Well said, Oliver/ I'd like very much to know more about your study and your findings.
Your underscoring of "the digital divide" as a "reflection of older social divides" is crucial to those who want to work in this area. I wonder if the idea of "community mapping" as a perspective and a set of skills that the would-be practitioner in the area of the digital divide needs developing. The core notion, of course, is that every community has its own ecology, its own array of social, economic, religious, and political divides, and those sociotechnicalcutulural divides are usually far different than those the outsider brings. So: before undertaking to help heal the digital divide the practitioner may need to do some mapping of that ecology within which he or she will work on the matter the digital divide. And: if the "map" reveals that the iotechnical cultural centers of a particular community, the seats of attention and power, are ethnic or religious organizations, that finding will be factored into the design and placement of telecenters. (Of course the Irish will write :telecentres": I have given up writing "Sp?" in the margin of such spellings, since the Irish insist on this mistake!) Cheers. Steve Eskow [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Oliver Moran" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 7:22 AM Subject: Re: [DDN] Re: The digital divide and the idea of "public computing" > Steve, I whole-heartedly agree. This is the subject of my PhD research > here in Dublin where in cooperation with local civc leaders and > residents I am developing user interfaces (plus back-end as Taran > rightly points out a hughly significant) for use in a community-based > 'telecentre' that emphasise the computer's location, in a community > centre, in a community, and draw the emphasis away from the "container", > as you well say. I think what is important to bear in mind that the > 'digital' divide is not anything new, rather it is a reflection of older > social divides. Emphasising community, the social, building local > capital and so forth are what are crucial, that this happens on-screen > or off-screen in incidental, the old strengths of community, belonging > and personal worth are what matter. The 'personal computer' is a poor > model for bringing this about, at least, or especially, in civic sector > spaces such as a community centre or a school. > > Oliver Moran > ---- > Digital Media Centre > Dublin Institute of Technology > > >Steve Eskow wrote: > > > > > > > >>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] > >> > >> > > > ___________________________________________________________ > $0 Web Hosting with up to 120MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer > 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. > Signup at www.doteasy.com > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > 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. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org 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.
