The Paradox of the Global Information Infrastructure

From: Terry W. Colvin (fortean1@mindspring.com)
Date: Wed Jul 02 2003 - 18:04:32 MDT

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    Subject: Paradox of the Global Information In
    Author: Moderator of conference "asia.security"

              The Paradox of the Global Information Infrastructure
                                 Dana R. Fisher

         The emerging global information infrastructure (GII) is set
    to become a powerful tool in international relations. As people
    within countries around the world develop the ability to access
    the Internet and the graphical interface called the World Wide
    Web, the borders separating states become more permeable;
    information can enter and leave without a visa. Although
    commercial applications currently predominate, the GII is
    increasingly used in diplomacy and as an educational tool for
    academics, governments and activists.
         The GII has two major advantages. First it is fast.
    Sending information across borders is no longer a matter of
    couriers and days; it is almost instantaneous. Second, once the
    hardware is in place, it is inexpensive. The latest Internet
    capabilities work much like video teleconferencing, except with a
    far lower cost. Even the "older" Internet resources give one the
    ability to have a spontaneous, textually-based conversation and
    send huge amounts of data quickly and very inexpensively.
         By making communication between countries faster, easier and
    cheaper, people in other countries are virtually next door
    neighbors. The Nautilus Institute, for example, uses electronic
    communication to enhance its work on security and sustainable
    development in Asia. Through the GII, the Institute involves
    people from over 30 countries in a virtual community of experts
    via the Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network (NAPSNet) and
    the Asia-Pacific Regional Environment Network (APRENet).
         Because the GII traverses territorial boundaries, it
    supports the development of new types of global and regional
    relations. In Asia, it is an important contributing force to
    emerging regionalism. The eighteen members of the Asia Pacific
    Economic Cooperation group (APEC) have agreed to establish an
    "Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure" which has enormous
    implications for the conduct of trade and investment, as well as
    diplomacy, in the region. In addition, the GII was used to
    educate and coordinate the work behind the November APEC meetings
    in Osaka. Primary documents, background information, and most
    recent research on APEC was available to anyone through the
    Internet.
         Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and citizen groups in
    Asia are also increasingly turning to the GII to facilitate
    cross-border information flows and campaigns. The Internet
    allows vast amounts of information to be shared cheaply and
    quickly and stored for future use. The GII, in short, promotes
    new forms of grassroots international cooperation and advocacy.
         Ironically, however, the GII also reinforces social
    inequities both inside and between countries. Like other aspects
    of economic globalization, the spread of the GII is uneven. It
    may increase social fragmentation within state borders and
    between countries even as it forges new communities. With the
    growth of the GII comes the risk that developing countries and
    the less affluent in societies will become more disenfranchised.
    Many developing countries are not yet able to take full advantage
    of the resources available through the GII. In addition, many
    sectors of developed societies can not or do not choose to use
    the new technology. Because the growth of the GII does not
    follow the usual lines drawn by those who have telephones and
    televisions, this social fragmentation will exclude many who are
    presently considered the technological haves resulting in a whole
    new sector of society: the have somes. Paradoxically, one of
    the largest populations of have somes are governments, many of
    whom are as disconnected from the new technology as those who
    cannot afford phone lines.
         As participation on the Internet explodes, people and
    countries without access can only lag behind. Unable to receive
    information easily and inexpensively, those without or unable to
    afford access will remain less informed and less involved in the
    international dialogue. Many countries can afford the Internet
    but are limited in their ability to use the World Wide Web.
    Those countries receive only some of the benefits of the new
    technology.
         At a June 1995 workshop on Harnessing the Communication
    Revolution in Beijing, China, representatives from developing
    countries expressed their concern that they were "missing it."
    As the World Wide Web--which needs consistent telephone lines and
    relatively fast computers-- grows more popular, countries without
    strong telecommunications infrastructures will not be able to
    access the latest tools on the GII [See Box]. Even today, many
    developing countries do not have open, public access to the
    Internet.
         Presently, the majority of the information available through
    the GII-- which includes files, conferences, mail and hypertext--
    is English based. To compound other factors that limit many
    people's use of the Internet, those without skills in English
    would find it very difficult to make use of a number of the
    resources that are available on-line. Until the GII has the
    resources to support translation, international dialogues are
    significantly limited by the singularity of the language. Thus,
    the seemingly perfect tool for international communication
    actually isolates a large percentage of the world from the most
    hyperactive level of human communication.
         In the future, the Global Information Infrastructure will
    grow enormously in terms of applications and usage. But who will
    be able to take advantage of this growth is not certain.
    Although it will make it even easier for citizens of the world to
    communicate quickly and inexpensively at all levels of
    international society, many organizations, people and even
    countries could be left out of the dialogue. In short, commitment
    to include the developing world and the less advantaged in
    international dialogues is inadequate.
         The growth of the GII has made hard copies of many materials
    obsolete. Because the new technology renders obsolete expensive
    and labor intensive distribution of hard copies, those who do
    not have Internet access are also missing information they might
    once have received. To ensure that the GII serves its purpose as
    a communication tool for everyone, we must consciously design
    information services that are tailored to the local needs and
    technological capabilities of all constituencies, including those
    in the developing world and the have-nots inside each society.
         Nautilus provides its on-line services--NAPSNet and APRENet-
    -free of charge to anyone with access to the Internet. By making
    its documents and information available through e-mail as well as
    on the World Wide Web, even those who cannot afford or do not
    have access to anything but e-mail are included in the dialogue

    -- 
    Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1@mindspring.com >
         Alternate: < fortean1@msn.com >
    Home Page: < http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/8958/index.html >
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