科技發展過程當中，無可避免的形成數位落差，數位落差過高的 族群，在社會上會越趨於弱勢。政府為縮減數位落差，推出許多政策 執行，其中一項便是在偏鄉地區設置數位機會中心，並且結合各部會 和民間資源，運用數位機會中心提升當地民眾資訊素養，給予較弱勢 的社區及居民公平的數位機會，提升競爭力。 數位機會中心設置的單位，共有7 種類型，學校、教會及廟宇、 社區、鄉公所、圖書館、社教站、其他。宜蘭縣所設置的數位機會中 心有學校、教會、社區、圖書館等4 種。 本研究以宜蘭縣所設置的9 個數位機會中心為對象，試著從實地 訪查及深度訪談的方法，探討不同的單位在經營數位機會中心時其經 營型態有何不同，以及在經營上是否有遭遇困難之處。 研究發現，不同的數位機會中心因設置單位的不同會產生不同的 經營型態，其經營的成果與主事者有相當大的關係。在經營的困難除 了人力及經費之外，上級的支持及當地居民學習的意願也佔了重要的 因素。 數位機會中心的設立，提供了偏鄉地區許多民眾學習資訊科技的 機會，本研究提供提出簡化數位機會中心目標設定及檢討數位機會中 心業務方向作為建議，期能對於政府在縮減數位落差政策施行上有所 助益。 / Digital divide is inevitable in the process of technology development. However, people suffering from large digital divide may become more disadvantaged in the society. In order to minimize digital divide, the government has launched numerous programs, one of which is to establish Digital Opportunity Centers in remote areas and integrate public and civil resources to enhance the digital literacy of local people, provide them an equal access to digital opportunities, and improve their competitiveness in the society. Digital Opportunity Centers are established in seven types of organizations, including school, church and temple, community, township office, library, social education station, and others. In Yilan County, Digital Opportunity Centers are mainly established in schools, churches, communities, and libraries. This study focused on nine Digital Opportunity Centers in Yilan County. Through field survey and in-depth interview, this study attempted to explore whether the operating model of Digital Opportunity Centers varied by organization as well as the difficulties encountered in operating the centers. Results showed that the operating model of Digital Opportunity Centers varied by organization, and the performance of the centers largely depended on managers of the organization. In addition to labor and funding, executive support and local residents’ willingness to learn were the main difficulties encountered in operation of the centers. Digital Opportunity Centers have offered many people living in remote areas an opportunity to learn information technology. Based on research results, this study suggested that the authority concerned simplify the objectives of Digital Opportunity Centers and reexamine their functions to enhance the effectiveness of this program.

This dissertation investigated the bottom-up technology transmission process in a country with varied levels of technology diffusion, such as Chile. In particular, I explored how children act as technology brokers within their families by influencing their parents' adoption of and learning about digital media, so as to include older generations in the digital environment. In order to do this, I measured to what extent this process occurs, I proposed a typology of factors that intervene in the process and analyzed the outcomes variables related to the phenomenon. Methodologically, I used a mixed-methods research approach by combining in-depth interviews with a self-administered paper-and-pencil survey taken by dyads of one parent and one child. I analyzed 28 interviews involving one 12 to 18-year-old child and one parent or legal guardian (14 dyads) stratified by socioeconomic background, age, and gender. In addition, I conducted the parent-child survey among school-aged children and their parents in three schools, stratified by socioeconomic status. One class per cohort from 7th to 11th grades was randomly surveyed. In total, 381 students and 251 parents completed the surveys. The analyses showed that bottom-up technology transmission occurs at some degree for all the technologies investigated in this study. However, children's influence should not be overstated because they play only one part among a number of factors involved in the digital inclusion of older generations. It also established a typology of factors related to the process at different levels, including structural influences, family structure, strategies employed by youth, and psychological dispositions of parents. Specifically, the analyses consistently found that this process was more likely to occur among people from a lower socioeconomic status. Also, the transmission was associated with more fluid parent-child interactions and occurred among parents who perceived the technology to be useful. Regarding the outcome variables, it demonstrated that this phenomenon is linked, although weakly, to greater levels of perceived competence among parents and higher esteem among young people. Finally, it suggested that bottom-up technology transmission is associated with the reduction of some socioeconomic gaps in digital media use. / text

