Over the past decade, the world has witnessed a digital revolution and its impacts have not been limited to those living in wealthy countries. By 2014, it is predicted there will be more active mobile phones on the planet than people.

Increasingly, those in the aid sector are seeing the potential for these media and communication technologies to be harnessed for development.

But can these tools transform democracy, governance, transparency, accountability and humanitarian responses? Or does their power lie in generating hype rather than impact?

Drawing on their experience implementing programs and conducting research in Asia and the Pacific, panelists from ANU and Internews, an NGO working to strengthen information quality and access in developing countries, discussed and answered questions on the potential of new communications technologies and approaches.

This forum was presented by the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.