Abstract
Many rural villages contend with villagers abandoning their homes for new opportunities, education and a better quality of life. The depopulated rural villages face a loss of culture, heritage, and sustainability. Literature shows that digital connectivity holds potential for improving the quality of life, which may alleviate depopulation in the villages. This systematic literature review study identified several factors that may alleviate depopulation in rural villages using technology. The overarching theme was improved quality of life, for which digital technology had six roles; improving access to information, disseminating education, developing opportunities, transforming everyday activities, ensuring the viability of the village, and fostering resilience.
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Rossouw, A.L., Garbutt, M. (2023). Six Roles of ICT in Alleviating Depopulation of Rural Villages Through Improved Quality of Life. In: Laouar, M.R., Balas, V.E., Lejdel, B., Eom, S., Boudia, M.A. (eds) 12th International Conference on Information Systems and Advanced Technologies “ICISAT 2022”. ICISAT 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 624. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25344-7_30
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