Mobile Phone Technology for ALL: Towards Reducing the Digital Divide

2015 ◽  
pp. 1456-1470
Author(s):  
Diane Nelson Bryen ◽  
Enid Moolman
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Mobile Phone Technology ◽  
Communication Disabilities ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been ratified by more than 137 countries. Among its 55 articles, access to information and communication technologies is highlighted. However, people with intellectual and communication disabilities continue to have limited access to mobile phone technologies. This article describes the potential of mobile phones for this population and what is known about its use by children and adults with intellectual disabilities as well as those with significant communication disabilities. Policy implications to reduce this digital divide will be proposed as well as needed research.

Cultural Aspects and Digital Divide in Europe

MedienJournal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Maier-Rabler
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Individual Member ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Policy Strategies

This paper aims to make a contribution toward an improvement of European e-policy practice. lt is inspired by the conviction that successfuJ e-policy strategies can lead to ba­lanced chances for all members in certain societies to aquire the absolutely indispensable capabilities for decision-making in the context of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Following the path of the development of e-policy papers it has to be stated that many goals have not yet been achieved. The techno-deterministic concepts 'access' and 'usage' seem not to reach far enough to get people really involved andin­formed. Many more aspects have tobe considered in order to create a clirnate for inno­vation where different choices made by different individuals according to their different social, economic or cuJtural backgrounds do not lead automatically to the well known either or not, connected or not-connected, haves or have-nots, but to a variety of pat­terns of involvement. In this paper, we argue for different e-policy strategies according to cultural aspects in certain societies. And hereby we will focus on the cultural aspects of information itself, on the notion of information in different information cultures. lt also seems important to mention at this stage that we believe that getting all members of society involved in the ICT-innovation process in order to provide the basis for in­formed decisions by each individual member is the most important task of e-policy.

The Determinants of Vietnam’s Information and Communication Technologies Exports to the European Union

2022 ◽  
pp. 001573252110579
Author(s):  
Phan Thanh Hoan ◽  
Duong Thi Dieu My
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Gravity Model ◽  
Patent Application ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Eu

Vietnam is one of the top information and communication technologies (ICT) exporters globally, and the ICT products constitute nearly one-fifth of Vietnam’s total exports to the European Union (EU). This study empirically investigates the determinants of Vietnam’s ICT exports to the EU by applying the gravity model for trade with panel data from 2000 to 2019. Besides the traditional variables of the gravity model, we added gross capital formation, patent application and exchange rates as explanatory variables. The results show that among factors affecting Vietnam’s ICT export to the EU, market size, patent applications, and exchange rate are the most significant determinants. The article also suggests some policy implications for the development of ICT exports between the two parties. JEL Codes: F14, C2

Understanding women’s mobile phone use in rural Kenya: An affordance-based approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Wyche ◽  
Nightingale Simiyu ◽  
Martha E. Othieno
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Mobile Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Rural Kenya ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Definition Of

Increases in mobile phone ownership and Internet access throughout Africa continue to motivate initiatives to use information and communication technologies (ICTs)—in particular, mobile phones—to address long-standing socioeconomic problems in the “developing world.” While it is generally recognized that mobile phones may help to address these problems by providing pertinent information, less widely known is exactly how (and if) a handset’s human–computer interface—that is, its software and hardware design—supports this form of communication. The concept of “affordances” has long been used to answer such questions. In this paper, we use Hartson’s definition of affordances to qualitatively investigate rural Kenyan women’s interactions with their mobile phones. Our detailed analysis provides empirically grounded answers to questions about the cognitive, physical, and sensory affordances of handsets used in our field sites and how they support and/or constrain mobile communication. We then discuss the implications of our findings: in particular, how this affordance-based approach draws attention to mobile phones’ design features and to the context in which they and their users are embedded—a focus which suggests new design and research opportunities in mobile communication.

scholarly journals The complex geographies of telelactation and access to community breastfeeding support in the state of Ohio

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242457
Author(s):  
Tony H. Grubesic ◽  
Kelly M. Durbin
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The State ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Support Resources ◽  
Information And Communication

The availability of breastfeeding support resources, including those provided by Baby-Friendly Hospitals, International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, breastfeeding counselors and educators, and volunteer-based mother-to-mother support organizations, such as La Leche League, are critically important for influencing breastfeeding initiation and continuation for the mother-child dyad. In addition, the emergence of community support options via information and communication technologies such as Skype and Facetime, social media (e.g., Facebook), and telelactation providers are providing mothers with a new range of support options that can help bridge geographic barriers to traditional community support. However, telelactation services that use information and communication technologies to connect breastfeeding mothers to remotely located breastfeeding experts require reliable, affordable, high-quality broadband connections to facilitate interaction between mothers and their support resources. The purpose of this paper is to explore the complex spatial landscape of virtual and face-to-face breastfeeding support options for mothers in the state of Ohio (U.S.), identifying barriers to support. Using a range of spatial and network analytics, the results suggest that a divide is emerging. While urban areas in Ohio benefit from both a density of face-to-face breastfeeding support resources and robust broadband options for engaging in telelactation, many rural areas of the state are lacking access to both. Policy implications and several potential strategies for mitigating these inequities are discussed.

