Abstract:
Technologies that are being developed according to the needs of a
particular society depend largely on the level of skills, available materials,
economy, requirements and cultural traits of that society. If such technologies are
proved to work successfully within a given society, cultural differences may not
allow those technologies to operate effectively elsewhere. Therefore, when
transferring a new technology cross-culturally, several factors must be considered
so that it is beneficial to the recipients. The paper argues that technologies that are
new to an Indigenous group should be adapted to suit that community's prevailing
culture, beliefs, level of skill, and economy instead of being used as a tool of
acculturation.
This paper explores pathways through which Pacific Islanders (PI) in New
Zealand might consider the lCT industry as a potential field of study for their
children or as a source of jobs for themselves. The paper identifies the number of
PI studying ICT at Auckland's public tertiary institutions in 2005. It also
presented the results of a study about how the PI in Auckland view computers,
and compares that with the result of a pilot study that was done in 2004 in
Hamilton. An overview of the importance of socio-cultural values is presented,
followed by a discussion of the impact of cultural interaction and cultural change
on traditional societies. Finally, a strategy is proposed to improve people's
understanding of computers as tools for processing, sharing and preserving
information.
