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Unpopular opinion: The Digital Divide

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017098/index.aspThink about all the ways that you are connected to the outside world right now. What about all the knowledge that you have about using the internet safely and strategically?  Unfortunately, those sorts of technology access and knowledge aren’t available to everyone globally in an equal way. The digital divide and digital equity issues are common to educators around the world and in the U.S. because of the extensive development in technology and information available today. Children use some sort of technology in the classrooms and some even bring school-owned tablets home during the academic year. The studies that I am going to introduce today are those mainly from academic settings regarding the digital divide. 

What is the digital divide? 

Think of a gap between two separate groups: one group having access and knowledgeable resources and strategies about technological uses, and the other group having little to none at all. The digital divide, according to Stanford.edu, is that enlarging gap between minoritized people across the nation (and globe) that don’t have access to such tools and knowledge, compared to those that do have access. Often times, the underprivileged group(s) are racial minorities, rural constituents, low income, disabled, and other minoritized groups, while those who do have access to computers and the internet are wealthy, urban/suburban constituents, middle class, and middle-aged/young (Stanford Computer Science, https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/digital-divide/start.html ). 

However, the digital divide doesn’t stop at computers and the internet. It’s also about benefiting from and having access to information and communication technologies, broadband infrastructure, and the chance to participate meaningfully in all areas of society (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015).  Essentially, this divide has highlighted critical inequities regarding those that do not have these opportunities, and how they may suffer  economic and educational repercussions. Pazurek and Feyissa also highlight the more developed term of the digital divide as more than just the physical tools one may or may not have: “More importantly, the definition has been expanded to include access to digitally mediated knowledge and the resulting skills and competencies essential for personal, professional, and economic success in life” (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015). In other words, the digital divide definition is much more far-reaching than it used to be. 

Furthermore, it is important to remember that economic and educational aspects in life are just two of the contributing factors to success in an individual and in families. Radovanovic, 2011, described the marginalized groups as people who “at some point will not be able to engage in social, economic, and political life” (Radovanovic, 2011). This is due to the lack of access of the internet, indicating the repercussions of not having that connection, which leads to a lack of skills necessary to participate in the wider social world. 

Problems 

In a 2015 study from the National Center for Education Statistics(NCES), the three main reasons that children did not have access to home internet was: it was too pricey, the families were not interested, and there was a lack of the tools to even use the internet, like a computer (https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/post/the-digital-divide-differences-in-home-internet-access). Additionally, the percentage for students without internet access in rural locations varied by race and ethnicity, with Black students at 41% and Hispanic students at 26%, followed by White students at 13% and Asian students at 11%. These are just some of the statistics for 5-17 year old students in grade school. 

Similar findings can be found among other scholarly articles and research-based work by educators and researchers. Consecutive studies have proved that “low income individuals often rely on a range of computing technologies that are broken, borrowed, or dependably unstable, cycling through routine disconnection” (Gonzales, Calarco, & Lynch, 2018). These findings are not surprising, as I have experienced and learned of others like myself that have dealt with these difficulties when a laptop has gone down on us. Keeping up with school work and participating in the social cultures we are part of became a challenge. One of my professors shared the same feelings as she has had students go to her office hours so that they can use her technology tools to do their work also. Students and adults that struggle with maintaining such tools and getting access to high quality tools don’t have the capacity to keep up with the social, economic, and political aspects of life that they should be able to. Access and opportunity to growth such as these are a necessity. 

More information on the NCES study can be found here: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017098/index.asp

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the importance of digital citizenship

What is digital citizenship?  

To fully understand the importance and practices of digital citizenship, we must dive into the meaning behind the term. Digital citizenship is the practice of developing a conscientious and active participation online. Digital citizenship education “should include methods for decision-making, ethical and legal activities, [and] safety and security” (Alqhuist, 2014). There is a variety of topics to cover in digital citizenship education because of both the vast opportunities and the harmful activities that may come up especially to younger children. “When having a smartphone or tablet in hand becomes second nature to kids of all ages, strong digital citizenship skills are necessary for good decision making” (Ottesen, 2018). Safety in the online world is a main concern for all curricula around the nation as digital citizenship is emphasized in our growing digital age. 

What can we do? 