M. Tech. Business Administration / Internet penetration in South Africa stood at 13.9% in 2011 as compared to average of 30% for the rest of the world. Given the racial demographics in South Africa where Black Africans constitute 79.5% of the population it stand to reason that given all things equal, Black Africans should constitute a greater part of the 13.9% however preliminary studies based on the number of subscribers of Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) subscription in residential areas indicated the opposite. The 20.5 % remainder of the population made up of the Coloureds, Whites and Indians racial groups formed a greater part of the residential ADSL users in the country, which suggests that they are the greater users of internet.

The study examines the phenomenon of the December protests in Russia when thousands of citizens were involved in the protest movement after the frauds during the Parliamentary elections. There was a popular opinion in the Internet media that at that moment Russia experienced establishment of civil society, since so many people were ready to express their discontent publically for the first time in 20 years. The focus of this study is made on the analysis of the roles that social media played in the protest movement. As it could be observed at the first glance, recruiting and mobilising individuals to participation in the rallies were mainly conducted via social media. The research analyses the concept of civil society and its relevance to the protest rhetoric and investigates, whether there was a phenomenon of civil society indeed and how it was connected to individuals’ motivation for joining the protest. The concept of civil society is discussed through the social capital, social and political trust, e-democracy and mediatisation frameworks. The study provides a comprehensive description of the events, based on mainstream and new media sources, in order to depict the nature and the development of the movement. The structure of the protests is analysed through the new social movement theory. Also, various approaches to engagement of people in the social movements are presentedl, including political marketing framework. The research was conducted in several main stages, using content analysis, survey and interviewing as main methods. The main conclusions of the study: relatively minor impact of social media in the engagement of people in the protest, a narrow section of the population as the audience of social media protesters (for them civil society mostly played a role of a customer need), and yet a significant potential of ICT in the future political life of the country.

Dans un monde de plus en plus interconnecté où le développement nécessite une participation active à la société de l’information, où les différentes cultures rentrent davantage en contact entre elles et où les biens culturels sont devenus des biens de consommation, les minorités culturelles mondiales intégrant les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) se retrouvent marginalisées face à la menace d’hégémonie culturelle des réseaux de l’information par les cultures dominantes de certains pays développés. Pour qu’une culture prenne sa place dans la société de l’information, il revient en premier lieu à ses institutions éducatives de former leurs apprenants dans un contexte culturel qui leur est propre et de valoriser et d’encourager la production et l’utilisation de contenu endogène. C’est dans le cadre de cette problématique que la présente recherche s’est donnée comme premier objectif de faire le bilan du contenu culturel accédé et diffusé par les TIC dans des écoles de pays africains dits en développement ; pour ensuite, comme deuxième objectif, de décrire les barrières à une intégration des TIC qui favoriserait la promotion culturelle en ligne dans ces écoles ; et finalement, comme troisième objectif, d’identifier des stratégies pragmatiques favorisant une intégration écologique des TIC dans ces écoles, c’est-à-dire, une intégration durable, adaptée au contexte local et favorisant la pleine participation des enseignants et des élèves. Pour y parvenir, nous avons adopté une approche méthodologique essentiellement descriptive et qualitative. Nous avons réalisé des entrevues avec 168 enseignants et 230 élèves de 34 écoles pionnières TIC situées dans cinq pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre, que nous avons traitées selon une analyse de contenu spécifique à chaque objectif. L’adoption des stratégies décrites dans nos résultats permettrait aux écoles étudiées de surmonter, en partie, la multitude de barrières auxquelles elles font face et de favoriser l’intégration écologique des TIC. Une telle intégration est nécessaire à l’atteinte d’une société de l’information plus équitable et à l’éventuelle réduction du fossé numérique séparant les « info-riches » des « info-pauvres ». / In an increasingly interconnected world, developing countries need to be active participants in the information society. Contact between different cultures is on the rise; cultural resources have become consumer resources; and cultural minorities across the globe who have integrated information and communications technology (ICT) into their societies risk domination by the cultures of developed countries on the global communication networks. In order for a culture to stand its ground online, it is essential that its educational institutions train learners in their own cultural context, and promote and encourage the development and use of endogenous educational content. It is from this perspective that this qualitative study seeks, as a first objective, to assess the cultural content being accessed and distributed via ICT in schools of developing African countries; as a second objective, to describe existing barriers to an integration of ICT that would encourage online cultural promotion in these schools; and finally as a third and final objective, to identify practical strategies for an ecological ICT integration in these schools. Such an integration would be sustainable, adapted to local contexts, and foster the full participation of its teachers and students. To achieve these objectives, we have used a multi-case study based on interviews with 168 teachers and 230 students from 34 pioneer ICT schools located in five West and Central African countries; which content was analyzed according to each specific objective. Adopting the strategies described in our results would allow these schools to overcome some of the barriers they are facing, and to favour the ecological integration of ICT necessary for developing a more equitable information society, thus reducing the digital divide between the ‘information haves and have-nots’.

