Digital Technology-Based Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: Transformation of Power Relations and Sustainability of Interventions

Abdul Gani

Authors

Abdul Gani Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Keywords:

community empowerment, digital technology, power relations, sustainability, marginalized communities, collective ownership, internal capacity

Abstract

This literature study examines how digital technology functions as a medium for transforming power relations in the empowerment of marginalized communities and identifies the forms of technological intervention that yield the most sustainable outcomes. Through qualitative analysis of academic literature from multiple disciplines, the study finds that technology transforms power relations through four pathways: collective coordination across space and time, knowledge production from the subject position, disintermediation of economic chains, and decentralized legal advocacy. Sustainable empowerment requires six systemic criteria: internal capacity for autonomous technology management, collective ownership of digital infrastructure, development of community-based facilitators, creation of viable livelihoods, respect for the right to reject technology, and diversification of financial resources alongside open technology adoption. These criteria must be realized simultaneously, as no single criterion suffices independently. The study concludes that authentic technological empowerment cannot be achieved through short-term projects or one-size-fits-all approaches but demands long-term commitment and respect for local wisdom and self-determination.

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