News

April 10, 2012

The last two posts on findings from the User Profile paper described that many people only have access to computers and particularly the Internet at public access ICT venues. Public access ICT venues also provide many with their first opportunity to gain experience with computers and the Internet. However, as displayed in the last post, there are public access ICT venue users that do indeed have access to computers and the Internet at their homes. In three countries, Chile, Ghana, and the Philippines, around a quarter to a third of users surveyed have Internet access at home. Even in the lowest household penetration rate, almost 15% of users in Bangladesh have Internet access at home. While we know that for many users, it is their only option for access, but what drives users that have access at home to use computers and ICT at public access venues? For many it is because public access venues offer better equipment than at home, which could also mean a faster Internet connection. Another significant reason is to see friends or be with other people in the venue. In Brazil, where users enjoy the highest percentage of Internet access at home, these are the two main reasons users visit public access venues.

April 3, 2012

The Global Impact Study held a session during ICTD 2012 in Atlanta to discuss open data and open research. After providing an overview of the Global Impact Study, survey instruments, and open research and open data, we divided the participants into three groups (the public/users, researchers, and sponsors/funders) to hear perspectives from different types of stakeholders. Each group discussed five questions regarding open data and open research. Even though it is challenging to talk about the multitude of issues surrounding open data in a short session, we received a considerable amount of relevant and useful feedback. Varying audiences, such as the public, researchers, and sponsors/funders, all have different considerations, priorities, and ideals of an open data approach. There are many factors, from a variety of viewpoints, that go into an open research approach and opening up data to the public.

TASCHA Talk: Chris Coward April 12, 2012 We all know what the typical telecenter or library computer space looks like—people sitting behind monitors along rows of desks, working away on whatever it is they are doing. This model serves a purpose, and as our research indicates, people can benefit greatly from the sort of access…

March 28, 2012

Maria Garrido presented an outstanding TASCHA Talk on Monday on the role of ICT in the revolution in Egypt. It’s easy to get hooked on the news narrative that made events in Iran and Egypt “Twitter Revolutions,” however Maria and her team were emphatic that such a narrative overemphasizes the role of technology. The technology […]

March 27, 2012

The previous post on findings from the Global Impact Study’s User Profiles working paper discussed that public access ICT venues provide many people with the opportunity to first use computers and particularly the Internet. This finding leads to the question of why people first experience using computers and the Internet at public access venues. One potential, and logical, reason is that they do not have access to a computer and the Internet at home. Findings from our public access user survey reveal that while many people have computers in their homes, especially in Brazil, Chile, and Ghana, Internet access at home is lacking. Even in Chile, where overall connectivity is high, only 33% of the users surveyed have access to the Internet at home. Brazil users enjoy the highest percentage of Internet access at home, but at 40%, it is less than half of the users we surveyed. Only a quarter of users in Ghana and the Philippines have Internet, and not even 15% of users in Bangladesh have access at home.

March 23, 2012

The Global Impact Study is pleased to announce that our survey instruments are now available for download and use. As part of our open research approach, we have released the survey instruments, corresponding survey codebooks, and the survey methodology report for other organizations and research projects to use and adapt for public access ICT survey needs. The user, venue,…

March 22, 2012

TASCHA Talk: Maria Garrido March 26, 2012 This TASCHA Talk, in conjunction with the iSchool Research Conversation series, examined the different uses of information and communication technology (ICT) tools in the trajectory and evolution of the April 6th Youth Movement in Egypt. The April 6th Youth Movement emerged from a Facebook page created by two activists…

March 6, 2012

Do you remember where you first used a computer? Where you first used the Internet? School, work, maybe even at home? Findings from our user survey indicate that, with the exception of Brazil, around half of public access ICT users first used a computer at a public access venue, such as a cybercafe, telecenter, or library. More impressive is that between 55%-75% of users first used the Internet in a public access venue, even in Chile, where connectivity is high. In Brazil, with the lowest percentages, over a third of users first used a computer and the Internet at a public access venue. This data illustrates that public access venues provide many people with their first opportunity to enter the digital age and gain experience with computers and the Internet.

We are pleased to announce that our survey instruments are now available for download and use. As part of our open research approach, we have released the survey instruments, corresponding survey codebooks, and the methodology report for other organizations and research projects to use and adapt for public access ICT survey needs. The user, venue, and non-user survey instruments and codebooks are available for download in our web library. Free registration and sign-in is required for instrument and codebook downloads. The methodology report can also be found in the web library.

February 29, 2012

Mike Best and his team at Georgia Tech have designed a real-time election monitoring tool that aggregates social media content from about 20 different sources, including Twitter, Facebook, Ushahidi, blogs, and SMS messages.