To help our children and young adults, it’s important to have strong relationships with them. Asking them questions about their day, paying close attention to their notes and responses on their online activity is key. K-12 educators can start with Common Sense Media, a “leader in the field, providing 76% of all public schools in the U.S. with digital citizenship curricula. This popular digital citizenship package teaches students a variety of topics, including internet safety, privacy and security, information literacy, and cyberbullying and digital drama” (Gleason & von Gillern, (2018). Parents and educators now have a heavier responsibility to teach children and young adults about how to remain safe while being an active participant online. Gleason and von Gillern also state that studies have shown that “greater social benefits” have been the outcome when children have had the chance to regularly interpret information from media with literacy skills. Critical thinking is a vital skill on and offline, and kids have to build on such comprehension skills for lifelong social interaction. 

One important reminder to kids and young adults of all ages is that employers most likely look into the social media profiles of potential employees. According to recent studies, college grads do not have the skills of social media competency “required by professional settings” (Xu, Yang, MacLeod, & Zhu, 2018). This is a major problem because young adults may not realize that what they say online can hurt them in the long run. People can change and grow from ignorance, but it takes honesty, humility, and most of all, time, to admit such wrongs. Social media competency is very much tied to digital citizenship: it is “defined as possessing the knowledge and confidence to engage appropriately and effectively with social media” (Xu, Yang, MacLeod, & Zhu, 2018). Notice both the terms appropriately and effectively in the definition? Those are key terms to follow because if neglected, people can become cyberbullies and be seen as harmful or irresponsible digital citizens. 

Story time: 

Here’s an example of poor digital citizenship… A few weeks ago, Max discovered that someone had made a fraudulent social media account with his name and photos. The fake Tinder profile was not known to Max until a close friend of his approached him saying he saw his photo on the social media dating app, indicating that he was ‘interested in men.’ Max did not understand how someone would make the time to create a fake profile to violate his privacy and sexuality. Max felt humiliated and his mental health has been negatively impacted by these actions of others.

This is a case in which digital citizenship was neglected by the person(s) who created the fraudulent account, and they can even be labeled as bullies. According to stopbullying.gov, this is a prime example of cyberbullying - pretending to be someone and giving out inaccurate information about said person is a form of cyberbullying. If you tell this story to your children and young adults at home, ask them what they think the consequences could be for the person(s) that created the fake social media account, and then have a discussion about what the real consequences are. 

https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/cyberbullying-tactics/index.html

Here are a few things to help you and your young adults or children around you in regards to being responsible digital citizens: 

Teach them what digital citizenship means, and how to ethically contribute to media. 

Inspire and remind them that critical thinking assessments of what they see online are important to their own decision-making skills. 

Ask them if they would be proud of a post or comment ten years from now before they post it today. 

Seek reliable online resources such as Common Sense Media, recent studies and journals, or government initiatives online. 

https://www.stopbullying.gov/ 

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

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Participatory Culture

What is participatory culture theory? 

According to the authors from Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century (Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, & Robison, 2009), a participatory culture is one which incorporates and supports individual artistic expression due to the low barriers in civic engagement and activism. These forms of expression come in all aspects, shapes, pieces, and can be used for any purpose. Participatory culture is therefore one way to contribute to matters in civic life, giving content creators and users a sense or purpose and belonging to communities and groups that they may identify with. It is a another way to interact and feel social connection with others that share the same values, ideas, or stories and experiences. 

(Hinton & Hjorth, 2013) frame participation theory perfectly as “made possible by internet media and exploited by social media” (p.58), connecting the two components that make up one. Henry Jenkins’ TedXNYED Talk (Jenkins, 2010) also backs this up when he says that “participatory culture took advantage of every new technology.” There is a vast variety of resources for participatory culture including different internet tools, apps, and platforms for media sharing among communities. Jenkins also mentions that “more and more young people are becoming participants in their society” (Jenkins, 2010). Although these statements are true, it is important to note that access to such resources are not equal and not everyone can participate through the internet. 

