Decoding technological frames: An exploratory study of access to and meaningful engagement with digital technologies in agriculture

Karen G. Engås, Jawwad Z. Raja and Isabelle Fabienne Neufang

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2023, vol. 190, issue C

Abstract: Technological advancements undoubtedly impact development in the agricultural industry. However, the digital divide may constrain access to technology in developing countries. Hence, there is a need to explore and understand how different actors make sense of technological advancement for a more meaningful engagement with new technology. To this end, we undertook an exploratory study of an agricultural ecosystem in Brazil comprising a heterogeneous set of actors with varying experiences of digital technologies. Our findings show the essential role of actors' technological frames, and how the type of access to digital technologies influences their development toward digital agriculture. Different actors are found to react to technologies depending on their past experiences and future expectations, leading them to mobilize different framing tactics to respond to the changes that digital agriculture presents. We illuminate how the digital divide not only constrains access to digital technologies but also limits meaningful engagement. We contribute by showing how engaging in framing tactics can advance or preserve actors' technological frames in the digital divide. Our study details implications for both practitioners and policymakers for future consideration.

Keywords: Digital divide; Framing; Digital agriculture; Technological frame; Digital technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162523000902
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:190:y:2023:i:c:s0040162523000902

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122405

Access Statistics for this article

Technological Forecasting and Social Change is currently edited by Fred Phillips

More articles in Technological Forecasting and Social Change from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().