Den här c-uppsatsen är en studie om hur av delar av Manuel Castells teorier om den digitala klyftan, den informationella revolutionen och flödesrummet överensstämmer med ett urval av akademiska artiklar som publiceras under åren 1990-2010 i databasen LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts). Den digitala klyftan ett gap med ojämn tillgång till dator med internetuppkoppling. Studien är utförd med litteraturstudier och textanalytiska metoder. Castells fick stor uppmärksamhet för Informationsåldern: Ekonomi, Samhälle och Kultur, Nätverkssamhällets Framväxt. Syftet är att med en litteraturstudie undersöka om det skett någon förskjutning i förklaringen av den digitala klyftan. Studien är begreppsutredande och baserad på forskningsartiklar och litteratur. Studien undersöker om artikelförfattarnas teorier och forskning överensstämmer med Castells teorier om den digitala klyftan, den informationella revolutionen och flödesrum. IKT (informations- och kommunikationsteknik) har på kort tid slagit igenom och blivit en del av många människors vardag. De grupper människor som inte får tillgång till IKT riskerar att marginaliseras. Med tanke på den snabba teknikutvecklingen är det även relevant att undersöka om Castells teorier som numera (2013) är över ett decennium gamla fortfarande är aktuella. / This thesis investigates how parts of Manuel Castell’s theories about the digital divide, the informational revolution and the space of flows coincide with a selection of academic publications from the period 1990-2010 in the LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) database. The digital divide refers to unequal access to computers with internet connections. The investigation is based on literature studies and text analysis methods. Castells was widely recognized for The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. The literature study aims to investigate whether there has been a shift in the explanation of the digital divide. The paper is a conceptual investigation and based on scientific publications and literature. The paper investigates whether the theories and research of the authors of these publications is in accordance with Castells’ theories about the digital divide, the informational revolution and the space of flows. ICT (information and communication technology) has emerged rapidly and become part of the everyday life of many people. Population groups without access to ICT face risks of marginalization. Considering the rapid technological development, it is also relevant to investigate whether Castells’ theories, which by now (2013) are more than a decade old, still are valid.

