A Feminist Agenda for Reducing the Gender Digital Divide

2008 ◽  
pp. 3126-3148
Author(s):  
Gillian M. Marcelle
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Software Production ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtuous Cycle

There is little shared understanding of the term “digital divide,” but this has not prevented the international community from investing a great deal of effort in projects that aim to reduce the digital divide by reducing disparities in access to information and communication technologies (ICT) (European Commission High Level Group, 1997; International Telecommunication Union [ITU], 1984, 2003; United Nations Economic and Social Commission [UN ECOSOC], 2000). The divergent rate at which ICT diffuses—the digital divide—is a reflection of broader socioeconomic divides, many of which exist within societies. The divide between men and women, rich and poor, young and old, urban and rural, literate and non-literate, also manifests itself in the digital world of media, computers, telecommunications, Internet, and jobs in software production. Information and communication flows carried by ICT are increasingly becoming an integral factor in international, institutional, and political processes. Lack of access to ICT therefore impacts on opportunities for developing countries’ economic growth, wealth distribution, social empowerment, and development. It is the digital divide which largely prevents the equal sharing of knowledge worldwide and leads to “information and knowledge poverty” among certain groups. If only a select number of countries, and within them certain groups, reap the benefits of ICT while others continue to lag behind, the digital divide will continue to grow and the virtuous cycle that ICT can create will not be enjoyed by many (Millward-Oliver, 2005). There is little acknowledgment and even less acceptance that gender constitutes an important influence in the structure of the “digital divide.” At first glance, this failure to admit context may seem strange and out of step with common sense. Why should gender relations, such an important and pivotal element of social structure, that is known to influence differentiated access to financial resources, employment opportunities, education and training, water and sanitation, health care, legal status, and enjoyment of human-rights not affect access to and control of ICT? This article will explore some of the key factors that lead to gender blindness in the digital divide debate and articulate a strategic response

Femenist Agenda for Reducing th Gender Digital Divide

2011 ◽  
pp. 329-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian M. Marcelle
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Software Production ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtuous Cycle

There is little shared understanding of the term “digital divide,” but this has not prevented the international community from investing a great deal of effort in projects that aim to reduce the digital divide by reducing disparities in access to information and communication technologies (ICT) (European Commission High Level Group, 1997; International Telecommunication Union [ITU], 1984, 2003; United Nations Economic and Social Commission [UN ECOSOC], 2000). The divergent rate at which ICT diffuses—the digital divide—is a reflection of broader socioeconomic divides, many of which exist within societies. The divide between men and women, rich and poor, young and old, urban and rural, literate and non-literate, also manifests itself in the digital world of media, computers, telecommunications, Internet, and jobs in software production. Information and communication flows carried by ICT are increasingly becoming an integral factor in international, institutional, and political processes. Lack of access to ICT therefore impacts on opportunities for developing countries’ economic growth, wealth distribution, social empowerment, and development. It is the digital divide which largely prevents the equal sharing of knowledge worldwide and leads to “information and knowledge poverty” among certain groups. If only a select number of countries, and within them certain groups, reap the benefits of ICT while others continue to lag behind, the digital divide will continue to grow and the virtuous cycle that ICT can create will not be enjoyed by many (Millward-Oliver, 2005). There is little acknowledgment and even less acceptance that gender constitutes an important influence in the structure of the “digital divide.” At first glance, this failure to admit context may seem strange and out of step with common sense. Why should gender relations, such an important and pivotal element of social structure, that is known to influence differentiated access to financial resources, employment opportunities, education and training, water and sanitation, health care, legal status, and enjoyment of human-rights not affect access to and control of ICT? This article will explore some of the key factors that lead to gender blindness in the digital divide debate and articulate a strategic response

Final Acts of the World Conference on International Telecommunications

2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 843-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Fidler
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
World Conference ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
International Telecommunications ◽  
The World ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Telecommunications Law ◽  
The Impact

On December 14, 2012, member states of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approved the Final Acts of the World Conference on International Telecommunications. The ITU is the specialized agency of the United Nations fostering cooperation on information and communication technologies, and, through world conferences, it periodically revises the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), a treaty the ITU adopted in 1988 However, in December 2012, the Final Acts, the manner in which they were approved, and the World Conference proved controversial, and these controversies will adversely affect the impact of the Final Acts and the revised ITRs on international telecommunications law.