scholarly journals MEASURING DIGITAL DIVIDE IN KING ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Iqbal S. Alsaleh ◽  
Shaymaa M. Rashad
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Diffusion Of Technology ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
King Abdulaziz University ◽  
The University

Due to the undesirable effects of the gap between citizens to access and use information and communication technologies (ICT), most researchers have been paying much attention to the threat of a digital divide. Unfortunately an amazingly large number of people do not have the abilities to use the ICTs in a proper way and, therefore, cannot draw advantages from its usage. As a result, digital divide is commonly regarded as a potential barrier for participation in the information society. This study measure the digital divide in Saudi Arabia by analyzing the results of a small-scale study conducted at the University KAU, regarding students’ and university members’ perceptions toward the usage of ICT. This analysis measure the digital divide concerning some factors like gender, educational level using a questionnaire. The analysis shows that KAU has no digital divide. Key words: digital divide, information and communications technology, ICT, diffusion of technology, second order effects.

Awareness of ICT-Based Projects and the Intensity of Use of Mobile Phones Among Smallholder Farmers in Uganda

2013 ◽  
pp. 89-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Lwasa ◽  
Narathius Asingwire ◽  
Julius Juma Okello ◽  
Joseph Kiwanuka
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Input Markets

As the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is embraced in Uganda, determinants of awareness of ICT based projects remain unknown. The intensity of use of mobile phones among smallholder farmers in the areas where such projects operate is unclear. To address this knowledge gap, 346 smallholder farmers in two ICT project sites in Mayuge and Apac districts were subjected to econometric analysis using bi-variate logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to ascertain determinants of projects’ awareness and intensity of use of mobile phones. The authors find that education, distance to input markets, and membership in a group positively influence awareness. The decision to use a mobile phone for agricultural purposes is affected by distance to electricity and land cultivated and negatively influenced by being a member of any farmer group. Lastly, intensity of mobile phone use is affected by age, farming as the major occupation, and distance to an internet facility, being a member of a project, having participated in an agricultural project before, value of assets, size of land cultivated, possession of a mobile phone, and proximity to agricultural offices. The paper discusses policy implications of these findings.

Digital Divide and Rural Communities

2013 ◽  
pp. 698-720
Author(s):  
John Garofalakis ◽  
Andreas Koskeris
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Source Of Information

During the last years, due to the wide spread of World Wide Web (WWW), the Internet has become one of the most valuable and effective communications media and the most inclusive source of information. However, in many cases the difficulties of establishing universal effective access could serve to reinforce current patterns of social exclusion and produce barriers to balanced development instead of supporting it. World widely there is a rising concern over the so-called “digital divide”–a term that refers to the gap existing in the opportunities to access advanced information and communication technologies between geographic areas or by individuals at different socioeconomic levels. The experience shows that specialized initiatives are needed for disadvantaged areas in order to anticipate expansion of current digital divide. This chapter is focusing on the specific instance of digital divide occurring in rural territories, and examines the ways to foster digital culture among citizens, utilizing a specific initiative (the so called “Telecentres”).

Assessing Robustness of Asian Countries Ranking

2020 ◽  
pp. 139-153
Author(s):  
Nilanjana Chakrabarty ◽  
Dibyojyoti Bhattacharjee
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Unobserved Component ◽  
Linear Aggregation ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Unobserved Component Model ◽  
Use Of Internet

The term ‘digital divide' refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas with regard to both their opportunities to access Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and to their use of Internet. Composite indicators are regularly used for measuring the divide and in benchmarking the country's performance. But often it creates controversies regarding the subjectivity that is connected with their construction methodology more specifically the weighting and aggregation issues. The paper attempts to assess the robustness of the ranks generated by the composite digital divide index using different weighting and aggregation schemes in case of Asian countries. Here four weighting techniques Iyengar-Sudarshan Method, Benefit of Doubt Method, Principal Component Analysis and Unobserved Component Model and three techniques of aggregation viz. Linear Aggregation, Geometric Aggregation and Weighted Displaced Ideal Method are used for mutual comparison.

Digital Divide

2008 ◽  
pp. 74-90
Author(s):  
Liudmila Burtseva ◽  
Svetlana Cojocaru ◽  
Constantin Gaindric ◽  
Galina Magariu ◽  
Tatiana Verlan
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Technical Problem ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Short History ◽  
World Community ◽  
The World ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Way

In this chapter the authors introduce the digital-divide concept to the reader, bring its different definitions, and describe the short history of the problem. The basic figures and facts, which characterize the information and communication technologies’ usage in different countries and regions, are given as well. Also, basic indicators that allow the monitoring of the country’s advancement on the way to bridging the digital divide are stated. The main purpose for the authors was to show that the digital divide is not only (and not as much) a technical problem, but rather a social and political one. Hence, the approaches to this problem decision, both in the world community as a whole and in separate countries, are described.

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