Localization at Users' Sites is Not Enough: GhanaPostGPS and Power Reticulations in the Postcolony

Abstract

Purpose: This study re-examines contemporary localization theory to understand the shortcomings of the theory using the case of a state-sponsored postcolonial technology localization project. I call for centering the analysis of the power reticulations in context-specific technology localization. Method: I engaged in extensive review of existing research on the subject and conducted ethnographic and digital surveys with users and non-users of the technology I studied. This method provided nuanced perspectives on technology localization for a grounded user experience analysis. Results: Against current theoretical assumptions that support localization in user contexts as the solution to the chasm between developer culture and user culture, I argue that the reticular nature of power and developers' neglect of users' geo-epistemology also create a chasm within localization at users' sites. Conclusion: We need to examine the complex work of power in user contexts as part of a holistic theory on technology localization in user contexts. Thus, current assumptions must be revised. This revision must insist on the primary role of users' worldings in localization. The context of the postcolony provides a privileged insight into theorizing technology localization and must not be seen only as a "kingdom of ethnography" (Mbembe, 2021, p. 14).