The best way to illustrate the answer to this question is to pick a decent person from the street and ask him "What do you know about computers?"
If all that you get is a blank stare, or a listing of PC hardware and software brand names, it is a clear indication that there is still a lot to be done to promote information technology (IT) usage in the country.
It is also a common sight where the computer section or supplement of a newspaper is just given a brief browse before being put aside without regard to its details.
Why is this so? Many stated "lack of understanding of the contents" as the usual answer.
As illustrated above, promoting IT usage is not simply a matter of selling computer hardware and software, and knowing brand names and specifications. Promoting IT usage also means educating the public on the technologies that are currently available, and how these technologies relate to their lives. In other words the key word in this issue is EDUCATION. It is a mistake to assume and expect the current education curriculum to incorporate these elements into the syllabus.
As promoters of the industry, IT companies should involve themselves in the mental awakening and development of the public in the field of information technology.
Thus, in order for IT companies to achieve the target of educating the public, they must be in touch with the learning centres of society.
Collaborations with computer clubs of schools and educational institutions to develop programs on the promotion of IT such as competitions, quizzes and general computer literacy or application software workshops are among some of the activities that can be arranged to promote IT usage in this country.
Other activities that involve the public are lectures and talks on how current technologies affect life today, and how to participate in these advancements in order to raise the quality of life.
For instance, the public can be briefed on the use of a LAN/WAN (Local Area Network/Wide Area Network), what are the advantages of having a network in an organisation, and how workflow is improved through the correct routing and distribution of data.
Another aspect of the promotion of IT usage is of a more commercial nature, where computer software and hardware have to be reasonably priced. This is to enable the public (especially home users) to have the opportunity to utilise the latest technologies that are available.
It is only timely that IT companies promote IT usage in the country, as this will assist the Malaysian public to use IT as a tool to solve complex problems that will inevitably arise in a rapidly developing economy.
Al Juan Rusli - Article appeared in NST, Computimes page 22, 20/3/95