I would say that I’m not a very savvy social media user because try not to get too distracted with it often. However, when it comes to participatory culture, I’ve done more sharing around what others have created/said, than create my own content and art to express an opinion. For example, when it’s voting season, I usually promote that on my Facebook page A LOT because I believe in the importance of civic engagement in elections. Many people don’t feel it’s important to vote because of various reasons: they feel their vote doesn’t count, they’re too lazy, they are discouraged because of earlier turnouts, they’re too busy. The list goes on. How I engage online is to simply share the message and spread the word. 

The actual participation that I do in the community is more physical and involves more of my bodily presence. I have participated in phone banking to help people understand the importance of voting during election season. Going around from door to door has also sparked a lot of conversation between community members and myself. It’s been a long and tough journey, and working with the civic engagement (or volunteering) is no easy task. Participatory culture on my end is a little dull on the social media side because I spend more of that participation time on the phones, on the neighborhood streets talking to civilians, and even at big intersections holding huge signs to remind people to vote on election day. 

Sometimes, if I’m scrolling on social media and see a post that I really want to share, I’ll share it with a message, like a tweet. The other day, a friend of mine shared a post reminding people not to use cultural clothing (indigenous, Asian, African clothing etc.) as costumes for Halloween, as the holiday is coming up. Cultural clothing is a representation of the deep histories that people have come from. They are not fit for a temporary costume that is put on display for fun. They are the precious pieces of culture, tradition, trials and tribulations, and love that comes from a people. Once in a while I’ll share something similar to that when I come across it because I feel strongly about it. Participatory culture is now made up of more than just physical bodies (although there is tremendous strength in numbers), it now consists of one of the most influential and powerful tools in society: the internet, which gives access to all kinds of media. 

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Reading the Common Sense Media’s study took me back to my early teen years. I remember being a young girl that wanted friends and that connection online that a lot of kids my age had. My parents and older siblings didn’t agree however, so I would even try and set up my own social media accounts secretly too. Aija Mayrock isn’t wrong when she says that kids are going to find their ways around their parents. Maybe banning social media for young teens isn’t the best route either because they may see that as punishment or a form of unnecessary control (I know I did). 

Teaching kids instead to consume social media in a more healthy and controlled way will probably be best for safety precautions. I think of it almost like a sex talk even...because there are so many dangers and distractions to young teens and children. Predators are out there to try and meet young girls, boys, and do harm to them in ways we don’t want to imagine. Think of human trafficking, serial rapists/murderers, and phedophiles. Parents are righteously so when they present their crazy concerns about their children consuming media. It’s more than just the hate speech that kids see and the cyberbullying, it’s also about other dangers that are all too overwhelming to think of. Kids are distracted by the comments, likes, shares, and the fun that they have on social media though. It’s inevitable that they will find it and use it. 

I think even now that the distraction that social media has on us is so prevalent. Even as a college senior, my phone annoys me and I might get sidetracked when doing homework. I like to set my phone up with ‘downtime,’ which limits my times on apps and whatnot for a certain number of hours throughout the day. I even deleted all my social media apps on my phone so that I wouldn’t stare mindlessly on a screen all day (Facebook, Instagram, etc). The only communicative app that I have is now Messenger on my phone. Everything else is saved for browser access (which means I’ll spend less time on it).

The fact that 72% of teens believe they’re being tricked to consume all this media is not surprising, and they’re probably right. I fear that these children will grow up to wish that they weren’t so distracted and were more focused on human interaction, and the times that they missed out on their friends and families because they thought commenting and liking their posts were enough to show love. I fear that girls and boys will grow up to think that their worth from their romantic partners is based off of how well he/she shows them off on social media and posts about them. I fear that the popularity and the feeling of being less lonely for these teens are temporary and they might have better chances actually conversing with their best friends during sleepovers instead of phone banging. Children are always seen as children though. Adults almost never see them as people who will eventually grow out of certain habits. I only hope these kids grow up remembering that there is nothing like the human connection. 

Although a majority of social media users (56%) in the U.S. feel that it wouldn’t be hard to give up social media, I don’t see that as a trend in the next few years in this society. Furthermore, half the people our age, 18-24, say that it would be a challenge to give up social media. Social media for us is just the center of our information sharing and information consumption. It’s the place for us to discuss our opinions, our experiences, our beliefs, and even our disagreements. How we use it (and how often) is up to us. 

Resources: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/social-media-social-life-infographic