Community (Information and Communication) Technology: Policy, Partnership and Practice

Abstract

This chapter illustrates the significance of developing a shared understanding of community, which is more than an adjective qualifying a certain type of ICT usage in a rapidly developing area of social practice and academic study — Community Informatics. Highlighting the importance of contextualising ICTs within their social environments, the chapter approaches Community Informatics from a human-centered perspective. It introduces a framework of democratic design criteria intended to assist the community planning and implementation processes of community technology initiatives. Examining the significance of community policy, community partnerships and community practice, the author invokes the need for interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration in Community Informatics and argues that community ICT initiatives should be grounded in the needs of local communities if they are to be utilised successfully as tools of community empowerment.