Societal development and the impact of information technology: African perspectives

Abstract

There are several theories on societal development, especially concerning issues that are affecting globalization. Those issues include the impact of information technology on developing countries of Africa, the social and cultural schools of thought on globalization of information technology, the defining issues that are embedded in disseminating this technology, and the provision of services in developing countries. This paper synthesized different theories on the social, cultural, and economic impact of globalizing information technology in developing countries from the African perspectives. The theoretical thoughts discussed in this study outlined factors underpinning the theories of societal development. This research was dedicated to exploring theories of societal development according to the works of Toffler, Giddens, Wallerstein, Vago, Tomlinson, and Weinstein. All of these theorists present different schools of thought on societal, cultural, modernization, colonization, and classical theories of societal development. This study explored, analyzed, and integrated these different schools of thought, in addition to comparing and contrasting the theories for similarities and differences, as well as for various interpretations of societal development.

The Information Technologist Vol. 5 (1) 2008: pp. 126-145