‘The Nuances of Folk Computing are Many’

Dr Ramesh Jain has
been into active research in multimedia information systems, image databases,
machine vision, and intelligent systems. As professor of computer science and
engineering at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and the University of
California (San Diego), he founded and directed artificial intelligence and
visual computing labs. He was also the founding Editor-in-Chief of IEEE
MultiMedia magazine and Machine Vision and Applications journal and serves on
the editorial boards of several magazines in multimedia, business and image and
vision processing. In India, Dr Jain has joined hands with MIT Media Labs to
work out his next big vision–Folk Computing.

Dr Ramesh Jain

l What
is folk computing?

I feel that any technology can be termed as ‘has arrived’ when a majority or
the masses can use it. And that is the essence of folk computing. However folk
computing is not simply recycling products that work in the developed world. And
this is what has been happening to a large extent in India and this is also the
reason for failure of many projects to deploy information and communication
technology (ICT) in developing countries. These projects ignore the vastly
different needs of a large user group. Existing products depend heavily on a
user’s ability to read and write some language, usually English. Many people
in developing countries are illiterate in their own language. How can they use
technology that requires typing and reading in English?

l So
what is the solution?

Given the Indian conditions, I feel that a more realistic solution would be to
create an environment that relies on audio, video, and tactile input and output
and on interface mechanisms based on natural human senses. While this can be
called in many way, I use the term experiential environments, and I think that
they are not only a prerequisite for folk computing, but it should be the new
way of thinking for ICT developers.

l What
are the hurdles in the process of taking IT to the masses?

Well the three key hurdles are cost, infrastructure, and usability. I think that
the first two hurdles are misplaced. I don’t remember any technological
revolution taking place alongwith a reduction in the value of the ingredients.
Infrastructure may take time but it can be put in place. However the crux of the
issue is if technology can be made usable. Adoption by the masses would depend
on the level of dummification and once that is done anybody should be able to
use the technology.

l How
can we set the ball rolling?

First of all we need to change the Indian technology eco-system. While India has
a rich pool of scientific resources, it has been put to use only to solve the
problems of the developed countries. In effect, the Indian taxpayers are funding
the research undertaken for the developed countries. The Indian scientific
community works on existing products of developed countries and this has to
change. We need to step back and explore what is the functionality needed by an
Indian user and the directions cannot come from labs or funding agencies in the
US. While this is already happening in a small way, we need to change. Only then
can we bridge the digital divide.

Yograj Varma