Digital Divide Dichotomy Dissected
- 1. Reconsidering the Digital Divide COM 300 Stephen Hankins 2 March 2009
- 2. Reference Selwyn, N. (2004, June). Reconsidering political and popular understandings of the digital divide. New Media & Society , 6 (3), 341-362. Retrieved March 1, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
- 3. Agenda ICT: Information Communication Technologies What is meant by ‘access’ The relationship between ‘access to ICT’ and ‘use of ICT’ The consequences of engagement with ICT The stages of the digital divide Requirements of erasing the true digital divide Discussion
- 4. ICT: Information Communication Technologies Mobile telephony Internet Hardware Software 3 G Digital TV Digital Broadcast CD ROMs
- 5. Access: What is it? Effective v. Formal Access One way to bring access is via the library Home, work, public space as access points E-mail is offered at airports and most British phones Physical access to a terminal does not mean that someone can complete any given desired task due to knowledge or skills further required
- 6. “Access to” v. “Use of” Information “Want Nots” As with other technologies, progression of ‘innovators’, ‘early adopters’, ‘early majority’, ‘late majority’ to ‘laggards’ will leave only “refuseniks” not using ICT Use v. Meaningful Use “ Individuals’ engagement with ICTs is based around a complex mixture of social, psychological, economic and, above all, pragmatic reasons” While some attempt to change the world, others are happy with the pr0n
- 7. Consequences of Engagement Short term Impacts Active Roles in Society Production activity – engaging in an economically or socially valued activity, such as paid work, education/training and looking after a family; Political activity – engaging in some collective effort to improve or protect the social and physical environment; Social activity – engaging in significant social interaction with family or friends and identifying with a cultural group or community; Consumption activity – being able to consume at least a minimum level of the services and goods which are considered normal for the society; and Savings activity – accumulating savings, pensions entitlements or owning property.
- 8. Stages of the digital divide Formal/theoretical ‘access’ to ICTs and content Formal provision of ICTs in home, community and work settings that is available to individual in theory. Effective ‘access’ to ICTs and content Provision of ICTs in home, community and work settings that individual feels able to access. Use of ICTs Contact with ICTs in any form. May or may not be ‘meaningful’ use. May or may not lead to medium/long term consequences. Engagement with ICTs and content ‘ Meaningful’ use of ICTs. Use where the user exercises a degree of control and choice over technology and content. Use could be considered to be useful, fruitful, significant and has relevance to the individual. Outcomes – actual and perceived Immediate/short term consequences of ICT use Consequences – actual and perceived medium/long term consequences of ICT use in terms of participating in society. Could be seen in terms of: production activity, political activity, social activity, consumption activity
- 9. Capital Requirements Economic Capital ‘ Material exchanges’, material resourcing, domestic space of ICT use Economic Capacity to purchase ICT hardware and software Cultural Capital Embodied- Investing time into self improvement of ICT skills, knowledges and competencies in the form of informal learning Participation in ICT education and training - both formal credentialized and informal non-credentialized Objectified- Socialization into technology use and ‘techno-culture’ via technocultural goods, (e.g. Exposure to ICT via magazines, books and other media), family, peers and other agents of socialization Institutionalized- Formal credentialized ICT training Social Capital Networks of ‘technological contacts’ and support. Face-to-face : family, friends, neighbours, tutors, other ‘significant others’, membership of groups/organizations Remote : online help facilities, commercial helplines
- 10. Questions What do you see as the impact of mobile telephones (or other convergence) on quality, manner, and usability of interweb in poor communities. How acceptable is it to have someone go to a library in order to get access to the feed? If universal access is provided to the internet, what support is required to help people to “use it right”? What about access to other ICTs?