Promise or Digital Paradox? Toward an Ethical and Human-Centered ICT4D Framework

Despite the promise of digital technologies to drive development, especially in low- and middle-income countries, evidence increasingly reveals a 'digital paradox': these interventions often reinforce inequalities, create exclusion risks, and sometimes cause societal harm. This study addresses these issues through a conceptual inquiry into the socio-technical dynamics that underlie the digital paradox, proposing an ethical, human-centered ICT4D framework as a potential solution.