Abstract

Five years ago, they had never used the internet; but now, respondents overwhelmingly report that they are using computers to send e-mail, play games, access information, listen to music, develop literacy skills, and enroll in e-courses. Developing countries are using cellular telephones and internet interconnectivity even more than countries nearly saturated with these devices and conveniences. What can we learn from Oman, Pakistan, India, China, South Sudan, and others? The collection of data put forth in this volume comes at a critical time for exploring shifts in communication practices that are occurring in developing nations. In many cases in Africa, Asia, and South America, it has been argued that adoption of a technology is not an innovation, but a survival trait. Therefore, the phenomena of communication and technology in these countries should be exploratory instead of confirmatory. This research acknowledges the uniqueness of culture in each of the observed countries without attempting to impose a Western framework of interpretation upon the communication behaviors. One question that this book allows readers to ask themselves is: Does the technology change developing society and the types of communication, or is it simply providing a new means of transmission for the developing society’s norms of communication behavior? Or perhaps when you read this book you will end up with the idea that technology is doing both, or something else entirely. This author certainly hopes that the work in this book inspires continued talk and thought on the influences of electronic communication! This is exploratory research. We are a world of diverse cultures and communication behaviors. Our hope is that this text will allow you to see some of the communication behaviors that exist outside of your own experiences.