Web alliance for Regreening in Africa

Symposium Perspectives on ICT4D: The Web and the Digital Divide – Sunday 27 May 2018

webscilogo_kleinA full-day event at WebSci’18, Sunday 27 May 2018

The Web is the biggest open public space for information, communication and knowledge sharing for billions on the planet. However, it is not (yet) accessible for over half of the world population, mostly in the Global South. This symposium addresses the ensuing issues, in other words, it tackles the Web dimension of what is commonly called the Digital Divide, and (even more importantly) what can be done about it.

Barriers to the Web and universal access to it include no internet, poor infrastructures, scarce electricity, and limited text literacy. Such obstacles are here to stay for many years to come. Thus, innovative solutions, cross-border and interdisciplinary thinking, and a reflective debate are needed to realize the full potential of the Web. This is what our event proposal aims at. Importantly, this reflective debate should include the people at the “other” side of the digital divide, whose voices are all too often ignored.

Join the Symposium on Sunday 27 May 2018, at VU Amsterdam. You can register for the symposium.

Read the call for papers and posters.