Addressing Social Inclusion via eDemocracy Applications

2012 ◽  
pp. 171-185
Author(s):  
Evika Karamagioli
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Information And Communication

Public participation is considered to be the remedy for the democratization of political processes. As technological progress advances, more trust is put in Information and Communication Technologies as tools to democratize the political processes by enhancing and assisting citizens’ involvement in political processes. Such examples are initiatives like eDemocracy and eParticipation, among others. However, experts emphasize that technology as any kind of “tool” is not unbiased, and it does involve serious considerations of social import. The emergence of the digital divide is a proof that these tools, if not handled appropriately, could cause even greater impact to the already existing social exclusion. At this point, social inclusion has re-emerged not only as a strategy for confronting social exclusion in general but also the digital divide, which keeps citizens from participating in political processes. This chapter indicates and concludes on how social inclusion functions not only as a prerequisite for public participation via ICT but also, through appropriate regulatory mechanisms, represents a solution for combating the problems of exclusion that eDemocracy faces.

Addressing Social Inclusion via eDemocracy Applications

2013 ◽  
pp. 1305-1319
Author(s):  
Evika Karamagioli
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Information And Communication

Public participation is considered to be the remedy for the democratization of political processes. As technological progress advances, more trust is put in Information and Communication Technologies as tools to democratize the political processes by enhancing and assisting citizens’ involvement in political processes. Such examples are initiatives like eDemocracy and eParticipation, among others. However, experts emphasize that technology as any kind of “tool” is not unbiased, and it does involve serious considerations of social import. The emergence of the digital divide is a proof that these tools, if not handled appropriately, could cause even greater impact to the already existing social exclusion. At this point, social inclusion has re-emerged not only as a strategy for confronting social exclusion in general but also the digital divide, which keeps citizens from participating in political processes. This chapter indicates and concludes on how social inclusion functions not only as a prerequisite for public participation via ICT but also, through appropriate regulatory mechanisms, represents a solution for combating the problems of exclusion that eDemocracy faces.

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.

scholarly journals Wag the Dog: A Digital Literacies Narrative

2021 ◽  
pp. 238133772110275
Author(s):  
Elizabeth (Betsy) A. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Research Association ◽  
Digital Literacies ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Digital Texts ◽  
Information And Communication

In the spring of 2020, schools across the country and world closed. COVID-19 reached pandemic proportions. Were schools prepared? Was there a research base available to help schools prepare students for reading and writing digital texts? The ability to read, analyze, compose, and communicate with digital texts requires digital literacies. However, the rapid-fire development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) makes the identification of digital literacies and the development of curriculum and instruction a moving target. In her Literacy Research Association Presidential Address, Dr. Betsy Baker asserts that digital literacies are no longer an entity separate from reading and writing instruction, they are no longer a technology issue, students live in a digital world, and digital literacies are not optional. Digital literacies have become the literacies of our culture. Baker synthesizes over 25 years of research to propose that digital literacies are persistently public, semiotic, product-oriented, and transitory. Researchers, educational leaders, and teachers can leverage these characteristics as footholds to identify ever-changing digital literacies, design curricula, and provide instruction so that all students can be autonomous as they seek to thrive in a digital world. Dr. Baker’s Presidential Address is available online (see https://youtu.be/Avzup21ZnA4 ).

