Information technologies and social equity: Confronting the revolution

Abstract

The applications of the computer have developed to such an extent that the economic and social organization of our society and our way of life may well be transformed as a result. Our society should therefore be in a position both to foster this development and to control it so that it can be made to serve the cause of democracy and human growth. Valery G&card d'Estaing President, Republic of FranceFrom a letter to Simon Nora, Inspector General des Finances December 20, 1976(Nora & Mint, 1980 Under prevailing policies, serious social equity issues are arising as we move further into the Information Age. Recent surveys indicate that there is a significant gap between the "information rich" and "information poor," but there is little up-to-date research on the magnitude, nature, and consequences of this gap. As a society we are giving inadequate attention to ensuring that as new computer and telecommunications technologies become more pervasive, their benefits are distributed in ways that don't exacerbate existing disparities between the rich and poor. The underlying issue is one of social empowerment. If "knowledge is power," then a dominant element of our society for the rest of the century is likely to be a struggle for control of information resources and the power associated with that control. We can begin to deal with these issues by creating a system of National and Regional Institutes for Information Democracy. The Institutes would explore the nature of information-related empowerment issues, the character and causes of the "information gap," and would develop and implement means for mitigating associated equity problems. They would serve as a development and support structure for state and community-based Experimental Mass Information Utilities, a concept developed by Harold Sackman and his co-workers in the early 1970's. The Institutes system would provide a focus for research and implementation activities designed to mitigate equity problems, and in the process, would expand information industry markets.

Perceptions of Connectedness: Public Access Computing and Social Inclusion in Colombia

“…For authors such as Doctor [24] and Chamberlin [25], assertiveness, self-esteem, and access to information are all key elements of empowerment. Data collected show networks have allowed many respondents to know about other information sources, educational programs, or technological tools.…”

From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Virtual Community Discourse and the Dilemma of Modernity

“…The literature that talks about the role of computer‐mediated communication in social life is rich in pronouncements about how communication technology will enhance the quality of modern social life. Computer‐based communication networks are believed to have positive effects on social interactions, which are most frequently presented in socio‐psychological (Hiltz, 1984; Hiltz & Turoff, 1978; Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984; Rheingold, 1993), political (Berman & Weitzer, 1997; Braman, 1994; Doctor, 1991; 1992), or sociological terms (Smith, 1992; Watson, 1997). 2…”

Information and equity

“…Again, the primary concern, even in this context of spectacular technological growth, has been that poor and disadvantaged groups are relatively less able to access and use IT. As early as 1991, Doctor (1991, p. 216) warned:

As a society we are giving inadequate attention to ensuring that as new computer and telecommunications technologies become more pervasive, their benefits are distributed in ways that don't exacerbate existing disparities between the rich and the poor.

…”

“…A similar stance has been adopted in some library and information policy circles. A decade ago, Doctor (1991, p. 217) noted that access to technology by itself is not enough to ensure equity:

Access will be of little benefit to large portions of the population, unless it is accompanied by equipment and training that allow effective use of that access. What we need then is a “right to access” in the broader sense of a “right to benefit from access (emphasis in the original).”

…”