Global Digital Development Forum: My experience and wish!

The global digital development forum was organized as an idea that emerged in the blog post in ICT works by Wayan Vota on March 5. https://www.ictworks.org/coronavirus-cancel-conference/#.XrV8ZC9h0go 

I joined the event somewhat skeptically, to be very pleasantly surprised. It was a long day well spent!  In fact, I think a digital event is not just a compensation for a physical one- it actually offers something that may not be always possible in face to face conferences. I found an event as massive as the one put out by the organizers kept to time for instance – mostly. You could exercise law of two feet – switch between things and most important of all – all questions were visible – as against the we-have-2-minutes-for-audience-questions scenario in many conferences. I didn’t use the discussion threads and spaces very actively – but I am sure there is a lot of opportunity to talk in those spaces too. I hope the “new normal” has a lot more of these events! 

What did GDDF reveal about the status of the ICT4D space to me: It is an industry that looks at itself more than what it does to its users. 

1. User feedback or metrics on actual utilization of the content/application is very difficult to find. There are no industry standards on things like listenership of audio content More actual evidence from the ground of specific projects – what happened, what was done, why the user found this useful. And finally some more soul searching- why does Tok Tok find a million downloads and something which s good for folks needs donor money for promotion?
2. Medium is talked about a lot more than the message. Participatory video or radio doesn’t bring change by itself – it is the relevance of the message that does. How do we develop content that is relevant and reach it in a timely manner. What kind of medium works in which situation? How many people need to see it to make the change stick?
3. Innovation is needed to see how for instance block chain can be useful for a specific use case scenario in the cocoa industry . But ICT4D remains largely donor driven to establish ‘models’ of work. There is almost no discussion of farmers paying or other revenue streams – even for long running or successful programs.  

The GDDF has made me more ambitious in my expectations of the next one! My wish for such events in the future would be that they push the envelop a little bit further and get more user feedback and evidence on the platform. Pose questions to presenters that make them think about their offering and share insights rather than just their reach and numbers. The comments and user engagement would provide strong evidence that the time has come to “un-conference” digital forums!  One of the key ways in which this un-conferencing can be done, is central to what tech has to offer for development. Use of technology to democratize,  besides driving efficiency of development notifications. How does digital technology expand choices for audience, how do they amplify their message and practices and concerns…that not as a session or two but the cross cutting thread and concern will help us all move from talking about what we do, to what have been insights and experiences… That potential seems to be touched upon by GDDF in its first edition! 

Well done GDDF, and looking forward to the next!