Populism in the 21st century: Today, tomorrow, always?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-61
Author(s):  
A. V. Glukhova
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

The concept of populism has been known since Antiquity. However, in recent decades it gained new prominence amongst politicians and political experts. The present paper attempts to reconstruct the image of populism of the 21st century and to assess the viability of populist parties and movements involved in the context of current social and political processes within Western societies. The first section of the paper examines various definitions of populism elaborated by both Russian and foreign political scholars. On that basis the author attempts to identify the core meaning of this phenomenon, its historic roots and psychological underpinnings, as well as a social-political profile today. The author highlights such constituent elements of the populist discourse that crystallized throughout its development, as direct appeal to the public sentiments, oversimplification of reality and the use of manipulative techniques. The second section of the paper examines the origins and characteristic features of the populist wave that spanned across both developed and developing countries in the early 21st century. For that matter, the effects of globalization are considered particularly problematic, as they have uncertain implications for international relations and exacerbate social and economic tensions even within developed societies creating both ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. They also allowed various populist movements to take advantage of the growing social instability in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008–2009. Additionally, the author links the recent rise in the populist sentiments to the deepening crisis of traditional political party systems, the erosion of principles of parliamentarianism and the development of new information and communication technologies. The author stresses that in these circumstances different charismatic leaders gain new opportunities for mobilizing public support. The research concludes that the prospects for the ongoing populist wave are best described by a formula, proposed by a German political scientist Klaus von Beyme: ‘Populism never lasts very long — but it is somehow always around’.

scholarly journals A “Social Bitcoin” Could Sustain a Democratic Digital World

2021 ◽  
pp. 39-51
Author(s):  
Kaj-Kolja Kleineberg ◽  
Dirk Helbing
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Digital World ◽  
New Business ◽  
Future Version ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Digital Capital

AbstractA multidimensional financial system could provide benefits for individuals, companies, and states. Instead of top-down control, which is destined to eventually fail in a hyperconnected world, a bottom-up creation of value can unleash creative potential and drive innovations. Multiple currency dimensions can represent different externalities and thus enable the design of incentives and feedback mechanisms that foster the ability of complex dynamical systems to self-organize and lead to a more resilient society and sustainable economy. Modern information and communication technologies play a crucial role in this process, as Web 2.0 and online social networks promote cooperation and collaboration on unprecedented scales. Within this contribution, we discuss how one dimension of a multidimensional currency system could represent socio-digital capital (Social Bitcoins) that can be generated in a bottom-up way by individuals who perform search and navigation tasks in a future version of the digital world. The incentive to mine Social Bitcoins could sustain digital diversity, which mitigates the risk of totalitarian control by powerful monopolies of information and can create new business opportunities needed in times where a large fraction of current jobs is estimated to disappear due to computerization.

scholarly journals THE ADOPTION AND USE OF NEW INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AT THE LEVEL OF CEE-EU COUNTRIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihai Costea ◽  
Gabriela Arionesei ◽  
Cristian Valentin Hapenciuc
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
International Institute ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
New Information ◽  
Information And Communication

This paper focuses on determining the current state of adoption of new information and communication technologies by the population of EU countries from the Central and Eastern parts of Europe (referred in the paper as CEE-EU countries). We have conducted a detailed analysis between Romania and Bulgaria because there are historical, geographical, political and economic similarities between these two neighbouring countries. In order to objectively reflect the results of the comparative analysis at the regional level, we have used the data provided by the World Economic Forum through the Competitiveness Index, the International Institute for Management Development through the Competitiveness Yearbook and the International Telecommunication Union through the ICT Development Index. The results of the comparative analysis reflect many regional disparities. At the same time, it can be noticed that both Romania and Bulgaria are the countries with the weakest results regarding the penetration rate of Internet accessibility in their populations, a fact which leads to a low degree of adaptability of the human capital to new information technologies and, implicitly, a low rate of adoption of the Internet in the sphere of business and public services. This is explained by the insufficient development of ICT infrastructure in the rural area, caused by numerous factors such as insufficient economic development and the low purchasing power of the population, but also by the relatively low level of education in ICT use. Although the influx of information and communication technologies occurred after the 1990s, namely at a time when even countries like Romania or Bulgaria were already part of the free market economy, the gaps recorded during the communist regime (economic, but especially socio-cultural), were apparently difficult to recover in the years to come, therefore this upsurge in information technology has been somewhat delayed in the South-Eastern area of Europe.

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.

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