Marketing Mobiles for Development?

This posting comes in response to a query on a leading list serving calling for solutions/experiences that can address issues of community participation in e-governance projects and the positive role that mobile telephony can play in this regard.

There has been considerable debate on the role of technology in development and governance and I think the most important thing to say is that it isn't the technology per se, however cutting-edge it is, that is going to create revolutions in governance and bring about greater development. In that sense, the pre-occupation with highlighting technology initiatives, that too mobile-based ones may be a bit overstated. However, having said that, technology does have enormous potential and so there needs to be a closer examination of what kinds of governance reform are necessary and can be facilitated through new technology opportunities to create change. Also, what might be important to keep in mind is the fact that sometimes it makes sense not to wait until the tech solutions are created and will first work towards setting up manual processes and then putting in the tech when it's ready.

On mobiles specifically, it must be pointed out that in general that mobile telephony is a more passive form of engaging citizens because in its mainstream uses (which are borrowed from the business sector), it tends to be seen as something to receive or send "alerts"... and doesn't allow for two-way participation in the way that computers and Internet would allow for the same. Also because of the above nature of its use, it tends to perpetuate a revenue/ pricing model - since governments are likely to enter into partnerships with mobile service providers to provide such services to a mass base of citizens, and then it becomes easier to justify charging for such services, just as customers are charged something "nominal" for other "useful services" like cricket scores, weather updates and traffic alerts.

Also, mobiles are more individualised and more dependent on owning of the device (which can have adverse impacts for those who tend not to own mobiles, like women and young girls in a household) - when compared to computers/Internet which are more amenable to being set up as a public infrastructure space based on collective ownership and use of information that is relevant to the entire local community. So the latter has more potential to create citizenship identity and mobilisation and also more opportunities for collective empowerment when owned by women's groups or other marginalised groups.