Life Online:Life Online:Social inequality and Social inequality and internet useinternet use

Arthur Vankan (0613722)

Social implications of the Internet

(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

Social implications of the internetSocial implications of the internet(DiMaggio et al. 2001)(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

InequalityCommunity and social capitalPolitical participationOrganizations and other

economic institutionsCultural participation and cultural

diversity

Social implications of the internetSocial implications of the internet(DiMaggio et al. 2001)(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

Digital divide refers to “inequalities in acces to the Internet, extent of use, knowledge of search strategies, quality of technical connections and social support, ability to evaluate the quality of information, and diversity of uses”

Social implications of the internetSocial implications of the internet(DiMaggio et al. 2001)(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

Optimists: internet would reduce inequality due to open resource sharing

Sceptics: greatest benefits will accrue to high-SES persons

Social implications of the internetSocial implications of the internet(DiMaggio et al. 2001)(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

Digital divide in the USFavoring college educated, the

wealthy, whites, people under the age of 55 and, especially in earlier years, men and urban dwellers (Katz & Aspden 1997)

Less affluent and less well-educated users are more likely to become nonusers

Access reflect resource control, intensity reflects demand

Social implications of the internetSocial implications of the internet(DiMaggio et al. 2001)(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

AgeGenderIncome EducationEthnicityGeographical locationComputer skills

Social implications of the internetSocial implications of the internet(DiMaggio et al. 2001)(DiMaggio et al. 2001)

Global digital divideInternet users from 16 million in 1995

to almost 360 million by mid-200097% of host computers located in

developed countries (1998)English dominant and lack of local

contentInequality in content: 80% of visits to

0.5% of all websites and bias due to search engines

Charting digital divides(Wellman 2004)

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

Eight countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, and Mexico

They account for 68% of internet users

Diverse patterns of Internet access and use

Developing countries, rapidly growing

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

Problems with comparing data:1.The definition of online

population often differs from country to country

2.Lack of a standard definition of who is an Internet user

3.Different units of analysis (persons versus households)

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

Digital divide is national and international

Occurs at the intersection of international and intranational socioeconomic, technological and linguistic differences

The diffusion of Internet use in developed countries may be slowing and even stalling

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

The digital divide between first-movers and latecomers among developed countries is narrowing

The nature of the digital divide varies between countries

The digital divide remains substantial between developed and developing countries

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

The digital divide can widen even as the number and percentage of Internet users increases

The digital divide is wide and deep in developing countries

The digital divide has profound impacts on the continuation of social inequality

There are multiple digital divides, not just a single digital divide

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

Socioeconomic status: Internet users are more likely to be better off and better educated than non-users in all eight countries surveyed

Gender: Men are more likely than women to access and use the Internet

Life stage: In both developed and developing countries, the Internet penetration rate among younger people is substantially higher than that among older people

Charting digital divides Charting digital divides (Wellman 2004)(Wellman 2004)

Geographic location: Geographic location affects access to and use of the Internet

Note that results look like those from DiMaggio et al. (2001)

Digital distinction: Status-specific types of internet

usage(Zilien and Hargittai 2009)

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

Not only about users vs. nonusers, also ways of usage

Skill as an underlying factor, but hardly ever measured

Resource and routine aspectsInterest versus status

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

Internet as increasing resource in economy investigate people’s engagement and who is benefiting

No pure luxury anymoreCapital-enhancing consequences

of Internet usage

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

Variables background: social status, age, gender, topic interest◦SES: educational degree, income,

occupational prestige, and a subjective rating by the interviewer

Variables of use: Technical equipment: (1) quality of their computer equipment; (2) the age of their computer; (3) connectivity speed; (4) and Internet pricing.

