Page 23

Digital Differences; How Do I Use The Web?

Prior to undertaking UOSM2008, I was completely unaware of the mass inequality and difference that shrouds the internet. Last week I began by understanding the division through generations: However through my research this week, there is increasing evidence to suggest other variations to how we perceive, interact and experience our digital lives. This new form of inequality, is referred to as ‘The Digital Divide’. Continue reading →

LET’S TALK ABOUT DIGITAL DIFFERENCES

Generally speaking, most of us have integrated technology/internet into our everyday lives. One study even suggests that Britons spend more time on tech than asleep Source: Gramigna’s blog (2015) It’s easy to generalize though… So it’s shocking to find 1/10 people in the UK have never used the internet (Halford et al., 2017) when I can’t even go a day without it! Digital differences Digital inequalities clearly exist, reflecting reality. Continue reading →

Topic 1 – 50% of the world use the internet… what about the other half?

Digital Differences around the world Accessibility to digital technologies varies in every country. Unfortunately, in LEDC‘s the infrastructure and high costs impact people in accessing technology (Figure 1). Figure 1 – Selection of coutries with varying % of internet users made by William Jones. Map provided by: World with Countries and US, Canadian and Australian States – Multicolor by FreeVectorMaps.com. Data provided by: internetlivestats. Continue reading →

Topic 1 – 50% of the world use the internet… what about the other half?

Digital Differences around the world Accessibility to digital technologies varies in every country. Unfortunately, in LEDC‘s the infrastructure and high costs impact people in accessing technology (Figure 1). Figure 1 – Selection of coutries with varying % of internet users made by William Jones. Map provided by: World with Countries and US, Canadian and Australian States – Multicolor by FreeVectorMaps.com. Data provided by: internetlivestats. Continue reading →

Topic 1 – 50% of the world use the internet… what about the other half?

Digital Differences around the world Accessibility to digital technologies varies in every country. Unfortunately, in LEDC‘s the infrastructure and high costs impact people in accessing technology (Figure 1). Figure 1 – Selection of coutries with varying % of internet users made by William Jones. Map provided by: World with Countries and US, Canadian and Australian States – Multicolor by FreeVectorMaps.com. Data provided by: internetlivestats. Continue reading →

Topic 1 – 50% of the world use the internet… what about the other half?

Digital Differences around the world Accessibility to digital technologies varies in every country. Unfortunately, in LEDC‘s the infrastructure and high costs impact people in accessing technology (Figure 1). Figure 1 – Selection of coutries with varying % of internet users made by William Jones. Map provided by: World with Countries and US, Canadian and Australian States – Multicolor by FreeVectorMaps.com. Data provided by: internetlivestats. Continue reading →

Topic 1 – 50% of the world use the internet… what about the other half?

Digital Differences around the world Accessibility to digital technologies varies in every country. Unfortunately, in LEDC‘s the infrastructure and high costs impact people in accessing technology (Figure 1). Figure 1 – Selection of coutries with varying % of internet users made by William Jones. Map provided by: World with Countries and US, Canadian and Australian States – Multicolor by FreeVectorMaps.com. Data provided by: internetlivestats. Continue reading →

Digital differences – Is it fair?

  The world as we know it is changing. It’s becoming more digital and technologically advanced. As someone who was raised in the digital age, it would be easy to assume that everyone interacts with the web in the same fashion. Therefore, it may come as some surprise that 9% of adults in the UK had never used the internet, as of Jan 2017. This may reflect the inequalities that are pervasive in parts of the UK and across the world. Continue reading →

What is the digital divide?

