Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences

1(1): 1-5, Jan-March 2019

www.hruangscience.com/pure-and-applied-sciences
Research Article

Exploration of how the information Super Highway is an agent of

modern day colonization in Lesotho
1Tawanda Mukurunge, 2 Neo Tlali, 3 Takura Bhila*
Abstract: Study from different countries has extolled the magnitude and benefits of information communication technology (ICT) and proven
how it has facilitated basic communication to mankind at large. Due to communication technological advancement, family can talk to family
through text, voice or video at once despite the distance geographically. Business is easier to transact now due to technology as money can be
exchanged without face to face interaction and without physically visiting the bank for over the counter transactions. However, this technology
has tended to box in the way people think to the extent of determining how people function. This has got the detrimental effect of homogenizing
people into creatures of habit. The research explores the levels of appreciation by citizens of Lesotho the magnitude of the politics behind this
information communication technology. The research will be conducted using qualitative research methods of in depth interviews with randomly
selected information communication technology users both in the streets, in industry and academia to realize the magnitude to which society in
Lesotho has become creatures of habit due to technology use, whose habits they are conforming to due to their interaction with information
communication technology.

Keywords: communicative capitalism, homogeneity, information communication technology, information superhighway, neocolonialism.

1. Introduction developed countries cannot afford to miss out on the

In this article we explore the ICT which has drastically
gave us a new breath of life through its ability of processing,
retrieval of information, reception and transmission of
information. This has led to a drastic shift into globalization
and also a drastic improvement in human existence [1].
Information and communication technology has
facilitated communication and has taken the realm of
communication to unfathomable levels that have reduced
geographical distances to the level of a mere little screen.
Starting with the likes of [2] theorizing of the communication
phenomenon as the global village in the 1960s to Bill Clinton
and his deputy Al Gore’s jargon of the information
superhighway, this revolution in communication has managed
to bring communities, both rich and poor, and families, far and
near, much closer.
[3] Exudes that, “ICTs are offering even less developed
countries a window of opportunities to leapfrog the
industrialization stage and transform their economics into
high value-added information economies. Technological
innovation has contributed to globalization by supplying
infrastructure for trans-world connections”. [4] Elaborates
That, “the revolution taking place in information and
communication technologies have been the central and driving
force for the globalization process. Both developed and less-
opportunities these technologies are creating”.
[5] cites [2] writing in 1964 about new communication
technology: “Today, after more than a century of electric
technology, we have extended our central nervous system in a
global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our
planet is concerned”. [5] goes on to elaborate “that the
underlying concept of [2] view of electronic technology is that
it has become an extension of our senses, particularly those of
sound and sight, with the telephone and the radio becoming
long distance ears as the television and computer have become
the extended eye by projecting further than our biological
range of vision and hearing”.
By coming up with the concept of technology shrinking the
whole earth into one global village communicational, [2] was
investigating and “trying to understand the technological
environment and its psychic and social consequences” [6].
Similarly, this study sought to establish the “technological
environment and its psychic and social consequences” on the
21st century Lesotho citizenry.
[7] Writes that the information superhighway is the “All
Digital, Simultaneous, Real Time, Interactive, Broadband,
Multimedia, Information Superhighway”, or simply put,
“bringing people together, giving them easy access to each
other and to the information and services they want and need-
anytime, anywhere”. [7] goes on to say that the “information
superhighway is a seamless web of communication and

1, 2
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Communication, Media and Broadcast, Maseru, Lesotho.
3
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Maseru, Lesotho.
*
Email: takura.bhila@gmail.com
Received: Feb 4, 2019.│Revised: March 8, 2019.│Accepted: March 17, 2019.

