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Social exclusion was a key political issue of the New Labour administration and an issue of importance internationally. In recent years mobile information and communication technologies (MlCT) and self-service government have been promoted as a mechanism to address social exclusion. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the influence of MICT on under-served people. In the research two MICT-enabled approaches to service provision for socially excluded residents are explored: Halton 's centrally-planned approach and Preston's laissez-faire, non-interventionist model. Both offer alternative technological approaches to significant social problems. This study is informed by a qualitative and interpretive paradigm. An exploratory research design using extended case studies was used in order to assess whether MICT can redress problems associated with social exclusion or offer new approaches to solving significant social issues. Case exploration was facilitated through the use of activity theory. Activity theory places both user activity and the broader activity system(s) at the hub of analysis. In this respect, human activities are shaped by the social, cultural and historical context of MICT use. The research identified three themes which are relevant to policy and practice: the complexity of information needs mean that that self service government is a flawed concept; rather than direct access to information the excluded need direct access to human information intermediaries; and the environments in which m-government services are delivered are fundamentally different types of social spaces which create new dilemmas and challenges. |
