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Liberation and Domination: Understanding the Digital Divide from the Standpoint of the ’Other’

Liberation and Domination: Understanding the Digital Divide from the Standpoint of the ’Other’
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Author(s): Lynette Kvasny (The Pennsylvania State University, USA)
Copyright: 2003
Pages: 3
Source title: Information Technology & Organizations: Trends, Issues, Challenges & Solutions
Source Editor(s): Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. (Information Resources Management Association, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59140-066-0.ch237
ISBN13: 9781616921248
EISBN13: 9781466665330

Abstract

In this paper, I present the competing perspectives of the digital divide that emerged from a study of African American inner city residents participating in a community technology center. A critical analysis of the participants’ narratives about information technology and the digital divide was carried out. This analysis was informed by feminist standpoint theory, which posits that groups sharing a common location within hierarchical power structures also share collective experiences. The results demonstrate that participants viewed the digital divide from racial and class standpoints, and envisioned information technology as both liberating and dominating. These dual perspectives are used to identify policy implications for redressing the digital divide.

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