ABSTRACT
The strongest influences determining Bhutan’s use of modern communications technologies are its distinctive geography, history, culture, and values. This includes its oral traditions, mountainous terrain, and Buddhist heritage, from which has evolved its holistic development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as a more effective measure of the country’s wealth than Gross Domestic Product. GNH emerged out of Bhutan’s Buddhist heritage, which is also an influence on how citizens approach the Internet. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was one of Bhutan’s Internet pioneers, showing the way when he was the country’s first opposition leader, leading an opposition of two elected members against a government of 45 elected members. The way that Bhutan, as a traditionally oral culture, is utilizing the Internet provides a fresh perspective from which to reappraise notions of literacy, which is generally understood as the ability to read and write in an unspecified language.
