Toward a More Informed and Informative Use of the Concept Network in ICT4D

Sylvain K. Cibangu
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Sylvain K. Cibangu: Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development (IJICTHD), 2015, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: In an era of ever fast connected digital communication technologies, network has become the buzzword of our work and daily lives. However, while the concept network has been employed by information and communication technologies for development's (ICT4D) authors the last few years, it has not yet received solid attention. In most cases, ICT4D's authors have merely referred to network, leaving its definition and related conceptual issues at the discretion of the reader. To make things worse, ICT4D has been exposing its readers to theories of various strides and disciplines, such as development studies, management science, information systems, Actor Network Theory, computer network, social networks, etc., but ICT4D's readers remain largely uninformed and misled about network theories/approaches. This paper seeks to fill the gap by heeding the continued calls for ICT4D's stronger theoretical grounding. The paper sketches networks in the social sciences, in general, and derives the consequences for ICT4D's research, in particular. To this end, ICT4D's articles have been analyzed to trace ICT4D's involvement with networks. The paper provides the groundwork from which to produce contributive works on networks in ICT4D. The goal is to instill a more informed engagement of ICT4D with networks.

Date: 2015
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