What is Community Informatics (and Why Does It Matter)? (0712.3220v1)

Abstract: Community Informatics (CI) is the application of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to enable community processes and the achievement of community objectives. CI goes beyond the "Digital Divide" to making ICT access usable and useful to excluded populations and communities for local economic development, social justice, and political empowerment. CI approaches ICTs from a "community" perspective and develops strategies and techniques for managing their use by communities both virtual and physical including the variety of Community Networking applications. CI assumes that both communities have characteristics, requirements, and opportunities that require different strategies for ICT intervention and development from individual access and use. Also, CI addresses ICT use in Developing Countries as well as among the poor, the marginalized, the elderly, or those living in remote locations in Developed Countries. CI is of interest both to ICT practitioners and academic researchers and addresses the connections between the policy and pragmatic issues arising from the tens of thousands of Community Networks, Community Technology Centres, Telecentres, Community Communications Centres, and Telecottages globally along with the rapidly emerging field of electronically based virtual "communities". Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Centre for Community Informatics Research, Development and Training (Vancouver BC), a Director of The Information Society Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town South Africa; and Research Professor in the School of Computer and Information Systems at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark.

• The paper defines Community Informatics (CI) as a field leveraging ICT for community processes and development, emphasizing utility and usability for marginalized populations.
• It argues that CI is distinct from fields like Social Informatics and ICT4D due to its activist, practice-oriented approach focused on community empowerment and self-organization through technology.
• Gurstein highlights CI's potential to integrate into public policy and transform service delivery by using community-driven ICT frameworks to address challenges like the digital divide effectively.

An Exploration of Community Informatics: Bridging Theory and Practice

Michael Gurstein's paper, "What is Community Informatics (and Why Does It Matter)?", offers a comprehensive examination of Community Informatics (CI) as a field that leverages Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to facilitate community processes and bolster economic and social development. CI distinguishes itself by focusing on bridging the "Digital Divide" and emphasizing the utility and usability of ICT for marginalized and underrepresented populations. Gurstein's discourse is characterized by an exploration of CI's implications both theoretically and practically, proposing its integration as an approach parallel to traditional Management Information Systems (MIS).

The central thesis of Gurstein's work posits CI as an essential framework within the context of an evolving Information Society. It challenges conventional ICT deployment strategies by underscoring the significance of community-based approaches in managing technology use among geographic and networked communities. Unlike the individualized access schemes commonly advanced in digital culture, CI asserts that physical and digital communities warrant specific, tailored strategies for ICT engagements, particularly in addressing the unique needs of underrepresented groups such as the elderly and economically disadvantaged populations.

A significant portion of Gurstein's analysis is devoted to illustrating the nuanced relationship between community informatics and broader societal shifts like globalization and networked individualism. He articulates how CI, embodying a counter-point to the predominant individual-centric approaches in networked societies, provides communities with tools for empowerment and self-organization. This is particularly vivid in community-led ICT initiatives like the First Nations K-Net network in Northern Ontario, which demonstrates how community control over technological infrastructure can lead to improved educational, health, and social outcomes.

Gurstein's work employs a robust conceptual framework to demarcate CI from related fields like Social Informatics and ICT for Development (ICT4D). He argues that CI's distinctive focus lies in its activist engagement with communities—both in practice and in the design and deployment of technology. This practice-oriented approach encompasses partnerships with academic institutions, policy influences, and grassroots organizations to foster environments where technology serves community goals rather than dictating them.

The paper also highlights challenges inherent within the field, such as the traditional resistance from bureaucratic and professional entities. It acknowledges the complex interplay required for CI to integrate into public policy arenas traditionally dominated by top-down decision-making, advocating for CI's potential to democratize ICT, enhance community empowerment, and catalyze sustainable development.

In addressing the future trajectories of CI, Gurstein emphasizes the potential for CI to transform service delivery, particularly in domains like e-health and education, through community-driven ICT frameworks. These transformations necessitate a reconceptualization of service models to harness the affordances of ICT, aligning them more closely with community processes and leveraging local knowledge.

In conclusion, Gurstein's paper is a pivotal contribution to our understanding of CI as both a theoretical and practical construct. It advocates for the establishment of CI as a parallel discipline to MIS within academic institutions and calls for a broader institutionalization of CI practices in technology deployment and policy-making. The broad implications of CI for social inclusion, community empowerment, and effective technology use underscore its relevance in the rapidly evolving landscape of the Information Society. Gurstein's insights serve as a clarion call for the integration of community-centric approaches in ICT policy and application, emphasizing the transformative potential of CI in achieving equitable development outcomes.