A few weeks ago, I attended the Building & Bridging Community Networks: Knowledge, Innovation & Diversity through Communication conference, in the lovely British seaside resort town of Brighton.
Besides enjoying the local attractions like fresh fish and chips, and the sights and thrills of the new and old piers, I enjoyed the presentations and company of many interesting people. It was an intimate conference, with a few dozens of people attending from all walks of scientific and professional life. One main theme, which seems to reverberate in the community informatics community, is the gap between theory and practice in our field. Researchers are often lagging years behind in their publications, while the really interesting developments take place in the messy reality. On the other hand, theories that can help interpret and combine practical insights are often not used on the ground. How to close this gap? It is a question that will increasingly beg attention.
Many inspiring talks were given at the conference, too many to mention all here now. Two heartening tales from what impact community informatics can have on the real (developing) world, were told by Shahzad Ahmad from Pakistan, and Ashok Jain from India. Ashok described how ICT is used in large-scale community development across India. Shahzad explained how his organization, Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) Pakistan, has been instrumental in wiring the emancipatory forces in his country through the Pakistan Development Gateway. In these tense times, in which we only seem to hear about war and destruction, these are strong examples of the good counterforces at work just below the sensationalist mass media surface.
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