“Periphery-centric” approach as a tactic for everyday digital in- and exclusion of Indonesian villages

Much has been said about the importance of digital inclusion to reduce the digital divide and ensure equal access and use of ICTs for all. Generally, inclusivity has a positive connotation, meaning that no one should be left behind within digitalization processes. However, the inclusion of marginalized communities into the digital system could lead to new exclusions within the new system because it amplifies pre-existing social inequalities faced by these communities, which creates digital inequality. By observing the implementation of School of Community Networks in ten Indonesian villages, this paper attempts to describe those inequalities and explain how rural communities actively design a strategy to make their involvement in Indonesia’s digitalization more meaningful. The conceptual framework developed in this study adopts a “periphery-centric” approach, aligning with the user-centric approach, as it examines from the perspective of marginalized communities how they perceive, understand, and utilize digital technology by generating new forms of innovation that have real impacts on their community, such as tailored applications for public services and local internet infrastructure to reach remote areas. In addition, autonomy issue is put forward to overcome digital inequality and emphasize the ownership and locality of these innovations. With the meaningful use of digital technology, the inclusiveness of socially less-advantaged groups into the digital system does not immediately create new inequality, rather they make themselves the center in their respective bottom-up innovation projects.