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From Tomtom to Cyberspace - a descriptive study of the present IT-situation in a rural Zambian district
2002 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor)Student thesis
Abstract [en]

This study has been carried out within a framework of the Minor Field Study Programme (MFS), which is funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida). The study is primarily based on data collected during a two months field study in Lundazi District, Zambia, in the year 2000. The thesis has subsequently been completed in Karlstad, Sweden in the year 2001. The aim of this thesis is to create a better understanding of the present IT-situation in a rural district in the eastern part of Zambia. Reviewing the accumulated knowledge concerning our study was an essential early step in the research process. As our goal was, to stimulate understanding more than testing casual hypothesis, our chosen method of measurement was based on qualitative personal interviews. A deeper literature search led to profound knowledge within qualitative methodology. We gathered data by interviewing 33 persons from different strata of society. We created four groups, each representing one stratum of society. The established groups had different characteristics such as age, education and profession. We were interested in the respondents’ feelings, thoughts and skills concerning Computer Awareness, Computer Limitation and what the interviewed participants thought about computers and IT in a Future Perspective. Together these three elements would create a picture of the present IT-situation in the research district. The title of our thesis, From Tomtom to Cyberspace, indicates the extent of the present IT-situation within our research area. The concept, Tomtom, is used to describe a traditional way of communicating by using drums. The results of the study conclude that the present IT-situation in the District of Lundazi is characterised of a low level of Computer Awareness, and a low level of effectiveness due to several Limitation Factors. Concerning IT in a Future Perspective we noticed an over-confidence in IT and its possibilities. Finally we argue, that it is fundamental to see the IT-development in a holistic perspective and not as an isolated phenomenon. The aim must be that the IT-implementation makes a contribution toward a sustainable development of the district. A vision for a global IT-revolution, which not exclude any one; must be to bridge the communication gap between North and South.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2002. , p. 67
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-56037Local ID: INF C-20OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-56037DiVA, id: diva2:1116217
Subject / course
Information Systems
Available from: 2017-06-27 Created: 2017-06-27

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf