Digital Divide and its Socio-Psychological Implications on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
Afolayan Oluyinka Titilope
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Telecommunication Infrastructure ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Rural Dwellers

Unprecedented growth in the use of ICTs has contributed to digital divide in Nigeria. Despite global efforts in bridging the digital divide in developed and developing nations, digital equality is yet to be achieved in nations. Government's effort in bridging the digital divide in Nigeria has become a daunting task due to several barriers hindering the use of ICTs by the rural dwellers such as low income, low deployment of telecommunication infrastructure, lack of skills, access, language and cultural challenges among others. In view of this, the aim of this paper is to unravel the socio-psychological consequences of the digital divide on rural dwellers in Nigeria. This paper further discussed dimensions and perspectives to digital divide, causes of digital divide, global efforts in bridging the digital divide, barriers militating against digital divide, and social psychological consequences of the digital divide on rural dwellers. Policy recommendations were made towards addressing the socio-psychological implications of digital divide on rural dwellers in Nigeria.

Digital Divide and Its Socio-Psychological Implications on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 190-199
Author(s):  
Afolayan Oluyinka Titilope
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Telecommunication Infrastructure ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Rural Dwellers

Unprecedented growth in the use of ICTs has contributed to digital divide in Nigeria. Despite global efforts in bridging the digital divide in developed and developing nations, digital equality is yet to be achieved in nations. Government's effort in bridging the digital divide in Nigeria has become a daunting task due to several barriers hindering the use of ICTs by the rural dwellers such as low income, low deployment of telecommunication infrastructure, lack of skills, access, language and cultural challenges, among others. In view of this, the aim of this paper is to unravel the socio-psychological consequences of the digital divide on rural dwellers in Nigeria. This paper further discussed dimensions and perspectives to the digital divide, causes of digital divide, global efforts in bridging the digital divide, barriers militating against digital divide, and social psychological consequences of the digital divide on rural dwellers. Policy recommendations were made towards addressing the socio-psychological implications of digital divide on rural dwellers in Nigeria.

Determinants of Successful Financial Inclusion in Low-Income Rural Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-100
Author(s):  
Yashwant Kumar Vaid ◽  
Vikram Singh ◽  
Monika Sethi
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Population ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Developing Nation ◽  
Financial Products

Finance plays a key role in the growth of developed as well as developing nations. A financially well included society leads to stronger growth. Financial inclusion aims at providing easy and affordable access to financial products and services. The main concern for any developing nation from a growth point of view is advancement of low-income rural population just as much as the high-income population. Taking a note of this, identifying the key determinants that would lead to successful financial inclusion of low-income rural population is equally, if not more, important. The inclusion strategies have to be built around these determinants to promote inclusion and thus, a clear picture of these determinants is a must have for strategy and policy makers. Though the factors may be somewhat similar across the nation, but their significance and impact on financial inclusion varies greatly from one geographical area to other. In line with this, the purpose of this study is to identify the dimensions of successful financial inclusion in the low-income rural segments with special reference to Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The study uses factor analysis to identify the determinants and path analysis to analyse the significance of these factors in financial inclusion.

“It's Not Just a Bunch of Buildings”: Social Psychological Investment, Sense of Community, and Collective Efficacy in a Multiethnic Low–Income Neighborhood

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Walton
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
The Social

This analysis of social life in a poor, multiethnic public housing neighborhood presents an opportunity for refinement of social disorganization theory. Drawing on data from interviews, focus groups, and participant observations among residents, I find that this neighborhood exhibits substantial collective efficacy, despite social disorganization theory's predictions that the structural conditions of high poverty and racial and ethnic diversity result in low collective efficacy. I explicate two social psychological investment strategies—sense of ownership and symbolic representation—that appear to facilitate a sense of community and ultimately collective efficacy, helping to explain this apparent anomaly. I argue that even in the presence of structural disadvantage, having a strong sense of community provides a basis for beneficial action on behalf of the collective because it constitutes a source of shared expectations about values and norms in the neighborhood. These findings suggest refinements to the social disorganization framework, but also provide foundational ideas for policy interventions that may improve the social lives of residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

scholarly journals Income Inequality Affects the Psychological Health of Only the People Facing Scarcity

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1911-1921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Sommet ◽  
Davide Morselli ◽  
Dario Spini
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
National Income ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status

