Applying Classical Theory in a Comparative Study of the Information Revolution in the Less Developed World

Abstract

This article evaluates the salience of classical theory in explaining societal transformation in the digital era. Functionalism, Marxism, and Weberian traditions are first summarized and then applied to a better understanding of how new information and communication technologies (ICTs) are shaping cultural spaces outside the advanced nations of the north. The nation of Ghana and the Indian state of Kerala are ideal social settings to assess the authority of these perspectives. The historical similarities of these two less developed world regions are persuasive, yet their present differences are telling. Although a Weberian perspective may best explain Ghana’s cultural proclivity for hierarchical domination, Marxist and functionalist theories may best explain how it will experience the diffusion of new ICTs within a globally dependent setting. Ghana’s entrenched local and global interests, rationalized along material lines, could be displaced temporarily by new ICTs; but then Ghanaian society may reequilibrate through a reestablishment of historical patterns of exploitation. On the other hand, functionalist and Weberian perspectives best frame the advantages that Kerala is experiencing in the information age. Its proximity to indigenous technological and media centers, its political safety net in greater India, its aging, yet dense population and its reformist tradition of equality and stability all support the wide diffusion of new ICTs for development. This suggests that Kerala could better accrue the predicted collective benefits of these new technologies compared with Ghana.