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Tawanda Mukurunge et al.│ Exploration of how the information Super Highway is an agent of modern day colonization in Lesotho
information networks together with other elements of
national infrastructure, such as computers, databases, and
consumer electronics which will put vast amounts of
information at the fingertips of a variety of users. This
information superhighway is a vast inter operable network of
networks embracing local, long distance and global networks,
wireless, broadcast and cable, electronic mail, voice mail,
video phones, electronic newspapers, telex news via
television” (the flat panel newspaper) “video conferencing,
satellites and most important, the internet” (7).
2. Problem Statement
Ordinary users of Information Communication
Technology (ICT) in Lesotho do so oblivious to the fact of the
subtle effects of such technology on their thinking and
consumption patterns and the danger is that of creating
homogeneity in behavior and consumption and the end result
is cultural imperialism whereby weaker cultures become
enslaved to dominant cultures.
2.1. Objectives
 To investigate the experience available on the use of
ICTs and its impact on society
 Establish socio-economic and political effects of ICTs
 To find out how the revolution of technology globally
has affected the way society relates.
2.2. Questions
 What is the impact of ICTs to society from a personal
point of view? Benefits and Dangers
 How does the use of ICTs use affect the locals socially,
economically and politically?
 There is a belief that the rapid growth of ICT
revolution in recent times has had drastic effects on
the society. What are your views on this?
3. Theoretical Framework
The theory informing this study is communicative
capitalism. This is a theory championed by the scholar [8]
positing that information communication technologies are
another dimension of exploitation of the ordinary masses by
big capital and therefore perpetuates colonialism of the
developing south by the developed north. [8] Is of the view
that ICTs are another means of making money and maximizing
profits by the neoliberal capitalists who have always owned
the means of production and therefore the ICT revolution is
part and parcel of the consumerism agenda. Communicative
capitalism as a theory also argues that ICTs are an agent of
neoliberalism, neocolonialism and modern imperialism in that
the developing south is even emasculated in that due to
intense use of communication technology, people have turned
to be more individualistic than ever and that instead of
mobilizing for common causes, users just comment on issues
and by so doing just vent their frustrations by posting their
issues online and it ends there without taking any concrete
action. By so doing, they are depoliticized and therefore are
dominated by those in power. This is the theory most relevant
to guide this study which explores neocolonialism and seeks
to establish to what extent citizens of Lesotho are conscious of
the effects of ICTs on their psyche.
4. Literature Review
“The role of technology in improving the lives of the
people cannot be underestimated. Across the globe, people
access services offered online, they purchase goods,
communicate via messages performing businesses or even to
their loved ones and even receiving instant replies [9].
An information superhighway has got benefits that reach
even communities in the developing world like Lesotho. [10]
Writes that, “The information age has changed how literacy
can be defined as broadband access, together with other
technologies, is changing the world and the information
within”.
“ICT could be used to access global knowledge and
communication with other people. However, over major parts
of developing countries ICT is available only on a very limited
scale, and this raises doubts about developing countries'
ability to participate in the current ICT-induced global
knowledge economy. Hence, one can conclude that the concept
of 'digital slavery' is inevitable for developing countries as far
as ICT is concerned. It also raises questions about the
feasibility and desirability of efforts to implement the
development of ICT through the transfer of best practices from
western industrialized countries to developing countries, and
whether organizations can utilize ICT in accordance with the
socio-cultural requirements of the contexts”, [11].
[12] Writes that “the term information superhighway
incorporates all the existing networks into one system, but at
the same time it is multidimensional, unlike the traffic
highway which projects two directions of movement”. [12]
does not see a threat to Africa from the information
superhighway as he “advocates for research in indigenous
communication to augment modern communication as he
argues that Africa’s potential in indigenous knowledge and
practices remains largely untapped, adding that information
and knowledge can be effectively transmitted using
indigenous forms of communication”, which are characterized
by simplicity of technology and directness of interaction.
“New ICTs offer quite new possibilities. The capacity for
interaction, the blurring of the boundaries between
production and consumption, together and convergent, enable
the a priori possibility for greater participation in what might
be seen as the blurred world of public/private communication
that is the web and, increasingly, mobile telephony. There are
primary concerns of inclusion and exclusion here, and a
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sufficient degree of media and information literacy is a
precondition, at the very least, for the former”.
Much as the information superhighway has revolutionized
the education sector, among other areas, [10] however, cites
[13] suggesting:
One of the most exasperating ideas about technology is
that ICT has political qualities. Currently there is a norm that
structures, modern material culture, computer systems and
sophisticated machines can have specific attributes of power
and authority.
The forms of power and authority behind ICT are subtle
and the majority of third world users are ignorant about this
fact. [14], “argue that since technology is coming from outside,
it does not address the local problems. Some of these local
problems involve literacy in technology”. In a study by [15],
“he states that Africa does not need to go through the
industrial stages that Europe went through in order to be
economically self- sufficient. Africa, according to him can
make a leap into the superhighway technology and gain fast
economic growth”.
“Thinking about the social dimensions of ICT as an issue
