Obstacles in Bhutan’s internet communication

• Authors: Szymon Żyliński

Title variants

PL

Przeszkody w internetowej komunikacji w Bhutanie

Abstracts

PL

Bhutan to odosobnione himalajskie królestwo z jednym z najmłodszych na świecie systemów medialnych. Pierwszy dostawca internetu – Druknet, został wprowadzony razem z telewizją w 1999 roku. Od tego czasu media rozwijają się w szybkim tempie, a ich wpływ na nieprzygotowane społeczeństwo jest znaczny. Bhutańczycy są silnie związani ze swoimi buddyjskim tradycjami i wierzeniami, które przenikają wszystkie aspekty ich życia. W Bhutanie postęp i rozwój nie mierzy się produktem krajowym brutto, ale wskaźnikiem szczęścia krajowego brutto (Gross National Happiness – GNH). Służy to podkreśleniu innego podejścia do ludzkiej egzystencji. Zamiast mierzyć postęp finansowymi wskaźnikami władze Bhutanu wybrały wskaźnik GNH, który mierzy jakość życia i postęp społecznym w sposób bardziej holistyczny i niematerialistyczny. To stanowisko odbija się w tym, jak wykorzystywane są media oraz internet. Mają pomagać społeczeństwu podczas przejścia z tradycyjnego świata do tego bardziej nowoczesnego, globalnego zachowując jednocześnie odpowiednie wartości, wierzenia i obyczaje. Niniejszy tekst jest tekstem przeglądowym, w którym autor nie tylko opisuje Internet w Bhutanie i jak jest on używany w tym himalajskim królestwie, ale również stara się przyjrzeć temu, jak media społecznościowe i technologia informacyjna współgrają ze sobą aby pokonać naturalne bariery geograficzne oraz społeczne.

EN

Bhutan is a secluded Himalayan kingdom with one of the youngest media systems in the world. The country’s first Internet service provider – Druknet was simultaneously introduced with television in 1999. Since then media are growing exponentially and their impact on unprepared society is significant. Bhutanese people are strongly attached to their Buddhist traditions and beliefs that influence all aspects of their lives. Moreover, Bhutan embraces Gross National Happiness (GNH) in place of Gross National Product (GNP) to signify different approach to human existence. Instead of measuring progress in the financial terms Bhutanese authorities chose GNH designed as an attempt to define an indicator and a concept that measure quality of life or social progress in more holistic and psychological terms. Those particularities are mirrored in the way the Internet and media are being used: to help society to embrace change and during the process, outline and endorse the right values, including public ones. This paper will be not only an overall look at the Internet in Bhutan, and how it is used in the Himalayan Kingdom but also try to take a closer look at the use of social media and issues with ICT overcoming the natural geographical barriers in efficient communication.

Keywords

EN

Bhutan; internet; communication

PL

Bhutan; internet; komunikacja

• Publisher: Ostrołęckie Towarzystwo Naukowe im. Adama Chętnika
• Journal: Zeszyty Naukowe Ostrołęckiego Towarzystwa Naukowego
• Year: 2016
• Volume: Zeszyt
• Issue: XXX
• Pages: 476-487