Following the status-anxiety hypothesis, the psychological consequences of income inequality should be particularly severe for economically vulnerable individuals. Oddly, however, income inequality is often found to affect vulnerable low-income and advantaged high-income groups equally. We argue that economic vulnerability is better captured by a financial-scarcity measure and hypothesize that income inequality primarily impairs the psychological health of people facing scarcity. First, repeated cross-sectional international data (from the World Values Survey: 146,034 participants; 105 country waves) revealed that the within-country effect of national income inequality on feelings of unhappiness was limited to individuals facing scarcity (≈25% of the World Values Survey population). Second, longitudinal national data (Swiss Household Panel: 14,790 participants; 15,595 municipality years) revealed that the within-life-course effect of local income inequality on psychological health problems was also limited to these individuals (< 10% of the Swiss population). Income inequality by itself may not be a problem for psychological health but, rather, may be a catalyst for the consequences of financial scarcity.

Digitally disconnected: A qualitative study of patient perspectives on the digital divide and potential solutions (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Alcocer Alkureishi ◽  
Z-Yi Choo ◽  
Ali Rahman ◽  
Kimberly Ho ◽  
Jonah Benning-Shorb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Patient Perspectives ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Technology Access ◽  
Broadband Internet

BACKGROUND As telemedicine utilization increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, divergent usage patterns for video and audio-only telephone visits emerged. Older, low-income, minority, and non-English speaking Medicaid patients especially are at highest risk of experiencing technology access and digital literacy barriers. This raises concern for disparities in healthcare access and widening of the “digital divide”, the separation of those with technological access and knowledge and those who do not. While studies demonstrate correlation between racial and socioeconomic demographics and technological access and ability, individual patients' perspectives of the divide and its impacts remain unclear. OBJECTIVE We aimed to interview patients to understand their perspectives on 1) the definition, causes, and impact of the digital divide, 2) whose responsibility it is to address, and 3) potential solutions to mitigate the digital divide. METHODS Between December 2020-March 2021, we conducted 54 semi-structured telephone interviews with adult patients and parents of pediatric patients who had virtual visits (phone and/or video) sometime between March and September 2020 at the University of Chicago Medical Center primary care clinics. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze interview data. RESULTS Patients were keenly aware of the digital divide and described impacts beyond healthcare, including employment, education, community and social contexts, and personal economic stability. Patients described that individuals, government, libraries, schools, healthcare organizations, and even private businesses all shared the responsibility to address the divide. Proposed solutions to address the divide included conducting community technology needs assessments and improving technology access, literacy training, and resource awareness. Recognizing that some individuals will never cross the divide, patients also emphasized continued support of low-tech communication methods and healthcare delivery to prevent widening of the digital divide. Furthermore, patients viewed technology access and literacy as drivers of the social determinants of health (SDOH), profoundly influencing how SDOHs function to worsen or improve health disparities. CONCLUSIONS Patient perspectives provide valuable insight into the digital divide and can inform solutions to mitigate health and resulting societal inequities. Future work is needed to understand the digital needs of disconnected individuals and communities. As clinical care and delivery continue to integrate telehealth, studies are needed to explore whether having a video or audio-only phone visit results in different patient outcomes and utilization. Advocacy efforts to disseminate public and private resources can also expand device and broadband internet access, improve technology literacy, and increase funding to support both high- and low-tech forms of healthcare delivery for the disconnected.

The Evolution of the Digital Divide across Developing Countries

2013 ◽  
pp. 1554-1570
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Corrocher ◽  
Anna Raineri
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Competition Policy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Emerging Patterns

This chapter aims at investigating the evolution of the digital divide within a set of developing countries between the years 2000 and 2005. In doing so, it moves away from the traditional analysis of the digital divide, which compares developed countries and developing countries, and examines the existing gap within a relatively homogeneous group of countries. On the basis of the theoretical and empirical contributions from scholars in different disciplines, we select a series of socioeconomic and technological indicators and provide an empirical assessment of the digitalization patterns in a set of 51 low income and lower-middle income countries. By means of cluster analysis techniques, we identify three emerging patterns of the digital divide and derive a series of policy implications, related to the implementation of an effective strategy to reduce digital backwardness. The characteristics of each pattern of digitalization can be also usefully employed to understand whether past interventions, especially in the area of competition policy, have been successful in addressing country-specific issues.

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