Digital Reach

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PERHAPS MORE

than at any point in human history,

we live in an age where human power can be magnified

through technology. What the comic book hero

Superman can do – run faster than a speeding bullet, leap over

tall buildings and stop a moving train – humankind can outdo

through the use of technology. We now have the technology to

address a larger audience in a day than the average person, just

a few centuries ago, ever spoke to in his or her lifetime. This

amazing, almost magical power is embodied in information and

communication technology (ICT).

It is only trite to say that ICT have drastically changed the way

individuals and organizations interact. From the social to the

cultural to the political to the economic, there is not one sphere

of human activity that ICT has not touched. And with their global

reach, ICT is becoming increasingly important for facilitating

participation in global markets, the development of local services,

developing political accountability and increasing educational,

health and safety standards.

This means that ICTs have the potential to play a major role

in lifting the quality of life. In implicit recognition of this, as

part of its development strategy, the United Nations

Development Programme placed focus on mainstreaming the

use of ICTs to contribute to the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) of poverty reduction and enhancing education, health,

environment and gender equity. In fact, the United Nations

(UN) Millennium Declaration (2000) accentuates the impor-

tance of building and maintaining partnerships with the private

sector, directed at ensuring that the benefits of new technolo-

gies, especially ICT, are available to all. And so goes the theory

and the attempted application of the theory.

The role of Internet governance in the use

of information and communication

technology for development

Peng Hwa Ang and Shahiraa Sahul Hameed, The Singapore Internet Research Centre

A gentle reminder to the tech savvy outside a church in the Philippines