Att större delen av befolkningen använder internet och att användandet ökar medför att allt fler tjänster flyttat ut på den digitala arenan, nu även inom det sociala arbetet - i offentlig regi. Då möjligheter till utveckling av det sociala arbetet på internet upptäcktes har Stockholm stad lanserat ytterligare en e-tjänst som kan underlätta kontakten med kommunen. Socialrådgivning på nätet som den digitala tjänsten heter, är tänkt att bland annat ge en ökad tillgänglighet till stadens medborgare. E-tjänsten är tänkt att nå ut till “alla” medborgare inom staden, vilket medför att det är av vikt att undersöka i vilken utsträckning invånarna är intresserade av att använda e-tjänsten samt vilka attityder som riktar sig till densamma. Tidigare forskning har visat att det finns digitalt resursstarka respektive digitalt resurssvaga grupper i samhället, vilket för med sig att de som redan befinner sig i en socialt exkluderad grupp i och med den tekniska utvecklingen riskerar att hamna än mer utanför samhället - i detta fall informationssamhället. Syftet är således att genom att undersöka medborgare i Stockholm stads avsikter att använda och attityder till Socialrådgivning på nätet, få en ökad förståelse av medborgarnas inställning till Socialrådgivningen på nätet. Studien genomförs genom en kvalitativ metod. Den insamlade empirin består av fem fokusgruppintervjuer med fyra till fem deltagare i vardera, vilka utförts tillsammans med en semi-strukturerad intervjuguide. Undersökningen består av en explorativ samt en deskriptiv ansats. Resultaten visade att det generellt sett fanns mer eller mindre positiva attityder till e-tjänsten Socialrådgivning på nätet mellan grupperna, men även inom. De grupper som står närmst informationsteknologins centrum i samhället tangerar att vara mer positiva till rådgivningstjänsten, medan attityderna varierar bland de grupper som står längre bort. Mest negativ attityd till Socialrådgivningen på nätet gick att finna hos de medborgare som står längre bort, i periferin av det moderna informationssamhället. Attityder korrelerade till stor del med viljan att använda e-tjänsten då majoriteten av medborgarna i den här undersökningen valde att inte använda sig av e-tjänsten. De informanter som kan tänka sig använda Socialrådgivning på nätet bestod främst av medborgare i grupper som stod närmare centrum och främst i dess mitt. Den utökade tillgängligheten kan bidra till både positiva och negativa konsekvenser. Några av de positiva aspekter som medborgarna i samtliga grupper var överens om var att som ett komplement till redan etablerade kontaktvägar, var Socialrådgivning på nätet ett bra alternativ som även ökade tillgängligheten. De medborgare som stod närmre det moderna it-samhällets centrum upplevde sig mer mottagliga för en ökad digitalisering, medan de som stod längre bort, i periferin, upplevde sig bli mer marginaliserade. Det traditionella sociala arbetet är ofta förknippat med det personliga mötet. Värdet av att mötas är en del av essensen i arbetet med människor. Det finns en oro över att en digital kontakt kan orsaka en distans där individer går miste om det viktiga fysiska mötet. Även om socialt arbete 2.0 idag, än så länge finns i begränsad utsträckning, fanns det föreställningar bland studiens deltagare om att den digitala rådgivningstjänsten, trots ökad tillgänglighet kanske inte når ut till de som är i störst behov - de socialt utsatta. Om e-tjänsten går att anpassas till den målgrupp densamma i första hand vänder sig till, ökar chansen att medborgare upplever sig nöjda med den digitala tjänsten, vilket i förlängningen även kan verka för ökad legitimitet av myndigheten.

This thesis deal with how seniors treat and view the digital world, what their information seeking process looks like and what they perceive as the major obstacles regarding the usage of IKT and the Internet. The experience of the seniors is put in relation to how Uppsala City Library is carrying out the task to increase digital participa-tion. This operation is part of the Digidel network which during the preceding year concluded their campaign Digidel2013 which aimed to render 500 000 new users digitally participant. Following the campaign Digidel published a report on how to further work to increase the digital participation derived from the experience gath-ered from Digidel2013. This report is discussed and put in relation to the proposed measures of Jan A.G.M. van Dijk on how to prevent the deepening of the digital divide.This is foremost done by examining the field from the theoretical perspective of van Dijk in which the indi-vidual resources determines the level of access to the digital world bestowed upon the user. Through interviews with seniors and library staff it was made aware that the major obstacle towards digital participation among seniors is the lack of motivation for access, ultimately described by the varying resources. The temporal, cultural and mental resources were the major hindrances towards using IKT and Internet. Social resources also enabled access to the digital world without the need for seniors to become users themselves. Friends and family were utilized as intermediaries when seniors needed to search for information or use services.The starting point towards increasing digital participation needs to be based on the individual requirements and refer to decrease the obstacles perceived by groups in using IKT and Internet. The relationships between society and individual, and the digital and the non-digital world need to be mutual for all parties to profit from using IKT and Internet.

