NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - The Role of IT in International Development - Upcoming E-Conference - Comments

Digital Divide

Roselyn Isimeto — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:45:01 -0500

The bitter fact now is that the magnitude of the divide is increasing by the day. The lastest is the level of progress and status that virtual world has achieved in recent times. An example of this virtual world is 'Second Life', which is an Internet-based virtual world. Here, you sort of live out a kind of second life while you are living your first life(or real physical life). That is you kind of enjoy two lives at the same time. In this virtual world, people achieve things they never taught they could achieve in their real lives. Reports show that a lot of economic activities are going on here; lots of big multinationals have starting doing business in this world,v-businesses are on the increase: people in this world called residents are so much involed in virtual businesses. Residents buy properties, real estates. Also, they socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items. In deed, we now have cases of v-millionaires . The painful truth is that the virtual currency used in second life, Linden Dollar (Linden, or L$) is exchangeable for real world currency: EUROS,US dollars? etc. This goes to show that the west are not waiting for us in Africa. We are unable to live a comfortable FIRST LIFE, a REAL PHYSICAL LIFE and there they are living a SECOND life. While , we are left trailing behind! The bitter truth is that no body will help you solve your challenges or problems except you do that youself. Lets foget about the west helping us bridge the digital divide, lets bridge the divide ourselves.They dont have any plans for us!! However, with the lastest on the ground now, l doubt when we can get there if we would ever get there!!

You probably meant

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 01:24:49 -0400

You probably meant www.aitinfotech.com

digital divide

bayero agabi garba — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 06:03:28 -0400

am yet to be convinced that the west is genuinely interested in closing this divide. obviosly it does exist but how did it come to be? who contributed to it? and what resulted to it? the final thought now is how and when will the digital divide be closed knowing fully well that other nations are not waiting. www.aitinfotec.com bayero agabi

The Role of IT in International Development - Upcoming E-Conference

Seema Patel — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:06:36 -0400

What role do information technologies play in economic development? We’ve been trying to answer that question ever since the Digital Dividends conference way back in 2002, first as an IT-focused research team and now as Development through Enterprise and NextBillion.net. There are no simple answers – which suggests to me that we should keep asking.

One group that does a lot of good asking is the RiOS Institute, whose upcoming e-conference and summit are worth checking out. The e-conference, co-organized with the World Bank Institute, is entitled "ICT for Economic Development: Exploring Possibilities for Multisector Technology Collaborations" and begins on October 23.

The Silicon Valley Challenge Summit will discuss the uses of information and communication technologies for global development and what steps Silicon Valley institutions have been and can continue to take to create sustainable development initiatives that address poverty. The summit is co-presented by the Center for Science, Technology and Society (CSTS) and will be held on November 16 at Santa Clara University.