Evaluation of ICT indices impacts on rural life based on AHP Method

Although rural development aspects has changed rapidly in recent years, but large parts of the world’s poor population still live in rural areas. It is argued that rural access to ICT boosts production, improves household income, reduces inequalities and widens market options. Rural ICT has been highlighted as key element in development process. In this stage of globalization, the Information and Communication Technology has fundamental role in all of life aspects. Various research activities have proved that ICT plays a vital role in the political, economic and socio-cultural development of a country. In other hand, the concept of "village" sometimes is coincide with minority, economically unproductive areas, small areas, suburbs, small business customers, the economic squeeze, home occupations, discrete and isolated areas. However, new information and communication technologies through reduce the impacts of geographical distance, has shown that this technology has an important relationship with the rural. The Rural Information and Communication Technology with specific nature make a fundamental change in concept of seclusion and create special effects in all of rural life districts. The effects of Information and Communication Technology in villager’s life contain various districts, so we can say that ICT has general effects in rural life. Development of modern information and communication technologies in some rural areas of Iran has brought changes in the conditions of rural life. Although the scope and impact of new information and communication technologies is not wear to anyone, but the feedback of this technologies is not so clear in Less Development Countries. One of the problems is ambiguity in the impact areas of Information and Communication Technologies and the lack of a consensus in expert’s viewpoint. This study as a applied research with descriptive and analytical techniques is response to this need. In this regard, the study of history, literature and the theories of information and communication technology in rural area has provide theoretical basis for explain the indicators of Rural Information and Communication Technologies impacts. After determined the indicators of Rural ICT, 10 experts viewpoint has gathered and analyzed with AHP method. The closest related expertise with Information and Communication Technologies were selected this purpose. The study presents a new model of the indicators of Rural Information and Communication Technologies impacts. The results show that Rural Information and Communication Technology have effects three aspects of villager's life: Knowledge, Viewpoint and Skill & activity. These three criteria have different indicators. Data analyzing with Expert Choice shows that the more important aspect in Rural ICT impacts is knowledge. Also skill & activity is more important that viewpoint.