Kris Dev wrote: >Dear all, > >My observations are simple and straight. > >The community knows what they nned. > > To an extent, I believe that this is true.
>Digital Divide is created and felt by outsiders to the community and >not within the community. > > The inherent issue is that there is no one group that is not a part of the 'community'. As someone in a hotel room in Panama with quirky wireless access, I could be seen as a part of the Digital Divide. But then, am I more a part than an indigenous woman in the Amazon? And does this indigenous woman really need to check her email when she's more concerned about how the oil reserves discovered in her region are going to affect her children? I don't remember how long I've been involved on the Digital Divide list. It's probably been around 3 years, I don't know - but what I do know is that when I first joined, I had a concrete idea of what the Digital Divide was based on where I was and who I was. This list, as well as experiences that became possible because of my participation in lists such as this, have changed my perspectives considerably. Where I have thought in the past that language, race, culture and gender were not major parts of the Digital Divide, I have learned otherwise - and while I still believe that socio-economics is a major factor, it's become apparent to me that language, race, culture and gender are large parts of the Digital Divide. Socioeconomics forms a circle with these things, and a lot of the people here on this list seem dedicated to breaking those cycles. The cycle itself is what needs to be broken, and to break the cycle it now seems to me that it is necessary to intellectually expand all aspects of the cycle such that the 'weaknesses' in the present cycles can be focused on and broken - but there is a danger, as well, in trading one bad cycle for another. That's a difficult task we've set out for ourselves. I can say honestly that the Digital Divide in Trinidad and Tobago, as an example, is very different than that in Nicaragua - and yet similar. I can also say that within Trinidad itself, there is a difference in the divide between North and South Trinidad - a difference of less than 60 miles. And Trinidad, less than 20 miles away from Venezuala, has cultural and linguistic differences with one of it's closest neighbours and trading partners. And yet, within these differences in circumstance there are tangible commonalities. A lack of access to the internet, or a lack of degree of access. A lack of content in specific languages, or accessibility to the handicapped. Content lacking for the elderly in different cultures, content lacking for education in different cultures for the young and curious. As far as we know, the greatest mind since Einstein may be fishing in Haiti to support her or his (reversal for stress) elderly parents. This thing we call the Digital Divide... is a very dynamic entity, with many pseudopods working for and against different communities at the same time. Funding for ventures on some aspects indicate a lack of funding on other aspects. So I would have to say that the issue isn't affect - it's awareness. Many people on the wrong side of the Digital Divide are there and don't know it. And a geek in the United States with a T3 hooked up for internet access is not as aware of the other side of the divide - and yet, they may see themselves as having problems because they are not getting as much throughput that they need to allow people to download their latest distribution of Linux, or podcasts, or what have you. >The present e-Governance is a ploy by the MNC electronics, hardware >and networking vendors on poor countries to push elelctronic gadgets >and computers which are hardly put to right use. It's high time this >is exposed. > > Well, if we look at things as 'us vs. them', I would have to agree with you. And yet, I don't see a competition as much as two groups working out of synch. It's the synchronization of profit and community that are in need of evaluation. Henry Ford once said that a business that makes only money is a bad business. I think maybe the focus on profit within corporations may be a problem, but I also will not disrespect a community which has such latent power. Software Libre (Free Software/Open Source) has helped start a culture of openness again which is seen in the misuse of the word Open in many contexts (Open Politics?!), and attempts to address the misuse of the word Free in many ways. Open content has become more of an issue thanks to the work of the CreativeCommons organization, Open Archives have become a battlecry for scientists, and a return to the founding principles of sharing of knowledge in it's many guises is being strove for. These founding principles actually seemed to come about during the Axial Age - independantly come up with throughout the world. And yet, even within these movements, there are profit motivations which could be seen to work against the founding principles themselves. We could sit around waiting for the barbarians, but until we recognize that we are a part of the problem and take accountability for our own actions, nothing will change. And yet, when we become accountable as a community we have to define ourselves and our own needs before we stand up for ourselves. What is it we need? What value do we have for what we need and want, and how much can we afford to pay? These are things that need to be addressed. We need companies to develop things we can use. But they also need us. >Unless true use of ICT tools and computers is done to alleviate >poverty, all forms of divide shall continue. The poor nations are >making the rich nations richer at the cost of poor nations, thanks to >the fooling around of people thro' ICT. > > I've said before that there will always be a digital divide - that some will always have more than others. That cannot be changed... But what can be changed is the degree, and we need to decrease that degree. -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: Panama City, Panama [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.easylum.net http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran "Criticize by creating." — Michelangelo _______________________________________________ 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.
