Document Type : Original Article
Author
Department of Geogrpahy and Urban and Rural Plannig, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Abstract
1. Introduction
today, the rapid increase in the population of villages and the needs of villagers for productive and income-generating resources have created major problems for natural areas, which has been the main factor in the destruction and excessive exploitation of natural resources and agricultural lands. Research has shown that educating villagers through modern information and communication tools plays a significant role in environmental protection and conservation. By informing and educating villagers and subsequently changing their behavior through modern information and communication technology tools in the field of how to manage and optimally exploit natural resources and agricultural lands, it is possible to maintain or improve the capacity and improve the quality of ecosystems, as well as ecological sustainability and environmental development in rural development. In view of what has been said, the need for such research is strongly felt because, in principle, in third world countries, especially in our country, the economic dimension of development is given more attention than other dimensions, meaning that both the government and citizens pay attention to this issue. Because the government, in order to satisfy the citizens in the short term, is doing its best to achieve a certain level of economic growth, and even if this economic growth comes at the cost of destroying the environment, and the citizens have no sense of responsibility for the destruction and destruction of the environment, because a certain number of citizens only think about survival and living, and environmental destruction is not even their top priority, and the upper deciles of society put aside the tower of life and think about living in ivory, that is, they think about their luxuries and pleasures, and it does not matter to them that the environment is destroyed. Therefore, in practice, environmental problems are severely marginalized and no theoretical or practical action is taken about them. That is, most research and projects are directed towards the paths that the citizens and the government seek, namely eliminating poverty and increasing income and increasing gross domestic product without considering the field of life. After these statements, it seems that the environment should be the first priority of the government officials, while it is their last priority. For this reason, less research work is done on this issue, and therefore this study attempts to fill this gap to a large extent. Since this study uses modern information and communication technology tools to improve behaviors aimed at protecting the environment in Meshginshahr County, it will naturally be more effective.
2. Methodology
The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of information and communication technology on improving behaviors aimed at preserving the environment in rural areas in Meshginshahr County. This research is developmental in terms of its purpose, and descriptive and survey in terms of its nature, as well as analytical. The statistical population of this study includes all villages with rural ICT offices in Meshginshahr County. To estimate the sample size, the Cochran sampling method with a confidence level of 95 percent and a probability of error of 5 percent was used. In this study, the data collection method to answer the research questions was in two forms: documentary (secondary data) and survey (primary data), and the tools used in the survey method were questionnaires and interviews. The face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts. A pilot study was conducted in a similar area of the statistical population with 30 questionnaires, and with the data obtained and using the special formula of Cronbach's alpha in SPSS software, the reliability of the different parts of the research questionnaire was obtained from 0.78 to 0.89. Finally, the results of the study showed that except for the variables of extreme lack of individualism, the fading of the iron principle of personal interests, the sense of territorial belonging, and attention to local knowledge, there is a significant relationship between all research variables and the use of ICT services. Finally, practical suggestions are provided according to the results of the study.
3. Results
The results of research showed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between all variables of research (Responsibility, environmental awareness, simplicity, continuous influence of culture on common forms of behavior, networking ability, sense of environmental belonging, self-actualization, narrow gap between nature and humans, having social commitment, high enthusiasm for learning about the environment, lack of consumerism, eco-friendly lifestyle, strengthening spirituality and ethics, substituting satisfaction for success, lack of intensification of consumerism, having a thrifty spirit, changing the structure of citizens' personalities, educational flexibility, higher ecological values than social values, deep belief in intra-generational and intra-national justice, and interest in learning new rules and regulations related to environmental protection) except authoritarian personality, lack collectivism, lack of social belonging and social creativity variables and using of ICT services.
4. Discussion
Regarding the meaningful relationship between information and communication technology and dependent variables, including ethics and environmental responsibility, improving environmental attitudes, intellectual progress, having a social commitment, simplicity, eagerness to learn, self-actualization, and lack of consumerism, it is argued that these technologies strengthen the foundations of spirituality in rural areas, and environmental responsibility helps to preserve and protect the environment. New technologies change the attitude of villagers towards themselves, nature, and existence, and keep them steadfast in protecting the environment. Similarly, simplicity causes people to be less drawn to consumerism and waste natural resources, and social commitment causes villagers to look not only at themselves but also at others and to know that the environment does not belong to them and that future generations should also benefit from natural gifts.
5. Conclusion
Finally, from the study of the link between information and communication technology and the improvement of environmentally friendly behaviors, it was concluded that, in order to protect the environment, the empowerment of villagers should be considered, mass media should be used to promote the environmental responsibility of villagers, that the values and attitudes of villagers should be organized in a way that is
based on environmental protection because environmental problems are rooted in the beliefs and values of society, and that the authorities should use the tools at their disposal to provide public education at all age levels, specialized environmental education, encourage active factors in environmental protection, expand environmental research, use mass media such as television, radio, and the press to inform rural people, revive the environmental beliefs and customs of the past, and finally create new customs related to environmental protection in accordance with social and cultural conditions, and prioritize the level of inequality from a cultural, economic, and social perspective, and give priority to the formation of a middle class.
Acknowledgments.
This research is an extract from a research project with this title that was conducted at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili.
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