Human Infrastructure

A concept from ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) research describing the complex web of people, social relationships, environments, and aspirations that shapes how technology is used in a given context. Developed by Sambasivan and Smyth, human infrastructure explains how social connections enable intermediated technology use — where people who lack financial resources, literacy, or direct access to technology rely on others in their social network to interact with technology on their behalf. In accessibility contexts, human infrastructure reveals the often-invisible support work done by communities to make both physical and digital assistive technologies usable, challenging the assumption that technology functions independently of social context.