November 14, 2002
UW professor studies cultural clues to aid in fostering technological savvy
Contrary to what most Americans seem to think, a computer with an on-line connection does not always equal Internet access.
Technological savvy goes deeper than hardware, according to Beth Kolko, associate professor in the UW’s Department of Technical Communication. Viewpoints are also at work, particularly for communities that are isolated from Western culture, which tends to dominate the mental framework used to relate to technology.
“The metaphors that we use don’t work for everyone,” said Kolko, who is visiting Uzbekistan this month to do advance work for a study on technology adoption there and in several other Central Asian countries. “And for some cultures, that could represent a significant hurdle.”
A prime example, according to Kolko, can be seen in a metaphor often used in the United States for the Internet: the Information Superhighway. That conjures a familiar image for most Americans and aptly represents for them how the Internet can be used — as a giant online Yellow Pages. But that doesn’t work well in places like Uzbekistan.
“Those metaphors just aren’t relevant in Central Asia, where information seeking culturally and historically is very much embedded in social networks,” Kolko said. “If people need to find information, they don’t go to some disembodied, seemingly objective resource. They go to people they know.”
Getting around that may be a matter of simply changing the metaphor. For instance, the use of Web rings, or online groups of people who link their Web sites together to form communities based on interests and topics, could lower the cultural barrier.
“Working within a Web ring would give a sense that there is a social exchange going on,” Kolko said.
In addition to Uzbekistan, the study will eventually include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Those countries will work well for the study, Kolko said, because they have a basic information technology infrastructure, but are still somewhat isolated from Western influences. The study will use surveys, interviews and case studies to conduct a longitudinal inquiry to find out who is using technology, how they are using it, and the influence a government has on its citizens’ approach to technology. The work is being funded by a one-year, $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Kolko plans to seek additional funding to carry the study into subsequent years.
Ultimately, the results of the effort could be applied broadly, perhaps even in portions of the United States where technology is newly introduced to communities that have not yet embraced it.
“I think what will come out of this project is an understanding of what pieces of our technology are the most culturally embedded,” Kolko said. “And that can help as we try to implement IT say, on a reservation, or in Appalachia, or other culturally divergent locations.”
