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Bridging the Digital Divide
Computers are available to only a fraction of
the world’s people. The divide between
those who have access to computers and who are
computer literate and those who are not, is
related to the division between rich and poor
nations. However, the need for systems integration
is not simply an issue of rich and poor, people
all over the world are struggling with information
overload. We dont so much need technology
to move us faster, as we need technology to
help us better manage our lives so that we can
slow down a bit.
Issues of technology and the appropriate
application of technology:
• Easy access to technology
• Sustainability
• Technology and professionalism with
a human face.
• User Friendly Interfaces
Holistic ICT seeks to reconfigure
the technologies that have made the global economy
possible, creating an interconnected global
village that is human scale and appropriate
technology oriented. While there are many trends
that are bringing us together as a global village,
there are also factors that seem to be eluding
the movement towards global society—relating
to corporate responsibility and global governance.
Disruptive Technologies
New innovative approaches are often overlooked
by large corporations because they see them
as marginal markets. This often provides an
opening for smaller players enabling them—with
the proper business model—to enter into
a trajectory of rapid growth.
Disruptive technologies refer
to how a single technology can impact a single
industry such as computers. However a more emcompassing
and holistic definition of disruptive technology
has emerged. There has been a fundamental change
in how technologies are evolving as inventors
have begun to explore the deeper meaning and
implication of their inventions and technologies.
The terms appropriate technology first used
by the EF Schumacher in the book Small is Beautiful,
refers to the socially conscious and sustainable
use of technology.
Ecological design has emerged
as the holistic solutions based approach to
disruptive as well as appropriatetechnology.
The need is not to simply retool a particular
technology but a fundamental overhaul of how
we do business, produce things and live our
lives.
The "platform" we are developing
represents an integrated approach to
sustainable development that seeks
to address global problems relating to people
and the environment from a holistic and interdisciplinary
perspective which include:
The specific application of the OVF Social
Enterprise Platform in the communities
we are trying to get a foothold in.
How Information Communications Technologies
can be used to effectively communicate innovative
developments and ideas between these decentralized
locally based nodes on a global level.
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