A hypotheis: The digital divide will not be solved by "personal computers," and the emphasis on private ownership of the new communication technologies, but by the "social comnputesr," computers shared by many people in a public setting.
The intention of the terminology is to switch some attention away from the box, container of the new technology--the "center," as in :"telecenter"--and to raise connsciousness of the need for sharing the technology and its maintenance. If there is merit to this proposition,--if we need to talk of "publci computing" much in the same way that we advocate for "public transportation," then our Digital Divide Network might take leadership in creating the new discou\rse that emphasizes the sharing and collaborative use of the new technologies. The "public computer" can be in a school, an office, a library, a business, a church, or a van. Where it is housed will of course depend on the variables of community and culture: in some cases one computer in a church basement will be the "center," in another there will many machines and staff. Perhaps we need a $500 dollar public computer more than we need a $100 private computer. Steve Eskow [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