      Inequality can often bring racism, class and gender to mind. However, the digital divide is the economic and social inequality in regard to access to and use of the internet, this is a new emerging type of inequality (Van Djik, 2013). According to Zickuhr and Smith (2012), digital differences refer to the stratification in those who have access to digital technology and the web comparative to those who do not. Continue reading →

Topic 1: Digital Differences

Digital Differences Exploring ‘Digital Natives and Immigrants’ helped to provide some insight into the various ways people perceive and use the Web. But access to the necessary technology is far from equal across the globe. This is what ‘Digital Differences’ aims to explain. Research suggests there exists an abundance of factors affecting an individual’s likelihood to use the Web and thus, their online practices (University of Southampton, 2017). Continue reading →

Topic 1: Digital Differences

Digital Differences Exploring ‘Digital Natives and Immigrants’ helped to provide some insight into the various ways people perceive and use the Web. But access to the necessary technology is far from equal across the globe. This is what ‘Digital Differences’ aims to explain. Research suggests there exists an abundance of factors affecting an individual’s likelihood to use the Web and thus, their online practices (University of Southampton, 2017). Continue reading →

The Hardest Gap to Bridge: Digital Differences

Illustration by Tim Lahan for MIT Technology Review Heads up! Credits to pictures can be seen when hovering over them. We all use the Internet differently, and that not only says something about us, but also about the society we live in. Going at the roots, we encounter the term ‘digital divide’, the gap between the populations of accessing digital technology. Researchers have already identified an extensive list of why it is happening and Robinson et al. Continue reading →

The Hardest Gap to Bridge: Digital Differences

Illustration by Tim Lahan for MIT Technology Review Heads up! Credits to pictures can be seen when hovering over them. We all use the Internet differently, and that not only says something about us, but also about the society we live in. Going at the roots, we encounter the term ‘digital divide’, the gap between the populations of accessing digital technology. Researchers have already identified an extensive list of why it is happening and Robinson et al. Continue reading →

Do our differences shape how we interact on the web?

Digital Differences An individual’s online behaviours are often connected to their offline contexts (Future Learn, 2018). The concept ‘Digital Differences’ refers to the inequalities in access to technology and practices among various groups. These inequalities are based on factors such as age, gender, class, income and race (Halford & Savage, 2010). https://www.powtoon. Continue reading →

Do our differences shape how we interact on the web?

Digital Differences An individual’s online behaviours are often connected to their offline contexts (Future Learn, 2018). The concept ‘Digital Differences’ refers to the inequalities in access to technology and practices among various groups. These inequalities are based on factors such as age, gender, class, income and race (Halford & Savage, 2010). https://www.powtoon. Continue reading →

A modern form of inequality: Digital Differences

Many assume that internet users a single homogeneous group but there are digital differences, which refers to the stratification between different groups in society and how they may be disadvantaged in their use of the Internet based on their social characteristics. It may also be referred to as the ‘Digital Divide’ (Morrisett). Figure 1. A video I created illustrating a few of the digital differences in society. Continue reading →

All Differences Make A Difference

The world today is a “global village”, the concept of which was first introduced by Marshall McLuhan, who defined it as one world interconnected by an electronic nervous system. He believed that, as the unity of the modern world becomes increasingly a technological rather than a social affair, the techniques of the arts provide the most valuable means of insight into the real direction of our own collective purposes. Continue reading →

Are we really that different?

Credit: Self made with PitkoChart   ‘Inequality’ springs racism, sexism and classism to mind. However, it’s time we accepted that digital inequality deserves a place alongside more traditional forms of inequality (Robinson et al., 2015), as an ability to access the internet can provide advantages in various aspects of life, from academic performance to entrepreneurship (Robinson et al, 2015). However, use of the internet is not always a choice (Halford and Savage, 2010). Continue reading →

Digital Differences

Background: The information society is ever changing and as a result bring about new forms of inequality. Even in countries where the majority of people use smartphones, those who are economically disadvantaged lack a basic access to digital resources and so also lack the skills to use them effectively (Robinson et al., 2015). In a climate where people are expected to be digitally literate, this is very limiting when it comes to job opportunities. Continue reading →

The Digital Divide

Digital Differences and Others Use of and interaction on the web has become a part of every-day life, therefore to many, to not utilise it, naively, seems inexplicable. Yet 10% of the UK remain non-users, reflecting persistent wider social and structural inequality (Office For National Statistics, 2016). Not all access is identical, with variations being indicative of digital differences. Continue reading →