“Going digital”. A Historical Perspective on Early International Cooperation in Informatics

The chapter analyses how early political discussions on the impact of digital technology within UNESCO paved the way for an alternative discourse on ICTs. Through the little known history of the IBI, the author shows how the issue of access and digital divide moves slowly from gaps in implementation of national computer infrastructures to a wider debate on the informatization of society as a whole. She demonstrates how the initial techno-deterministic perspective on informatics evolves into a more societal perspective on information, leading UNESCO to frame a new development paradigm around ICTs, where the dissemination of technology is not an end in itself, but an instrument to foster human exchanges. The contribution further underlines how the digital information technology moved from a subject of little political disagreement to a question of national sovereignty and transnational dependence, requiring the nation states to address such issues as international agreements on transborder data flow, the harmonization of national legislations as well as technical standardization.

ISBN:978-1-84150-675-3

Publication year:2012

Keywords:UNESCO, NWICO, WSIS, IBI, Informatics