Participatory communication through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been identified to enhance self-dependency and equality for local communities in development projects. As well, ICTs served as an accelerator for citizen participation in social movements, such as in Egypt. However, it is still questionable how participation and ICTs are understood on a global scale where structural inequalities between developing and developed countries might influence communication processes. Similarly, international organizations often address a global network of stakeholders with various economic and social backgrounds. However, it is unclear how participatory communication and ICTs are used in global organizations aiming to foster sustainable development. Hence, this thesis investigates the understanding and practices of participatory communication and the role of ICTs in a global network organization, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) based in Stockholm. The GWPs network consists of 2964 institutional partners in 172 countries worldwide. It can be seen that the GWP aims to achieve dialogic communication with local partners, but that they do not have a mechanism that ensures continuous participation in all working processes, although the local partners demand more possibilities to contribute and participate. As well, ICTs play a minor role in addressing the GWP network. In fact, most of the partner organizations do not have reliable internet access and insufficient English literacy, which makes communication through ICTs especially challenging.This suggests that globally operating organizations should be careful not to reproduce existing power relationship between developed and developing countries through the use of ICTs. As well, more mechanisms need to be established which ensure more participation in organization’s processes.

The digital divide is a core issue of the information society. It refers to the division between those who have access to, or are comfortable using, information and communication technology (ICT) (the "haves") and those who do not have access to, or are not comfortable using ICT (the "have-nots"). The digital divide is a complex phenomenon. The majority of studies to date have examined the digital divide from a socio-economic perspective. These studies have identified income, education and employment as the key factors in determining the division between the "haves" and the "have-nots". Very little research has explore the psychological, social or cultural factors that contribute to digital inequality in community. The current study filled this gap by using Bandura's social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine the psychological barriers that prevent individuals from integrating ICT into their everyday lives. SCT postulates that a person will act according to their perceived capabilities and the anticipated consequences of their actions. Four studies have explored the digital divide using SCT. Because of limitations in the research design these studies have shed only limited light onto current understanding of digital inequality in community. The current research was the first study exploring the digital divide that (i) incorporated both socio-economic and socio-cognitive factors, (ii) used a community context that ensured the recruitment of participants who represented the full spectrum of the general population, and (iii) was conducted in both the US and Australia. Data was gathered via self administered questionnaires in two communities: Brisbane, Australia and San Jose, USA. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 330 and 398 participants from the US and Australia, respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore the research question: what influence do socio-cognitive factors have in predicting internet use by members of the general population when the effects of socio-economic factors are controlled? The results of this analysis revealed that attitudes do matter. The US study found that socio-economic factors were not statistically significant predictors of internet use. The only factor that found to be a significant predictor of use was internet self efficacy. In short individuals with higher levels of internet self efficacy reported higher levels of internet use. Unlike the US study, the Australian study found that by themselves several socio-economic factors predicted internet use. In order of importance these were age, gender, income and ethnicity. However, the study also revealed that when socio-economic factors are controlled for, and socio-cognitive variables included into the analysis, it is the socio-cognitive and not the socioeconomic variables that are the dominant (in fact the only!) predictors of internet use. The research illustrated that the digital divide involves more than just the availability of resources and funds to access those resources. It incorporates the internal forces of an individual that motivates to them to use or integrate ICT into their lives. The digital divide is not just about ICT such as computers and the internet. It is about people. As such, the key to solving the issue of digital inequality is not going to be found with corporate or government funds providing physical access to technology. Instead, the key to solving digital inequality is inside the individual person. The alternative view of the digital divide presented in this research is by no means intended to minimise the role played by socio-economic factors. Indeed, the socioeconomic perspective has helped shed light on a very real social issue. What this research has done is suggest that the digital divide is more complex and more involved than has been imagined, and that further and different research is required if genuine insights and real steps are going to be made in establishing an information society for all.