Symbiosis Institute of Media And

Communication, Pune


Module Name

Influence of information and communication

technology on society: Nepalasacasestudy



Module Professor

Pro .Sabyasachi Dasgupta






Submitted By:

Name: Deepak Shah
MBA -26
Batch:2014-2016

SYNOPSIS:
Given the development of infrastructure and telecommunications services, the
proliferation of private radio stations, the diversification of the audiovisual
landscape, with packaged satellite programming, connections to the information
superhighway, and the growing use of information and communications
technologies in different segments of the society, Nepal can be said to have
entered the information society in the early 1990s. Since then, it has been faced
with an information revolution. With its attendant social, as well as political,
economic and cultural consequences. Thus, along with technological progress, we
are witnessing the foundations for a societal revolution. A careful study of the
causes and effects of this phenomenon must be made, in order to ensure that
social development continues to be a concern of the highest priority.
Nepals entry in the information society is occurring against a particularly difficult
economic and social background. One of the most distinct problems of the
Developing countries like Nepal is their cultural difference from Western societies
where individualism and rationalism are accepted as the higher values of life. That
may not be the case with the developing countries, particularly from the point of
view of individualism. Implementation of a new technology does not end with
installation of the machinery and explanation of how to use it but, It should be
accompanied, therefore, by transfers in education, organization, administration,
employment strategy, and research etc. The new technology must be accepted by
the receiving society. Nepalese social practices and cultural values differ markedly
from Western practices, and as a result, are likely to impact Nepalese users
attitudes towards computers.

Two economic aspects of technology acquisition are important to consider:
Funds for initial investment and return on this investment. In low and middle-
income countries the funds available are often not sufficient to buy expensive
technology. External sources could help here. If you look at the government
sector in Nepal, most of the technologies in use are donor given, and problems
are often encountered after the project period. It is not guaranteed that
investing foreign currency on new technology will bring economic benefit to the
country, however it could push the country into a debt loop.

In addition, Technology acquisition raises a number of political questions. The first
relates to the dependence of the receiving nation on the supplying one. It is clear
that a technological dependence could become a political one. It is the
responsibility of the government to select carefully the country from which
acquisition could be made without any political problems in future. The second
question relates to the possible transfer of political power from political elites to
the technical specialists

Despite these realities, developments in media and in telecommunications and
information technology infrastructure and services have been quite impressive,
compared to many developing countries.

EVALUATION:

POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE SOCIETY:

Probably the largest effect that ICT use has on society is allowing members of
society to have greatly increased access to information. This can have numerous
positive effects, such as:
a) Increasing opportunities for education
b) Improving communication
c) Allowing people to participate in a wider, even worldwide, society.
The positive impact of ICT on education: On the positive side, the use of ICT in
education can provide opportunities that might not otherwise exist, such as:
1. Distance learning, where students can access teaching materials from all over
the world,
2. The ability to perform impossible experiments by using simulations,
3. The possibility for students to have individual learning programs within a topic,
rather than everybody having to do the same thing at the same time at the same
pace. More able students can be given more challenging work, less able students
can access remedial lessons.
The negative impact of ICT on education: I. There are large costs involved and
poorer students / educational establishments can end up being disadvantaged.

II. Students, and sometimes teachers, can get hooked on the technology aspect,
rather than the subject content. Just because a topic can be taught via ICT, does
not mean that it is taught most effectively via ICT. Even if a subject can be taught
effectively via ICT, and there is the money available, it does not always follow that
there is any advantage to it. There have been a lot of studies / assessments
carried out, looking to see if ICT usage improves learning. The results are mixed.
Much simplified, it would appear that:
1. There is some initial impact of using ICT in that students get a wider range of
resources and experience some extra motivation.
2. The motivation effect soon fades as using ICT becomes the new normal
3. The wider resource range remains a positive factor
4. There are some well documented positive effects in specific. E.g. simulation
and modeling is effective in improving science standards, use of word processing
and communication software is effective in developing language skills, but there is
concern that large areas of the curriculum are not benefiting.
The manner in which the subject is taught probably has a larger effect than the
mere use of ICT. I.e. if the teacher does not adapt their methods in order to make
best use of ICT, the students do not gain from that use.
The attitude of the educational establishment also seems to have a greater effect.
I.e. the people running them may not have the knowledge and experience, or
often the money, to enable widespread and effective use of ICT in their schools.
The attitude of society / government can have a large impact of how ICT is
perceived and thus how effectively it is used. Countries where the government
encourages ICT usage and where the majority of the people use ICT on a daily
basis are likely to make better use of ICT in education as well as in the larger
society.
On the other hand, in countries where some uses of ICT are restricted because of
e.g. political or religious reasons, the use of ICT in education becomes less
effective and may even be seen as a threat to those in power and thus actively
discouraged.
NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ICT ON SOCIETY:

Probably the largest effect that ICT use has on society is allowing members of
society to have greatly increased access to information. This can have numerous
negative effects, such as: causing a digital divide between those who can access
information and those who cannot, reducing levels of education and
understanding due to the vast amount of incorrect and misleading information
that is available causing moral and ethical problems due to the nature of some of
the material available.

SUGGESTION:
The problem is not about getting technology in the developing countries. The
major problem arises when the time comes for managing the information
technology in a particular environment. There is no single best procedure for
managing information technology, since it depends on external social, economic,
political and cultural factors that vary from one country to another, as well as on
internal forces like organizational culture, and on skills that vary from one
organization to another even within the same industry in the same country.
Therefore, there is a great need of academic research in the field of IT in
developing countries and the role of government in developing national
capabilities. It is clear for the developing countries that simply trying to follow
another countrys model is not likely to work very well. For example, a country
without a large pool of software professionals will not duplicate Indias software
export success.

However, lessons can be learned from India on how to plan a long-term vision for
developing and retaining IT professionals for future use. Many studies have
pointed out the importance of developing national capabilities such as human
resources, high-quality and low-cost telecommunications networks, and
supportive institutional and financial development. Therefore, if Nepal wants to
gain a place on the global IT map, the country will need to develop a strong,
coherent and well designed and a comprehensive national strategy with specific
programs, policies and institutions to accumulate skills and build markets.
Although, Nepal at this stage cannot think of becoming self-reliant in this sector,
there will need to be a clear vision of local need, and the country must not
become a dumping ground for other nations obsolete technologies. Therefore,
the governments perspective requires that technologies be viewed within the
Nepalese context.