From Digital Divides to Digital Entitlements in Knowledge Societies

Abstract

This paper critically examines current constructions of the causes, consequences and appropriate actions to reduce the so-called `digital divide'. Drawing upon discussions that have occurred in a number of intergovernmental forums, the analysis illustrates the limitations of policy debates that focus primarily on issues of access, affordability and capabilities and skills for employability in industry. An alternative framework for assessing the unfolding relation between the new media and society is developed drawing on Amartya Sen's concept of capabilities. This is applied to demonstrate the need for a shift in the emphasis of social science analysis away from digital divide issues and towards the potential for the new media to be configured in ways that could enable the majority of people to strengthen their abilities to make choices about how they wish to live their lives. As new media permeate global social networks more intensively, it is argued that a rights-based approach to new media policy is essential and that this must be based upon assessments of people's entitlements in emerging knowledge societies.

User Empowerment and Audience Commodification in a Commercial Television Context

“…However, it is clear that these authors focus on the increased individual control and audience autonomy from a perspective that aims to explain how users relate to media, ICTs and media content and which capabilities users need to interact and engage with media content (e.g. Sen, 1999;Mansell, 2002). With regards to digital television, Slot (2007) indeed points out that users are still foremost approached as consumers of television content and only play a role at the receiving end of the value network of television, but she stresses the possibility for users in the digital era to expand their roles beyond consumption to the creation, production, packaging and distribution of TV content, which is expected to influence the business model of commercial television.…”

O uso das TIC na educação e a promoção de inclusão social: uma perspectiva crítica do Reino Unido

“…Uma emancipação dos usuários poderia resultar da democratização do debate sobre exclusão digital, tal como foi sugerido acima. Essa retomada pública dos discursos em torno das TIC na sociedade poderia levar à abertura da "caixa preta" das TIC aos usuários individuais, para que seu uso se torne menos um meio prescrito para fins prescritos do que um conjunto de ferramentas e práticas sobre as quais a maioria dos indivíduos sinta que tem algum controle e que participa de sua modelagem (ver Schofield Clark et al, 2004;Mansell, 2002). Não obstante, existe uma necessidade óbvia de empreender algumas ações e intervenções tangíveis nessa área mais do que em qualquer outra.…”

Digital divides and the role of policy and regulation: a qualitative study

“…Other scholars [25] define digital divides in rather broad terms as "the uneven spread of the new media". On the other hand, the OECD has offered a more elaborate understanding of digital divides, underlining the fact that behind digital divides there is a range of "interlocking divides": "The importance of ICT to both economic and social development explains the priority of bridging what has come to be known as the 'digital divide'.…”

“…This chapter argues that the focus needs to be not so much on the power relations behind institutional-and political economy-centred mechanisms of the policy-making processes, but rather on the ways in which such mechanisms reflect and correspond to society's needs on the basis of what "products" a policy delivers. This is attempted to some degree by Mansell [25] in the discussion of digital entitlements and empowerment of people, where she argues that social needs and cultural differences do not inform media policy to the extent they should, as policy is surrounded by a rhetoric that addresses the digital economy vision resulting in persistent digital gaps between citizens.…”