Interview to Fernando Botelho (Literacy Bridge)

[Adrien Mangin]

Hello Fernando, could you introduce briefly yourself?

Hello, my name is Fernando Botelho and I work mostly with projects related to poverty reduction as well as FOSS assistive technologies for persons with disabilities in both educational and professional contexts.
Previously I worked at the philanthropy department of a large bank, at a UN agency, and at an NGO that specialized in helping the blind with their career needs.

What is your conception of the empowerment?

I believe empowerment is enabling learning and action that was not practical before. However, new capabilities must not come at the cost of increased dependency. Higher productivity in my farm or greater access to information at home through digital devices should not leave me completely vulnerable to the strategic or financial decisions of a single company, regardless of whether this entity provides software or seeds or any other link in the value-add chain I am joining.

How do you see the role of ICT in the empowerment of the citizens?

Advances in ICT are unique compared to what is observed in most other industries, because they allow extremely small marginal costs in their products and services. This means that once an initial investment is made to produce a document, a piece of software, or the setting up of a wireless phone network for example, the cost to help each additional person with that software or service is very small. Our societies do not yet understand very thoroughly the implications of these facts for competition or monopolistic behavior and the resulting implications for citizens, but this new era has great potential if we learn to manage these market forces better.


From your perspective, what is the way the innovation is going for the empowerment of the citizens?

Citizens are not yet enjoying the full benefit of what these technologies can provide. Because society is not yet managing well the various competing interests, citizens are still giving up too much privacy, surrendering too much control, and paying too much for just about everything that can be reproduced and transmitted digitally. In terms of the actual benefits for citizens, we have barely scratched the surface of what is actually possible.

What ICT permit to people that we can consider as empowerment?

The ability to build networks of trust and based on that organize work and social activities. However, it is all just beginning, the best is yet to come. Clay Shirky says it best in these two presentations:

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=gYusNPDEsVM&feature=related

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0FgRKsqqU&feature=related

What do you think will be the next achievements regarding the empowerment of the citizens?

Vastly improved coordination between persons for all kinds of cooperation from what are commonly called hobbies to work, activism, and better resource utilization for society.