emilyr47-blog - Tumblr blog

[emilyr47-blog]

Digital Divide & Equity

The digital divide is a term that is not talked about enough in today’s technologically advancing society.  While the majority of the U.S. is talking about getting the latest iPhone, comparing WiFi and internet speeds, and checking out the latest Disney+ streaming service, some people do not even have access to the internet.  This is the digital divide.  It describes those that are digitally active, using the internet daily, and have all of its perks versus those that either choose to not use the internet or do not have access to it, which begins to talk about digital equity (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015).  

While these two terms are related, digital equity refers more to the ethics and fairness behind the digital divide than the actual divide itself.  It highlights the disadvantages those without technology face and how they are less likely to succeed in certain areas or have the same opportunities as those that do. A big discussion centers around this issue in education, where many students have unequal opportunities due to the lack or excess of technology (Gonzales, Calarco, & Lynch, 2018).  These issues are important to take note of because they impact the our future generations and those entering the workforce.

One of the biggest issues in the digital divide conversation today centers around why there is not a large push to lessen the gap.  The push in technology only appears to be advancing the technology for those who already have it, not to provide internet access and technology to those that do not (Rowsell, Morrell, & Alvermann, 2017).  This discussion surrounding equity should be something that is more heavily pushed by those that already have the ability to engage in online conversations.  One of the biggest issues about making people aware of the digital divide and digital equity is that those that are actually impacted negatively do not have technological means to talk about it as those who do.

Limited access to technology and technology-based skills can have many negative impacts on those that are in that situation.  Not having the ability to learn these skills in during their education, students and new grads attempting to enter the workforce will not be able to put some of the most in-demand and needed skills on their resume.  In addition, they may not have the knowledge of how to use major job boards such as LinkedIn or Indeed or companies may ignore them, and this can impact their chances at getting hired (Britt, 2019).  In other areas, those that do not have access to technology will not be able to engage nearly as much with today’s participatory culture and will not be up-to-date on the latest news, trends, etc.  Examples of this are not knowing how to use social media or major news sites and being uninformed about social issues or movements.  Another example could be trying to apply for a job in advertising or marketing, but being turned down because you were never educated in social media ads or digital marketing.

[emilyr47-blog]

Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is a term that is often thrown around when discussing the impact individuals have on the internet and vice versa.  It also refers to the actions you complete online and how those actions impact those also online and around you.  Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship says that digital citizenship is “to lead and assist others in building positive digital experiences, to recognize that our actions have consequences to others, and to participate in a manner for the common good” (Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship and Ribble, Bailey, & Ross, 2004).  It is also to contribute to what we have learned is called participatory culture, where individuals add to the culture and trends instead of observing them (Gleason & von Gillern, 2018).  To have digital citizenship is to not only understand what this culture is and how to interact with it, but to also contribute as a citizen would to a community.

In contrast, digital literacy does not have to include that last part.  Digital citizenship and digital literacy can often be mistakenly interchanged (Heitin, 2016).  While digital citizenship refers to the contributions and “place” that someone holds in the digital and online community, digital literacy is more or less the ability to understand the digital realm and interpret it.  Digital literacy may fall more under the lurkers or observers of social media or internet trends, while digital citizenship falls more under the category of contribution culture and participatory culture.

Digital citizenship can be supported and fostered for adult learners in many ways.  With social media becoming a more acceptable way of learning that it ever has been, educators are beginning to do their part in incorporating this relevant aspect of culture.  Educators can continue to support this learning style and ability through justifying social media learning and research in their classrooms and lectures.  As students coming into lectures and education continue to expand their own knowledge, outsiders may need to begin infiltrating the education system to ensure it maintains its relevance.    

Outside of education, digital citizenship should be encouraged as well.  While some organizations and recognitions are beginning to exist for this, the more there are, the less likely arguments against digital citizenship study and exploration will hold up.  Additionally, digital citizenship should be something to be celebrated as well as used with caution, and only research can provide more information on this.  Therefore, created more awareness around the subject will promote the research needed.  Today, digital citizenship week exists, as well as teachers raising awareness about “two elements of digital citizenship -- security and online etiquette (especially cyberbullying)” (Anderson, 2014)

[emilyr47-blog]

Social Media & Participatory Culture

Participatory culture theory is the opposite concept of consumer culture theory.  Instead of everyone being viewed as consumers, everyone is viewed as a contributor (Hinton & Hjorth, 2013).  This is very evident in today’s social media trends, as more and more people are contributing to social media.  More and more people are also beginning to use social media as professional platforms or make their career off of various platforms as influencers.

My social media contributions are often far and few between.  I am definitely more of a consumer when it comes to social media and play more into traditional consumer culture with it even though its meant to be a contribution tool.  I definitely find myself spending hours scrolling through other’s profiles or explore pages.  But I, myself do not participate as much.

However, I do find that when I do participate I am more likely to remember the content I am reading or learn more about the topic at hand.  In this weeks reading, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, it talks about how participatory culture improves attention spend and learning, especially in younger people. “Many have argued that these new participatory cultures represent ideal learning environments. Gee (2004) calls such informal learning cultures “affinity spaces,” asking why people learn more, participate more actively, engage more deeply with popular culture than they do with the contents of their textbooks” (Clinton, 9).

When I do engage online, I find that it tends to be with things that energize me.  Since I am an extravert, I tend to post things that are social or things that I have done with others.  Other things that I may post, usually involve career things that I am interested in or things that I can easily relate to.  I think I may have been more active on social media earlier on had I began using it earlier.  I related with the quote from Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century this week:

“Closing the digital divide will depend less on technology and more on providing the skills and content that is most beneficial....Children who have access to home computers demonstrate more positive attitudes towards computers, show more enthusiasm and report more enthusiasm and ease when using computers than those who do not” (Clinton, 8).

[emilyr47-blog]

When comparing my own experiences and knowledge, to the research in the articles this week, I find that there are definitely differences between what adults and the older generation use on the internet and social media and what teens and younger generations do.  For example, one of the studies discusses that the older generation tends to stick more to Facebook and YouTube as platforms whereas the younger generations tend to spend more of their time on Snapchat and Instagram.  

In my experience, I tend to find this true along with other platforms.  For example, I find more older adults on more “traditional” forms of communication, such as phone calls, emails, and traditional texts whereas students and younger people use GroupMe, Snapchat, or other apps to communicate.  This also seems to be dependent on location.  For example, when I was going to college in northern Iowa, the common app to communicate over was facebook messenger.  However, since coming to the U, the main messaging app has been GroupMe.

 Some of the positive effects talked about in both adults and teens are increased sociability, having immediate access to a wide variety of information, the ability for everyone’s opinions to be heard equally, and the ability to belong to a group even if its more important.  I also see a few of the benefits as increasing your digital literacy, technology proficiency, and knowledge of a variety of opinions.  In my experience, those who read a variety of people’s opinions and a variety of online platforms are more open to hearing other’s opinions and are more discerning about what they believe on the internet.

However, there are also some negative impacts of social media and being active on online media platforms.  Many people, teens especially, have been reported to struggle with self-image issues because of what they see from celebrities on social media.  These issues can be about body image, career, social life, dating and relationships, money, or really anything in general.  Seeing people post online about their supposedly perfect lives and then comparing theirs to yours may make your appear worse than it actually is.  This has been known to cause depression and sometimes feelings of loneliness.  Although this isn’t talked about in adults as much, there are other negative side effects that may impact them.  Some of these could include unproductively or laziness.