Information society in the Global South: law, technology and subalternity

Abstract

This study addresses subalternity within the technicist context of the information society, with a focus on the Global South. It investigates how the values and expectations of the Global North, imposed upon the South, are reproduced through Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICTs). Adopting a qualitative approach of a theoreticalconceptual nature, with a descriptive design and a critical-analytical character, the research is based on a literature review guided by the categories of Information, Technology, Global South, and Subalternity. The theoretical framework is organized into three units: the first defines the information society in the Global South; the second discusses the concept of subalternity; and the third examines data colonialism. The study concludes that DICT developers cannot speak on behalf of peoples with distinct realities. In geopolitical contexts marked by deep social inequality, it is essential to reflect on how (and whether) technological structures align with genuine commitments to improving quality of life in informational terms.