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

Digital experience: (1) hardwarerelated technical proficiency; (2) self-reported Internet-related knowledge; (3) time spent online; (4) level of computer interest perceived among the people in one’s social surroundings

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

Digital distinction: Status-specific Digital distinction: Status-specific Types of Internet usage (Zilien Types of Internet usage (Zilien and Hargittai 2009)and Hargittai 2009)

The deepening divide(Van Dijk 2005)

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Chapter 2: A framework for understanding the digital divide

Relational view: include the bonds, relationships, interactions, and transactions between people

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Core argument:1.Categorical inequalities in society produce

an unequal distribution of resources2.An unequal distribution of resources causes

unequal access to digital technologies3.Unequal access to digital technologies also

depends on the characteristics of these technologies

4.Unequal access to digital technologies brings about unequal participation in society

5.Unequal participation in society reinforces categorical inequalities and unequal distributions of resources

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Personal categories◦Age or generation (young-old)◦Sex or gender (male-female)◦Race or ethnicity (e.g. white-black)◦Intelligence; cognitive, emotional,

social (high-low)◦Personality (e.g. extravert-introvert)

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Positional categories◦Labor (e.g. employer-worker)◦Household (e.g. Parent-child)◦Nation (e.g. developing-developed,

city-rural area)◦Education (e.g. high-low, in school-

finished)

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Three mechanisms of distributing resources◦Social exclusion◦Exploitation◦Control

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Different resources◦Temporal resources (time to spend on

different activities in life)◦Material resources (properties, e.g.

income)◦Mental resources (knowledge, social

and technical skills)◦Social resources (social positions and

relationships)◦Cultural resources (cultural assets,

status and all kinds of credentials)

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Kinds of access◦Motivational access◦Material or physical access◦Skills access◦Usage access

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Participation in society◦Labor market◦Education◦Politics◦Culture◦Social relationships◦Spatial arrangements◦Citizenship◦Social security◦Health provisions

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

The deepening divide (The deepening divide (Van Dijk Van Dijk (2005))(2005))

Chapter 5: Skills access

Operational skills: operating computers and the Internet

Information skills:◦Formal: formal characteristics (e.g.

hyperlink)◦Substantial: ability to find, select,

process and evaluate informationStrategic skills

Communicative entitlements and

democracy(Couldry 2007)

Communicative entitlements and Communicative entitlements and democracy (democracy (Couldry 2007)Couldry 2007)

Communicative entitlement: citizens’ rightful claim in a democracy to ‘be listened to and be treated seriously’

In participatory democratic theory this would flow from mutuality: our requirement to recognize each other as agents capable of debating, and reaching shared decisions about, common issues (Benhabib, 1995)

Communicative entitlements and Communicative entitlements and democracy (democracy (Couldry 2007)Couldry 2007)

Fear that individualization leads to an irreversible degeneration of the public sphere

Information abundance, attention scarcity & lack of traditional civic engagement

Communicative entitlements and Communicative entitlements and democracy (democracy (Couldry 2007)Couldry 2007)

First, access to information flow to form own opinions

Second, access to opportunities to take part in collective discussions

1 + 2 The effective opportunity to participate online. “The opportunities for citizens to be informed and to be heard”

Caveat: government’s side needs to be rethought to do something with these communicative resources

Communicative entitlements and Communicative entitlements and democracy (democracy (Couldry 2007)Couldry 2007)

Making communicative entitlement broader: Sen’s capability approach

Distributive rights: not only looking at goods, but at capabilities to achieve functionings that have (variable) value

Possibility, not possession!

Still unclear how media interacts with engagement

Discussion

QuestionsQuestions

What other aspects of social economic status could underly the digital divide(s)?

Should the government make specific policies regarding the digital divide? If so, what would they look like? Or is inequality maybe unevitable?

Do you think the digital divide in the NL, or certain aspects of this divide, will increase or decrease, and why?

QuestionsQuestions

At what points is being an ‘Internet-elite’ crucially advantageous?

Do you think participation in society also increases motivational access (something Van Dijk does not mention), which would even more strongly reinforce the-rich-get richer-effect?

What problems do you expect to arise in the future due to the digital divide?