Araba Sey

University of Washington | UW · Information School, Technology & Social Change Group

The inaugural report of the EQUALS Research Group surveys the landscape of knowledge on gender equality as it relates to digital access, skills, and leadership. Part One reviews research and data in these three areas as represented in official statistics, academic reports, and grey literature, and assesses the availability of relevant sex-disaggreg...

Objective – A study on the impact of Public Access Venue (PAV) Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) was conducted in Botswana libraries with Internet connections. The main objective was to determine the impact of ICTs in public libraries. Methods –Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework as a theoretical lens, the study used semi-st...

This article summarizes the findings of a study investigating the impacts of public access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). The research was conducted in seven low- and medium-income countries employing a range of survey, ethnographic, and experimental research approaches. The analysis revealed substantial first-order effects i...

Despite the multiplicity of affordances embedded in information and communication technologies (ICTs), most ICTs for development (ICTD) interventions tend to expect that technology will be used primarily for “serious” purposes. However, user behaviors suggest that leisure-related activities feature prominently compared to other behaviors considered...

This article summarizes the findings of a five-year study investigating the impacts of public access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). The research was conducted in eight low and medium income countries employing a range of survey, ethnographic, and experimental research approaches. The analysis revealed substantial first-order...

Libraries, telecenters, and cybercafés play a critical role in extending the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to a diverse range of people worldwide. However, their ability to contribute to development agendas has come into question in recent times. The Global Impact Study was designed to address this debate by generati...

Drawing on ideas from the sustainable livelihoods approach to poverty reduction and the concept of technology appropriation, this article discusses findings from a mixed methods study exploring mobile phone use in Ghana. The results suggest that most respondents value their phone for the connectivity it affords with a variety of personal and profes...

Telecenters, libraries and internet cafés are often credited as being important venues for making information and communication technologies (ICTs) more widely available for people in developing and developed countries. Although numerous case studies and evaluations show the contribution public venues can make to socio-economic development within c...

This article discusses trends in the appropriation of new media in Ghana, as evidenced in existing literature on mobile phones, the Internet, new media production, and gaming. A few themes are evident: the emergence of "smart consumption" practices to mitigate the high cost of mobile phone communication; the association of the Internet with the pot...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present research evidence on mobile phone sharing practices in a developing country context. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted an exploratory approach, using a combination of in‐depth interviews, non‐random surveys and field observations of mobile phone users and mobile payphone service providers...

The Internet and computer technology have radically changed the way people live around the world. Public libraries have been at the forefront of championing digital inclusion through partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, other international and national organizations, government, and their own communities. As a result, virtually ev...

Wireless networks are the fastest growing communications technology in history. Are mobile phones expressions of identity, fashionable gadgets, tools for life--or all of the above? Mobile Communication and Society looks at how the possibility of multimodal communication from anywhere to anywhere at any time affects everyday life at home, at work, a...

Virtual Reality (VR) technology offers new options for neuropsychological assessment and cognitive rehabilitation. If empirical studies demonstrate effectiveness, virtual environments (VEs) could be of considerable benefit to persons with cognitive and functional impairments due to traumatic brain injury, neurological disorders, learning disabiliti...

Abstract The delivery of payphone services by micro-entrepreneurs using mobile phones has been celebrated widely as one of the more successful and innovative deployments,of ICTs for development (ICT4D). This trend has however been impacted by the rapidly changing nature of the mobile phone industry, and rising levels of personal mobile phone owners...