ICTs and Development Support Communication (DSC)

ICTs can be used to achieve the goals of DSC for developing countries in their various development projects. Several theorists have written about Another Development or Development Support Communication (DSC), as an approach to development communication. Obregón and Rivera (2001) state that the 1970s brought the emergence of the alternative paradigm (alternative to the dominant paradigm), also known as the pluralist perspective or another development. In a nutshell, advocates of the pluralist perspective or another development recognised the failure of previous development models and embraced a number of new approaches to development. Some of these approaches of DSC are the following:

1. development should be needs-oriented
2. development should be indigenous
3. development should promote participation at all levels
4. development should promote equal access
5. development should promote society's self-reliance; development should take into consideration local culture, values and norms

Within this theoretical approach to development, the role of communication is described as development support communication and as supportive of community development. The main emphasis is placed on two-way interactive and participatory communication, as a response to top-down, one-way communication proposed by the dominant, expert-driven project. Another development is people-centred as it supports the idea that all concerned with development should bring their ideas together and those being developed must have a say in the ICT projects aimed at their development.

Participatory communication is not new and has been practiced and promoted for many decades. This approach focuses on human and economic concerns, and places greater emphasis on the basic needs of people and participation of beneficiaries in development programmes set up for their benefit. DSC approach assumes a broadening of the definitions of public interest beyond the simple assessment of pricing services, and involves an analysis of the potential benefits of access to education and social services to citizens throughout the country, the impact of geographical as well as income- related disparities, the potential for economic benefits of affordable access to information for individual and commercial activities.

DSC is relevant for the development of least developed countries because of its participatory nature, and because it involves two-way communication between various stakeholders participating in any development project.
Two-way communication between the developers and those being developed can result in positive development for any community. Community members can also be creative also suggest ways of how they can use telecommunications technology for their own development, based on what technologies they can afford to pay for, in terms of technology use and available information services.