of literacy directs attention to them as being constituted
through social practice and, in their turn, requiring or perhaps
more accurately inviting, the development of particular skills
to engage with them at all, but more importantly to engage
with them in socially and culturally coherent and productive
ways. Each moment in the evolution of (p. 19) both
communication and information technologies, since the age of
writing, has offered new and different possibilities for
communication, and challenged cultures and societies to
respond in creative and ultimately non-exclusive ways.
Literacy, democracy, and economy went hand in hand in the
nineteenth century”.
There was an increase in the enthusiasm for digital ICT’s
while approaching the end of the 20th century and it dropped
when the century ended. The attached economic business
value ‘irrational exuberance’ started to decline. This led to
some reflections on how ICT’s have become embedded within
societies in the 20th century and also historically. The
potential of ICT’s and the internet has been greatly facilitated
by the developed countries bringing a cost effective
mechanism and an increase in the way people do things in life.
Countries with a low perception value on corruption index
(CPI) are failing to upgrade their potentials of ICT due to social
barriers, lack of skilled personnel, poor technical
infrastructure, and legal deficiencies [16].
“It should also be noted that understanding ICT and the
pertaining innovations and advancements should be studied in
relation to the corresponding social context”, [17]. “In this
work little attention was paid to specific social factors to keep
the issues and solutions as general as possible. Keeping this in
mind, every innovation and technology adoption should be
performed aligned with the socially embedded view of these
innovations, which may be markedly different in different
countries”.
5. Methodology
This study is interpretive in nature mainly because
perceptions and views were required as opposed to
measurement. Respondents were consulted through personal
and telephonic interviews and were selected using purposive
sampling. The respondents were identified as the most fitting
because of their experiences and knowledge of ICT’s in various
disciplines. İntellectuals in economic and political landscape
formed part of the population for this study as well as ordinary
citizens conversant to ier and more convenient, for example,
through online or open and distance learning that can be done
anywhere anytime by anyone with access to the internet.
Interviewees also responded that ICTs facilitate quicker access
to information at a cheaper price. They also said that ICTs are
beneficial in the area of health as diagnosis can be done by
individuals without journeying to health facilities, therefore
cutting on time and resources costs.
Respondents articulated that citizens are now better
informed politically as state or government authorities find it
difficult to control and monopolize information. They also
noted that political office holders are now are now interacting
with their constituencies quicker and easily due to online
communication. Another factor brought up by interviewees is
that power is now easily interrogated especially through social
media platforms, which promotes quick exposure of wrong
doing by office holders and they are pressured to answer for
their actions by ordinary citizens.
On the economic front, respondents said that ICTs
promote efficient production in organizations which
contributes to economic development of the country. They also
expressed the view that ICTs facilitate easy access to goods
and services locally and from other countries. They continued
to say that project implementation and monitoring has been
made easier through learning from successful cases online.
However, the interviewees also expressed negative
factors of ICTs. On the social front, they expressed the
perspective that ICTs kill interpersonal interaction, one of the
key factors that used to hold family and society together. They
went on to say that due to ICTs, people no longer respect and
value each other’s privacy as they can post anything about
anyone without the affected person’s consent. They also said
that ICT users are becoming inconsiderate as sensitive
personal misfortunes can be posted for all to see as cheap
entertainment. Respondents also cited dangers to children
saying that in some instances, children are exposed to social
rot such as pornography and that monitoring of what children
consume is very difficult for parents. Children are also at risk
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Tawanda Mukurunge et al.│ Exploration of how the information Super Highway is an agent of modern day colonization in Lesotho
of cyber bullying. ICT exposes society to cybercrime and
families are breaking down due to secrets getting exposed to
spouses, respondents said. Respondents also contributed that
the ICT revolution is diluting and killing indigenous cultures,
especially where dominant cultures meet less dominant ones;
African cultures are getting swallowed at an accelerated rate
due to the ICT revolution.
Politically, respondents said that ICTs are contributing to
political instability due to sensationalizing of issues on social
media platforms. They identified the fact that with Africa,
exaggeration and negativity dominate political
communication at the expense of encouragement of positive
stories that will lead to the attraction of investors and tourists
in order to boost the economies of African countries. This
leads to Africa’s perennial dependency on the west for
economic salvation. Some respondents said that through ICTs,
playing the catch up game with the west is putting ordinary
Basotho under a lot of unnecessary pressure.
Economically, respondents said there is the danger of
people cutting corners in business due to ICT facilitated
communication. They also said that original ideas are being
stolen or distorted since it is difficult to protect patents online.
6. Discussion of Findings
Responses are indicative of the fact that introduction of
ICTs have had a negative impact on traditional and cultural
practices which societies held on to for so long. Respondents
are of the view that societies are more inclined to what they
see on computers and believe that is the way of doing things.
They were of the opinion that their traditional way of living is
gradually diminishing while societies are attracted to the way
of the West. They criticized the global expansion of ICTs as
swallowing them slowly and eventually they might lose the
root culture that defines who they are. [18:pg9] attest to this
