2.6. Beyond access: The role of voice, communication and the interactive media

Home

It is worth highlighting one dimension within the ICT for development concept, namely that communication, voice and interactive media play an equally important role in parallel to access to information and knowledge. There is a need to “make sense” of the complexity surrounding climate change at the global level and the local level. By definition, communication is a participatory, two-way process, enabling the inclusion of all people in a critical dialogue to identify solutions and foster change. More concretely, interactive media is a key communication channel and strategic partner for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Media as such is not a new phenomenon within development cooperation, fulfilling important societal roles such as that of a credible information provider, playing a critical and investigative function, serving an educational function and an agenda-setting/building function. Traditional media communication involves radio, television and print media at the local, national, regional and global levels. However, given the recent revolution in ICTs, media practice is fundamentally changing. Convergence between different technologies and media is offering new and promising avenues to enhance the participation and inclusion of all citizens including local communities. In addition, a shift from a broadcasting model of “one-to-many” to “many-to-many” is visible, where consumers are becoming producers of content (e.g., user-generated content and citizen journalism). The result is increased participation, inclusion and influence even of marginalised groups to voice their opinion through these emerging and interactive channels.

Hence, when it comes to climate change mitigation and adaptation, this potential of the media is increasing in significance as well to reach and include more people, including the most vulnerable segments of the population. Drawing on its historical role, the media can make a constructive contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation in at least the following ways:

Be a credible information provider

  • Perform a public service by providing high quality and reliable information
  • Translate information overload (“noise”) into relevant knowledge (“music”) for all segments of the population including local communities.

Serve a critical function

  • Play an investigative role and serve as a watchdog linking political promises to action
  • Assess and analyse events, policies, research results and processes, drawing links and parallels and pointing out paradoxes.

Educate the public

  • Demystify climate change and improve climate literacy at all levels of society
  • Internalise climate change with local people by penetrating local pockets of knowledge through local newspapers, community radios and village knowledge centres in order to identify specific coping requirements as a basis for sound policy making.

Set the climate change agenda

  • Sensitise and influence policy makers and other decision makers to galvanise action.

Go to previous chapter | Go to next chapter | Go to the main publication page