ICT erased my caste!

In an article titled Technology, the great social leveller, ushering in change, Sam Pitroda (Indian "telecom pioneer") says:

[information and communication] technology opened doors for me. It erased my caste and empowered me to upward mobility.

Do ICTs really hold this kind of power or is it about the way we use them? Are ICTs the answer to greater social equality (that is, less divide) as Pitroda experienced? Or is it a case of ICTs being simply a catalyst for education which in turn may lead to greater social equality? In Pitroda's case it may have made him one of the "technology elites" in India but while ICT offered opportunity, does this mean that ICT itself is really acting as a "social leveller"?

Perhaps it is most useful to look at the use of ICT and society developing as two constantly interacting forces. For example, the more an individual uses ICT, the more one develops ones skills and consequently the more highly-valued are one's skills. Or looking at it from the other angle, the more a society is able to develop an economy and social framework which provides education and access for citizens to use ICTs, the more the citizens will use them. It may be a feedback loop.

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Youths speak out on Internet Governance

Young people have been making what could be seen as an unpredected foray into international politics through their participation in the United Nations World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). WSIS is taking place in two main stages over four years and currently we are nearing the completion of the second stage.

The WSIS Youth Caucus was well represented at the stage 1 summit held in late 2003 in Geneva and it is expected that there will be a large youth participation in the stage 2 summit coming up this November. The Youth Caucus has also been represented at every preparatory committee (Prepcom) since the summit commenced early in 2002.

Following the investigations of a working group looking at Internet Governance (IG), the topic has arisen on the main WSIS agenda. Recently At the WSIS Prepcom 3, youths made several recommendations to the Civil Society Bureau on the topic of Internet Governance. Later they pushed for their recommendations to be implemented (Document).

This is an example of the energetic activity of young people from all parts of the world that's directed at setting up a better framework (or "constitution") for society in which information and ICTs are at the centre of economies and personal life.