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Social network analysis of public access computing: relationships as a critical benefit of libraries, telecenters and cybercafés in developing countries

Published: 07 February 2012 Publication History

Abstract

Building on theories of social network analysis, this paper discusses perceived benefits of Public Access Computing (PAC) in developing countries. Through a study of libraries, telecenters and cybercafés in Colombia, South America, we discuss users' perceptions of strengthened relationships with friends and family, stronger sense of belonging to a broader world, and new forms of entertainment, afforded through the use of computers in public access venues. These perceptions reveal an important dimension of the contribution of PAC social and economic development, emphasizing the importance of creating and maintaining social networks. The study is based on results of surveys, interviews and focus groups, combining qualitative and quantitative data gathered in five regions of the South American country during 2010.

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Cited By

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  • (2020)Digital local information services in developing countries: Evidence from ColombiaJournal of Librarianship and Information Science10.1177/096100062090797052:4(1197-1208)Online publication date: 26-Feb-2020
  • (2020)Where's the value? The worth of public libraries: A systematic review of findings, methods and research gapsLibrary & Information Science Research10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101067(101067)Online publication date: Dec-2020
  • (2018)Affordable Access to Internet and ICTAffordability Issues Surrounding the Use of ICT for Development and Poverty Reduction10.4018/978-1-5225-3179-1.ch005(90-110)Online publication date: 2018
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cover image ACM Other conferences
iConference '12: Proceedings of the 2012 iConference
February 2012
667 pages
ISBN:9781450307826
DOI:10.1145/2132176
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 07 February 2012

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Author Tags

  1. ICT
  2. ICTD
  3. colombia
  4. cybercafés
  5. developing countries
  6. libraries
  7. network theory
  8. public access
  9. telecenters

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iConference '12
iConference '12: iConference 2012
February 7 - 10, 2012
Ontario, Toronto, Canada

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Cited By

View all
  • (2020)Digital local information services in developing countries: Evidence from ColombiaJournal of Librarianship and Information Science10.1177/096100062090797052:4(1197-1208)Online publication date: 26-Feb-2020
  • (2020)Where's the value? The worth of public libraries: A systematic review of findings, methods and research gapsLibrary & Information Science Research10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101067(101067)Online publication date: Dec-2020
  • (2018)Affordable Access to Internet and ICTAffordability Issues Surrounding the Use of ICT for Development and Poverty Reduction10.4018/978-1-5225-3179-1.ch005(90-110)Online publication date: 2018
  • (2018)Identification of Information Technology Tools for the Inclusion of People in Condition of Extreme PovertyProceedings of the Euro American Conference on Telematics and Information Systems10.1145/3293614.3298782(1-5)Online publication date: 12-Nov-2018
  • (2018)Social network analysis and ICT4D research: Principles, relevance, and practiceTHE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES10.1002/isd2.1203684:4Online publication date: 3-Jul-2018
  • (2015)ICT4ICTDProceedings of the 2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences10.1109/HICSS.2015.258(2145-2157)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2015
  • (2013)Computer Training to Empower Day LaborersProceedings of the 2013 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences10.1109/HICSS.2013.142(2833-2841)Online publication date: 7-Jan-2013

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