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UID:30@ukais.org
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250708T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250708T140000
DTSTAMP:20250617T141755Z
URL:https://www.ukais.org/events/ukais-seminar-rethinking-necessity-evalua
 ting-the-role-of-technology-in-indigenous-communities-with-dr-hemamali-ten
 nakoon/
SUMMARY:UKAIS Seminar: Rethinking Necessity: Evaluating the Role of Technol
 ogy in Indigenous Communities with Dr. Hemamali Tennakoon 
DESCRIPTION:\nUKAIS is delighted to invite member of the UK Information Sys
 tems academic community to a webinar delivered by Dr. Hemamali Tennakoon\,
  Brunel Business School\, on the 8th of July at 1pm.  Dr. Hemamalin’s p
 resentation is entitled “Rethinking Necessity: Evaluating the Role of Te
 chnology in Indigenous Communities”. Please find below an Abstract and t
 he speaker’s bio.\nAbstract:\nIndigenous communities worldwide are often
  seen as marginalised\, especially those in remote areas with limited acce
 ss to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The United Nations
  Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues emphasizes that ICT should support c
 ultural diversity and help preserve indigenous languages\, identities\, an
 d traditional knowledge. While digital inclusion is widely viewed as a too
 l for social and economic development\, concerns remain about the potentia
 lly harmful\, addictive nature of digital technologies.\nAlthough studies 
 have explored indigenous interactions with technology in countries like Au
 stralia\, Indonesia\, Bangladesh\, and Malaysia\, there is a lack of resea
 rch on Sri Lanka’s indigenous people—the Veddhas—who make up less th
 an 1% of the national population. Existing studies focus mainly on socio-a
 nthropological aspects\, with little interdisciplinary research on ICT’s
  impact. This study addresses that gap by collecting qualitative data thro
 ugh semi-structured interviews with Veddha individuals in Dambana village\
 , Sri Lanka\, in December 2024. The research explored technology use and i
 ts influence on livelihood\, education\, literacy\, cultural identity\, an
 d attitudes toward ICT. Data saturation was reached after 16 interviews\, 
 likely due to the sample’s homogeneity and focused research questions.\n
  Preliminary findings reveal that technology is not viewed as essential b
 y the Veddha community. While younger individuals show slightly more openn
 ess\, the overall sentiment is that technology may disrupt traditional way
 s of life and cultural identity. The community places a high value on the 
 human-nature connection and does not see ICT as a necessary path to socio-
 economic development.\nBio: \nDr. Hemamali Tennakoon is a Senior Lecture
 r in Strategy and Management at Brunel Business School\, Brunel University
  London. She brings a wealth of academic and industry experience to her ro
 le\, having previously served as a Senior Lecturer in Management at the Un
 iversity of Aberdeen. Prior to that\, she was the Head of Business School 
 and Senior Lecturer at the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technolog
 y\, a collaborative institution with Staffordshire University (UK) and Asi
 a Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (Malaysia). Dr. Tennakoo
 n began her career as a Research and Policy Development Specialist at Sri 
 Lanka CERT|CC\, a government-affiliated organization under the Information
  and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka. There\, she cont
 ributed to national-level information security policy development\, traini
 ng\, and research. She holds a B.A. (Hons.) in Business Administration fro
 m Staffordshire University\, and Master’s degrees from the University of
  Colombo and Kingston University London. She earned her PhD from Kingston 
 University\, focusing on online information security\, privacy\, and socia
 l commerce. She is a Fellow of the British Computer Society. Her research
  explores the human side of technology use\, particularly how privacy and 
 security concerns shape online behavior. She has published in leading jour
 nals such as Computers in Human Behavior\, Information Technology &amp\;
  People\, and the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. Dr. Te
 nnakoon has presented her work at prestigious forums including the Finland
  Futures Research Centre\, Finland Futures Academy and the British Academy
  of Management conferences.\n\n\n\n_______________________________________
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