Information and communication technologies (ICTs) involve innovations in microelectronics, computing (hardware and software), telecommunications and opto-electronics (UNDP 2001).
These innovations allow the processing and storage of large amounts of information, along with rapid distribution of information through communication networks (UNDP 2001). ICTs include computers, the internet, telephones, radio and television. These technologies help in the delivery of information to where it is required, in a timely manner. ICTs multiply time, shorten distances and eliminate hierarchy and geographical boundaries. This leads to reduced costs of operations (Adeya and Cogburn 2001: 6). The collective legacy of ICTs is built on empowering people with the ability to communicate instantaneously, which is known to facilitate the development process by increasing efficiency, effectiveness and equity (Yonah 2002).
ICTs are now regarded as an important tool in development, which is increasingly becoming technology-oriented, and success in the global economy depends on access to information and communication technologies (Adeya and Cogburn 2001: 8). ICTs have been the driving force behind the global information society, in which information work predominates and information is regarded as a valuable resource. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution and manipulation of information is a significant economic and cultural activity and where the production, distribution and consumption of knowledge and information are the driving forces for change (Dordick and Wang 1993). The information society is made possible by ICTs and is characterised by networking forms of activities in economy, society, politics and culture, which Castells (1996: 21) referred to as the networked society.
ICTs are regarded as powerful tools for socio-economic development (UNDP 2001; OECD 2004; Gills and Mitchel 2002). The World Bank (1998) and UNDP (1999) assert that ICTs have the potential to improve the welfare of the poor by providing opportunities to increase social capital; improved availability of market information; creation of new economic opportunities; improved economic efficiency and competitiveness; better access to health and
education facilities and more efficient and effective governance. ICTs have in fact made a new development paradigm possible (Hilbert 2001).
Various international initiatives have been initiated to facilitate the use of ICTs for development in developing countries and help bridge the digital divide. Some of these initiatives include the World Summit on Information Society, the G-8‟s Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT Force); UNDP‟s Information Technologies for Development Initiative (Info21); the World Bank‟s Global Information and Communication Technologies Department (GICT); and the World Bank‟s Information for Development (InfoDev) initiative and the UN‟s ICT Task Force (UNICT Task Force 2002; WSIS 2003; UNDP 2000; GICT 2006; DOT force 2001; InfoDev 2006).
The role of ICT in fostering development and addressing the needs of the poor has been the subject of heated debate in recent years. This contestation has been attributed partly to a high failure rate of the ICTs for development projects, especially in developing countries (Benjamin 2001a; Chapman and Slaymaker 2002; Heeks 1999; Maepa and Mphahlele 2004).
Myriad challenges involved in leveraging ICTs in poor countries which, in most case are overlooked or not taken seriously by the proponents of ICTs for development projects, is another source of controversy. The extent to which ICTs can be used to reduce poverty in poor countries is strongly contested (Heeks 1999; Mercer 2005; Wilson 2001).
Critics of "ICTs for development" say that ICTs are a waste of money, given the many other pressing development issues; that it would be best to divert resources from ICT development towards areas of greater impact and real need; that human beings face the risk of disillusionment with ICT, as ICT projects do not bring the benefits claimed; they also say that ICTs will not benefit but instead will harm people, by opening up new avenues for exploitation (Wyatt et al., 2000: 3-8; Moodley and Cloete 2004).
Supporters of the "ICTs for development" view are generally saying that the divide between those who have access to ICTs and those who do not will become even greater if ICTs are not promoted; that ICTs will support other sectors in the economy and people‟s lives will improve
through investment in ICTs; that ICTs are precisely the tool to bring everyone into the
"information age" and so ensure that the benefits of this form of social organisation are shared (WSIS 2003; InfoDev 2006; Chowdhury 2000; Heeks 2005b).
On the other side of the debate there are those who feel that, if used wisely, ICT can be effective in addressing development objectives, including the economic and social empowerment goals of the poor (SDC and GPK 2004; Mansell and Wehn 1998; Lewis 2004;
Moodley and Cloete 2004). This view is supported by recent developments in the ICT sector, such as falling ICT costs, resulting from the declining cost of personal computers, development of open-source software solutions, the emergence of new cost-effective technologies such as wireless technologies and increased competition in the communications sector (SDC and GPK 2004).
Despite these developments the fact is that the gap between those who have access to ICTs and those who do not and between people living in urban areas and those living in rural areas of developing countries is still large (Bridges.org 2003). There is a wide gap between the expectations of what ICTs can do for poor people living in rural areas of developing countries and the reality of how these technologies are actually being used in these areas.
This study investigates how and for what purposes ICTs are used by people in selected rural areas of Tanzania so as to provide a balanced understanding of the relationship between ICTs, socio-economic development and sustainable livelihoods. The investigation will be done by taking into consideration local conditions and realities in these areas and hence move beyond an enthusiastic and a technological deterministic approach of the role of ICTs for poverty reduction to a more balanced view of ICTs for development.
To use the words of Moodley and Cloete (2004), in order to retain the “hope” that ICTs can play a role in development, it is necessary not to succumb to the seductive “hype” that surrounds technological developments. Álvarez and Calás (1996: 42) emphasise that, in order to fully understand the relationship between ICTs and poverty reduction, it is necessary to articulate multi-disciplinary and dynamic models capable of considering concurrently the
multiple realities, subjectivities and political agendas enabled by information technologies.
These approaches should recognise the context in which these new realities are appearing and should be dynamic and proceed beyond simplicity.