a distinct possibility that ICTs and
possibly other technologies can be ‘co-opted’
into the lifeworld. The technologies become
subservient to the already existing agenda of
the communities.
How?
Local communities could use ICTs to forge
stronger ties that bind their members
together.
The Thai government thinks that knowledge
goes one way only:
West  Bangkok  countryside
But that is way too simple.
How?
But in order for the villages to be able to do
that, they must be given the opportunities
first.
Education plays a key role.
The vicious circle mentioned above can be
broken with attacks from many sides.
Infusion of capital could be key. (Here the
Thaksin govt. does deserve some credit.)
Philosophical Background
This is a stance against technological
determinism
Philosophical underpinning:

Most philosophers are traditionally against
technology  Heidegger, Ellul, Mumford,
Borgmann
It is quite surprising that both opponents and
proponents of technology subscribe to
determinism in one way or another.
Other agenda (more
philosophical)
Digital divide as instance of global inequality
and (in)justice
The global flow of information  this is
another aspect of global justice problem that
is rather neglected.
If my argument is correct, then we should aim
for a situation where the local communities
are not dominated by the world dominant
player, resistance can be effected through
ICTs.