Author Description

Over the last few years, governments and development agencies have provided access to information and communication technology (ICT) with the intention to improve living conditions in underserved communities around the world. Unfortunately, how the ICT tools are used and the information they convey is exploited have not received enough attention. Through a holistic-multiple case study design, this book describes how individuals living in six rural communities in the northern Peruvian Andes use (or not) computers. An interpretive analysis informed by grounded theory reveals the mechanisms by which computer-mediated information is obtained and disseminated by those who use computers. These social actors are named here as ¿activators of information¿ and their role in disseminating fresh and valuable information is thoroughly explained. This book will be a valuable addition to government officials, donors and professionals working in the ICT for development field. Likewise, researchers interested in the application of grounded theory will benefit from the systematic application of the method for the data analysis in an inductive fashion.