Dates

published

2016

Contributors

author

Szymon Żyliński

References

• 100 community centres by next month, Bhutan Broadcasting Service 2012, http:// www.bbs.bt/news/?p=14361 (access: 09.11.2015).
• About Thimphu Tech Park, http://www.thimphutechpark.com/home-featured-category/about-thimphu-tech-park (access: 09.11.2015).
• Ardussi J. A., Pommaret F. (red.). 2007. Bhutan. Traditions and changes, b. m., Holandia.
• Annual InfoComm and Transport Statistical Bulletin (5th Edition, March 2014), Ministry of Information and Communications. Royal Governemt of Bhutan, Bhutan 2014, access: http://www.moic.gov.bt/daden/uploads/2014/04/statistic2013. pdf (07.11.2015).
• Bhutan Information and Communication Technology Policy and Strategies (BIPS), Ministry of Information & Communications. Royal Government of Bhutan 2009, http://www.doim.gov.bt/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bips_update.pdf (access: 10.11.2015).
• Bhutan Information and Media Impact Study. Final Report 2013, Department of Information and Media. Ministry of Information and Communications. Royal Government of Bhutan 2013, http://www.doim.gov.bt/wp-content/uploads/ 2014/09/media-impact-study-2013.pdf (access: 03.11.2015).
• Bhutan Media Foundation, http://www.bmf.bt/media-in-bhutan/ (access: 02.08.2015).
• Bhutan Media Foundation, http://www.bmf.bt/media-in-bhutan/print/ (access: 03.08.2015).
• Bhutan. Country Study Guide. Volume 1. Strategic Information and Developments, Washington, USA 2011.
• Chaudhuri S., Clayton S. 2013. Clouds on Unknowing: Buddhism and Bhutanese Cinema, in: Storytelling in World Cinemas, Nowy Jork, pp. 157–169.
• Chaudhuri S., Clayton S. 2012. Storytelling in Bhutanese cinema: Research context and case study of a film in development, „Journal of Screenwriting”, vol. 3, no 2, pp. 197–214.
• Clayton S. 2007. Film-making in Bhutan: The view from Shangri-La, „New Cinemas: Journal of Contemporary Film”, vol. 5, pp. 75–89.
• Cline J. Bhutan, Globalization, Democracy, and Uncertainty: The Danger to Traditional Cultural Values and Mores, University of Denver – University College Cultural Positioning 2011, http://elementalescapes.com/ Docs/Bhutan-Globalization_Democracy_and_Uncertainty.pdf (access: 01.11.2015), p. 13.
• Connecting People – Changing Lives in Asia, http://mirror.unpad.ac.id/orari/library/ library-ref-eng/ref-eng-3/application/policy/panasia-connecting-people-changing-lives.pdf#page=18 (access: 03.11.2015).
• Crow L. 2011. Facebook pushes change in Bhutan, „Mobiledia”, http://www.mobiledia. com/news/112648.html (access: 02.11.2015).
• Dorji S., Pek S. 2003. Media Impact Study 2003, Ministry of Information and Communication, Royal Government of Bhutan.
• Dorji D. K. 2006. Media in Bhutan: Now and Then, „Journal of Bhutan Studies”, no. 14, P. 7, online: http://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/publicationFiles/JBS/ JBS_Vol14/14-2.pdf (access: 01.08.2015).
• Dorji T. 2009. Preserving our folktales, myths and legends in the digital era, „Journal of Bhutan Studies”, no. 20, (Summer): pp. 93–108. http://www.bhutanstudies. org.bt/pubFiles/v20_8.pdf (access: 11.11.2015).
• Driem van G. Language Policy in Bhutan, http://repository.forcedmigration.org/ pdf/?pid=fmo:3003 (access: 01.11.2015).
• Faure B. 2004. Double Exposure: Cutting Across Buddhist and Western Discourse, Stanford, USA .
• Hamidi F., Baljko M. Facebook use in Bhutan: A comparative study, http:// www.cse.yorku.ca/~fhamidi/resources/p1-hamidi-Bhutan.pdf (access: 05.11.2015).
• Jamtsho S., Bullen M. 2007. Distance education in Bhutan: Improving Access and Quality through ICT Use, Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, pp. 149–161.
• Karan P. P., Lijima S., Pauer G. 1987. Bhutan: Development amid environmental and Cultural Preservation, Ann Arbor, USA .
• Konik A. 2010. Time-images in Kyentse Norbu’s Travellers and Magicians (2003): the possibility of critical Buddhist cinema, South African Journal of Art. History”, vol. 25, no 2, pp. 125–144.
