Drive-by wi-fi and digital storytelling: development and co-creation

This paper offers a critique of two examples of innovative uses of information and communication technologies that seek to build social, economic and cultural connections in India. We compare and contrast the development approaches that underpin these projects and explore their consequences on the ground. The first approach follows a Bottom of the Pyramid model, while the other adheres to a Human Development and Capabilities Approach. While both examples use ICT innovatively, their underlying conceptions of development, notions of participation, and their project goals are fundamentally different. We explore these differences in terms of what constitutes participation and co-creation in order to think critically about the role of ICT in development.