We live in a time where there's enough socio-political discourse to build better technology that is thoughtful and inclusive. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and, specifically, postcolonial computing theories offer vocabulary and a discipline that is particularly useful when innovating in blockchain technologies. Moreover, projects need this helpful context when building around the globe. The following is a high-level primer on postcolonial computing.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
A research focus developed in the 1980s when the personal computer became more readily available, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) observes the interconnectedness of three elements: the individual or people, technological use or device, and the behavior between the two entities. It is also a multidisciplinary subject that focuses on computer design and user experience to understand and facilitate better interactions between users and machines.
There are sub-topics within the HCI umbrella, particularly when you layer in human identities with socio-economic, disability, ethnic, or gender studies. I argue, however, that this is adjacent to but separate from conversations on diversity and technology. Diversity topics include studies such as machine learning algorithm bias towards people of color. In short, when you lack representation from different life experiences, your technology will always have a deficit in addressing all global users. These are critical discussions, but HCI takes another step beyond pointing out the source of trends by understanding why the trends exist.
Postcolonial computing is a sub-topic under the HCI umbrella. Therefore, it was the appropriate lens through which I conducted my blockchain research within an international setting. Keeping to a simple Wikipedia definition, postcolonialism is "inspired by the academic study of the cultural, political, and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands." Thus, these critical theories of the peoples, societies, and diasporas inspire postcolonial computing and how it affects technology and technological development.
This framework is crucial in moving beyond models recognized as "tech for good," "ICT4D," and "digital development." Think back to the US Digital Service origin story and the failed first attempt at the 2014 Healthcare.gov website. Yes, that 2005 - 2017 phase of taking x industry for social good (triple bottom line, B-corps, etc.). Good intentions but flawed in approach. Taking a page from nonprofit/NGO critical studies of the 1970s, it's hard to create generational change with an inherent power imbalance in the relationship.
Tech for good was my starting point. As I studied the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Development (ICT4D) movement, I was learning their design principles and feeling uncomfortable. ICT4D is a mix of user-centered design using digital solutions to accelerate communities in their social and economic development. TL: DR, the global north is sorting out how to interact with the global south. Around the same time, I dedicated myself to unlearning euro-western-centric methodologies and felt that the ICT4D framework needed to be revised. Nevertheless, I kept digging until I found theories that fit my reality as a foreigner living and working in a South American country.
Postcolonial computing theory highlights
In comes postcolonial computing, the first framework that really 'clicked' with me. It considers the imbalances in power, history, identity, and the theory of knowledge realities. Kavita Philip describes postcolonial computing as "a way of asking questions, a mode of investigating, and a form of conversation." Some key points I found most helpful in understanding postcolonial computing as:
Recognizes the emergence of hybrid knowledge practice across communities, both ancestral innovations and technologically driven;
Technological artifacts embody the politics of their design and development, and separating the two is unfeasible; and
Questioning who is "us" and "them" in these conversations, thus reimagining the global distributions of the knowledge economy and computational labor.
This approach doesn't center or lament any one party, the oppressor or the oppressed. It also encourages questioning the context of how and for whom new technologies are developed. It considers the histories that subconsciously drive our interactions within the same design framework. Although annoying, rather than provide all the answers or a "right" path, postcolonial computing prefers a critical awareness of our actions.
This awareness of postcolonial computing was vital to unlocking my mental block when I wanted to conduct a blockchain-focused research project. In 2017 I observed that countries in the global south were somehow lab rat experiments for half-baked distributed ledger technology projects. Most DLT design ideas could work better with a centralized database approach instead. The DLT justification is a constant struggle I still observe in the space, the balance of innovating with this fantastic technology design at the risk of experimenting with already vulnerable communities. Taking advantage of vulnerable communities is becoming apparent in mainstream media. In his article for Vice, Luke Ottenhof vents about Crypto-Colonists most recently, but these kinds of criticisms go back to the Rohingya Project.
HCI and postcolonial computing are my favorite topics to discuss, so expect more musings around this topic and specific applications. Here are links to some valuable primers for additional reading on postcolonial computing.
(1) Postcolonial Computing: A Tactical Survey. This is a good overview and valuable examples: https://www.academia.edu/8605271/Postcolonial_Computing_A_Tactical_Survey
(2) Postcolonial Computing: A Lens on Design and Development. This one is a little denser, but I like its critical argument on the ICT4D movement: https://www.wtf.tw/ref/irani_postcolonial_computing.pdf
Happy discerning!
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