• McDonald R. Television, Materialism and Culture: An Exploration of Imported Media and its Imlications for GNH, http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/ journals/jbs/pdf/JBS_11_04.pdf (access: 06.08.2015).
• Pek-Dorji S. Opening the Gates in Bhutan: Media Gatekeepers and the Agenda of Change, University Heidelberg Archives, http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/ savifadok/1387/1/Medien_Gatekeeper.pdf (access: 05.11.2015).
• Penjor T. 2007. GeoSherik. An interactive mapping portal for schools in Bhutan (Prototype). Bachelor thesis in Geometrics, University of Gavle, http://www. diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:119830/FULLTE XT01.pdf (access: 07.11.2015).
• Pommeret F. 2008. Dances in Bhutan: A Traditional Medium of Information, „The Journal of Bhutan studies”, no 14.
• Ramakant Misra R. C. (red.). 1996. Bhutan. Society and Polity, Jaipur, India.
• Rapten P. Mass Media: Its Consumption and Impact on Residents of Thimphu and Rural Areas, http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/jbs/pdf/ JBS_03_01_06.pdf (access 05.08.2015).
• Rennie F. (red.), Mason R. 2008. Bhutan. Ways of knowing, Charlotte, NC, USA .
• Rennie F., Mason R. 2007. The Development of Distributed Learning Techniques in Bhutan and Nepal, „International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning”, vol. 8, no 1, http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/ view/339/775 (access: 04.11.2015).
• Schicklgruber Ch. 1998. Bhutan: mountain fortress of the gods, Boston, New York, USA .
• Sinha A. C. 2001. Himalayan Kingdom. Bhutan. Tradition, Transition and Transformation, New Delhi.
• Sinha C. 2009. Effects of education and ICT use on gender relations in Bhutan, „Information Technologies and International Development”, vol. 5, no 3, pp. 21–34.
• Survey of ICTs for education in India and south Asia, country studies, www.infodev. org/infodev-files/resource/infodey Documents_878.pdf (access: 02.10.2015).
• The World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ geos/bt.html (access: 04.11.2015).
• Thomas B., Kumar T. Geographic information system – a tool for bridging digital divide in Bhutan, http://www.happysociety.org/ppdoconference/session_papers/ session19/session19_binu.pdf (access: 08.11.2015).
• Thomas B., Kumar T. Geographic information system – a tool for bridging digital divide in Bhutan, http://www.happysociety.org/ppdoconference/session_papers/ session19/session19_binu.pdf (access: 29.10.2015).
• Tobgay S., Wangmo K. 2008. Can ICT (Internet) overcome the natural geographical barriers of Bhutan in developing the nation?, „International Journal of Education and Development using ICT ”, vol. 4, no. 4.
• Tshering K. 2013. To Study the Internet Access and Usage Behaviour in the Kingdom of Bhutan, „International Journal of Computer Science and Electronics Engineering”, vol. 1, no 2, pp. 288–297.
• Wangchuck A. D. W. 2006. Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan, New Delhi, India.
• Wangmo S. 2004. Country Case: Bhutan. In S. Wangmo, S. Violina and M. M. Haque (Eds.), „Trend and Status of Gender Perspectives in the ICT Sector: Case Studies in Asia-Pacific Countries. ITU (International Telecommunications Union)”, pp. 26–66.
• Wood P. 2007. Priming the Printing Press: The Growing Print Media in Bhutan, „S.I.T. Tibetan and Himalayan Studies” Spring 2007, http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1215&context=isp_collection (access: 28.07.2015).
• Zander P., Penjor T., Dukpa D. and others. 2014. The ICT-integrated Pedagogy in the Colleges of Royal University of Bhutan, The Society of Digital Information and Wireless Communication (SDIWC ) 2014, http://sdiwc.net/digital-library/ the-ictintegrated-pedagogy-in-the-colleges-of-royal-university-of-bhutan (access: 03.11.2015).

Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki

2166130