Cultural Politics of the Digital Divide in Thailand

1
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
2
Outline of Talk

• Digital divide in Thailand
• Current governments 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

3
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.
4
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/
5
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.

6
Key Indicators

• More than 72 of internet users are holders of
  bachelors degrees or higher.
• Most internet users describe themselves as being
  fair or higher for their English proficiency
  (88).

7
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.

8
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/
9
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.

10
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.

11
Good Wish Computers

• The policy was dubbed good wish computers
  (????????????????????) 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.

12
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.

13

• The incident showed how much was needed in order
  to implement this kind of policy fully. Thus it
  appears that this governments 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.

14

• 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.

15
Hardware, software and infrastructure
But in order for the goals to be attained the
hardware, software and infrastructure need to be
there already.
Something more is needed in order to achieve
development.
Attaining the goals of development
How are these goals arrived at?
16
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.

17

• 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.

18

• This is where cultural factors become crucial.
  What is meant here is the specificities of the
  peoples 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?

19

• 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.

20
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.

21
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.)

22
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.

23
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.

24

• 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.