Social Shaping of Technologies for Community Development - Information Communication Technologies for Human Services Education and Delivery - page 203

tion of information communication technologies
was mediated and reconfigured by webs of social
relations and the intricate interplay of social,
political and cultural conditions specific to the
Kelabit Highlands. In this way the chapter seeks
to achieve a more critical understanding of the
relationship between ICT and society that provide
an understanding of the implications of ICT for
social and economic development and inform
current discussions about the emerging “Informa-
tion Society.”

shed some light on the character and significance
of ICT in different social and technical settings
and at the same time to illuminate the processes
of shaping the use and impacts of ICT in Bario.
It takes into account the role of the Kelabit's own
desire for, and expectations of, “development” and
“progress.” This is a quest which ties in closely
with two fundamental Kelabit concepts: doo -ness
and iyuk .As will be made clear later in the chapter,
both notions signify movements and good-ness
in terms of social status among the Kelabit. By
highlighting their significance, this chapter argues
that it is the local cultural logic of doo -ness and
iyuk among the Kelabit which is central to the
shaping of technology especially how meanings
(symbolically) are “inscribed to technologies”
(Rose, 2001, p.69), creating a desire for new
technologies, and informing their development and
appropriation by users in the Highlands. In short
Kelabit notions of iyuk and doo -ness are central
to functional and symbolic encoding of technolo-
gies in Bario and are crucial factors conditioning
the effects of the project. This is evident by the
ways in which the social and economic effects of
e-Bario have unfolded through countless open-
ended strategic and everyday decisions made by
the Kelabit themselves, who actively consume,
apply and make use of objects, ideas and services
in the Highlands.

Social SHaping anD
conSequenceS of ict

The social shaping of technology (SST) approach
to technology-society relationships has emerged
in the late 1980s as an important framework to
explore whether technology can be seen as a main
force that shapes society or whether society and
social values shape the way in which technology
affects our lives. With regards to information com-
munication technologies, the approach builds on
two main themes: the design and implementation
of ICT artifacts and systems; and the implications
of ICT for individuals, organizations and society.
Within this broad remit the SST approach could
not, and will not deny that technology has an effect
on society but at the same time emphasizes orga-
nizational, cultural, economic and other factors
influencing the process of technological change
and innovation (Williams and Edge, 1996; Kling,
2000). In other words, deviating from a techno-
logical determinism standpoint, SST embraces
the centrality of users, society and social values to
shape the way in which information communica-
tion technologies (ICT), affect our lives, (Dutton,
2001; Rohracher, 2003; Fischer, 1992).
Taking the lead from the SST framework, this
chapter explores the social and economic effects
of electronic-Bario (e-Bario), an ICT-based com-
munity development project implemented in the
Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak. This is in order to

backgrounD: tHe
e-bario project

Considered the traditional homeland of the Kelabit,
the Kelabit Highlands is situated above the rapids
found at the headwaters of the Baram and Limbang
in Northeast Sarawak, close to the border between
Kalimantan and Malaysia in the Miri Division.
Although there is no official boundary to define the
area, Thong and Bahrin (1993, p.17) estimate that
the Highlands comprise an area of approximately
2,500 square kilometers. With an average altitude
of 1000 meters above sea level, it is surrounded by