view in that citizen of developing countries “the global village
is fable and far from culturally neutral and understandably
much less appealing. He says, the inhabitants of countries
traditionally identified as less technologically developed, for
instance, may interpret the global expansion of the web within
the historical context of colonialism. To these people, the web
may seem less a neutral and welcome medium for global
communication than disturbing and unwelcome system for
broadcasting western colonial culture and values”. However
there are different views to this fact where respondents felt
that ICTs have made life simpler especially those who have
relatives residing in the rural areas. While before the
expansion of ICTs it was a challenge to exchange
communication, it has since become easier as they are able to
interact daily or when the need arise. This shows that it has
become difficult in recent years to live without ICTs.
Contrary to the opinions of ordinary citizens regarding
social media, intellectuals’ perspective is that ICTs are
essential in everyday lives of the people. Their argument is
that no country should isolate itself when the rest of the world
is moving forward in every aspect. This they argued will only
lead the country backward. Their argument is that ICTs have
made life easier socially, educationally, economically and
politically. Interactions between people divided by oceans is
instant, and business productivity has been improved with
partners across the world. With ICTs politicians are able to
campaign using social media and ordinary citizens are able to
lobby through social media during political unrest.
Information is available at the wink of an eye on whatever one
is looking for and thus people no longer need to wait for longer
periods to get access to this information.
Respondents lauded ICTs as making communication
easier, cheaper and accessible anywhere, any time by any one.
[19] Supports this observation saying that ICTs are ever faster
and cheaper and they condense and elide temporal and spatial
distances. Unlike the respondents, [19] correctly identifies the
fact that “in developing countries, insufficiencies and
inequalities across the dimensions of connectivity, structure,
support and usage constrain the benefits of ICT”. This means
that for a country like Lesotho, the poor are the most affected
by being left out of the ICT opportunities. Those with
resources will reap the benefits that by bypassing the poor.
“On the other hand, the technophobes regard ICTs as having
negative effects on development and widening the information
gap between the rich and the poor, the literate and the
illiterate. While admitting that ICTs could have profound
changes on a society”, Van Dijk (1999), “believes that
applications of ICTs and their transformative nature have
been greatly exaggerated”. This therefore only serves to
cement the basic tenets of class differences according to
possessions which is part and parcel of the neoliberal agenda.
The capitalist neoliberal agenda, structures society and
upholds those classes in order to perpetuate the culture of
consumerism and under such circumstances the richer get
richer and the poor getting poorer. In a subtle way, ICTs
perpetuate colonization by forces of neoliberal forces who
have been exploiting Africa at every opportunity.
“Computers and communication technologies have
allowed people to communicate with one another in ways
complementary to traditional face-to-face, telephonic, and
written modes. Collaborative work involving distributed
communities of actors who seldom, if ever, meet physically”.
Majority of the interviewees for this study responded that
ICTs promote efficient production in business. This is
substantiated by [21] who observes “that ICT enhances the
production process in organizations as monitoring
technologies, could be used to reduce the number of
supervisors required in the process”. He also says, “That
buyers and sellers are able to share information and transfer
goods across national borders with the use of ICT, which helps
to increase access to global chain”. ICT therefore is an agent
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of colonization considering the fact that it speaks the language
of capitalism. “The effects of colonialism past and present are
visible all over Africa”.
The state of Africa has best described by [22] as
“separating from the past, driven into a universe decorated
externally and restraining his values and startled by a cultural
incursion that marginalizes him. The African, is today the
deformed image of others”.
A diction of efficiency in production is peculiar capitalism
because the main concern of capitalism is profit maximization.
Critiquing this focus of capitalism on profit maximization,
[23] says that in a capitalist system, people live to work and
make money instead of working to make money in order to
live. That capitalist mentality is Eurocentric and is only
succeeding to put Africans under pressure to live to work and
make money and forget about living their normal lives. From
the findings it can be drawn that ICTs offers the opportunity
for countries to address the digital divide and reduce poverty
while improving economic growth.
The national gross domestic product (GDP) has been
boosted in developing and developed countries by the rapid
expansion of the ICT’s
7. Recommendations
 Ordinary citizens in Lesotho should be encouraged to
adopt ICTs without pinning it to colonialism as it is
already benefitting immensely from it in all facets of
its existence.
 It is essential that Lesotho use ICTs to sustain itself
socially, economically and politically by bringing all
stakeholders together through consultations
 Structures (Improved Infrastructure) need to be put
in place to allow for smooth operation of ICTs to
function effectively, this will balance the loopholes
existing between Lesotho and the rest of the world.
 There is an urgent need to change the mindset of the
people so that they should not view ICTs as a product
of colonialism at the expense of them staying behind
than everybody else.
8. Conclusion
The ICTs revolution has had enormous socio-economic
and political impact globally, some of which are positive and
others negative. It is imperative that society is mindful of how
to use this technology for the betterment of one’s personal,
economic and political views. Although the belief that
technology was imposed to us by the West, it remains a fact
that no one can live in a closed isolated environment, thus it
is essential that Lesotho also move to the direction of the
global village.
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