Anthropological understanding of rural-user needs towards the construction of the use of icts: A case of India

The introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in mainstream societies affects the way in which the societies interact, communicate, produce, assess, adapt and access vast amount of information. The information revolution has not only affected the technology and telecommunications sectors but also rippled through nearly every aspect of the economy and society at large. The proliferation of ICT in nations is directly seen to be vital for socio-economic development. However, the concept of socio-economic development and its relationship with ICT growth remains an open question in the developing and under-developed nations owing to many socio-economic, rural and cultural factors. Rural areas are geographically dispersed and if ICT programs for such rural areas are to provide equitable coverage, accessibility technological needs and user’s perspective must be considered. Also, in a country like India where three fourth populations resides in rural area, it becomes pertinent and challenging to understand how Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are embedded in the lives of rural users. This paper explores how rural participants shaped their use of ICTs by examining the most important meanings and uses of ICTs in their lives, such as their role in emergency situations and as a status symbol. As much as possible this paper is based on the priorities and needs of participants as they themselves saw them (emic approaches), rather than what the researcher assumed was important (etic perspective).