Assessing the digital divide in a Jordanian academic library

The research reported attempts to assess the extent and nature of the digital divide as it applies in a developing Arab country. The method used is an innovative form of document availability test developed to measure the extent of the digital divide between a service offered by a university library in a developed (western) tertiary education system (Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia), and one offered by a university library in a developing Arab country (Yarmouk University, Jordan). The method tests differences in capacity to deliver content according to format (digital or print), and tests for differences in digital access to both 'international' and 'local' content experienced by users of the two libraries. The findings indicate the existence of a digital divide, but also suggest that the availability of digital content has helped overcome the substantial scholarly information divide. The research has implications for academic libraries in developing Arab countries as they attempt to redress the effects of the digital divide. The research uses an innovative methodology for measuring the digital divide, and represents the first attempt to quantify the effects of the digital divide as it impacts upon the users of an academic library in a developing Arab country

The Effect of Content on Global Internet Adoption and the Global “Digital Divide”

A country’s human capital and economic productivity increasingly depend on the Internet due to its expanding role in providing information and communications. This has prompted a search for ways to increase Internet adoption and narrow its disparity across countries – the global “digital divide.” Previous work has focused on demographic, economic, and infrastructure determinants of Internet access difficult to change in the short run. Internet content increases adoption and can be changed more quickly; however, the magnitude of its impact and therefore its effectiveness as a policy and strategy tool is previously unknown. Quantifying content’s role is challenging because of feedback (network effects) between content and adoption: more content stimulates adoption which in turn increases the incentive to create content. We develop a methodology to overcome this endogeneity problem. We find a statistically and economically significant effect, implying that policies promoting content creation can substantially increase adoption. Because it is ubiquitous, Internet content is also useful to affect social change across countries. Content has a greater effect on adoption in countries with more disparate languages, making it a useful tool to overcome linguistic isolation. Our results offer guidance for policy makers on country characteristics that influence adoption’s responsiveness to content and for Internet firms on where to expand internationally and how to quantify content investments.Internet, technology adoption, economic development, two-sided markets, network effects, technology diffusion, language, content

Issues of the Digital Divide

MLS Coursewor

Digital landscapes: inclusive potential versus exclusive practice

The advantage of digital data is its flexibility which ensures it can be available in multiple formats and customised to suit individual preference. This makes it a powerful tool for establishing equity of access to digital landscapes in particular for users of assistive technology. The expression ‘Digital Divide’ originally referred to access to technology and, while this remains relevant, it now also refers to the quality of that access. Possession of the hardware alone cannot guarantee equity of participation. For users of assistive technologies in particular, all the prerequisites for access can be in place but if the digital data has not been designed with the needs of their technology in mind then their access will continue to be denied. To work effectively within digital landscapes, and transform the curriculum for the needs for future learners both on and off campus, requires an understanding of inclusive digital practice so as to minimise barriers to access. These requirements should be neither under-estimated nor their presence assumed. As the use of digital landscapes for educational purposes increases care must be taken not to widen the divide between inclusive and exclusive digital practice. This paper suggests that priority should be given to ensuring accessible digital content within higher education and that this requires individual responsibility supported by a whole institution approach; both of which must recognise the value of digital inclusion

An analysis of mobile internet service in Thailand: Implications for bridging digital divide

Mobile Internet is growing around the world without exception for developing countries like Thailand by passing the poor legacy wired infrastructure. This study attempts to provide guidance to a national regulatory agency (NRA) by addressing the following question: What are the key determining factors to explain the probability that individual consumer will use mobile Internet? The discrete choice model is employed to empirically examine whether the service and application attributes, socio-economic variables and service provider has systematic link with the decision of consumer. The data from a national survey in 2010 commissioned by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) of Thailand is used for the analysis. Based on the findings, fixed telephony, e-mail, age, area of living and mobile operator are recognized as the strongest determinants for mobile Internet adoption. The findings suggest that the mobile Internet becomes an alternative technology to bridge the digital divide since a group of people who have no fixed Internet connection at home they can connect the Internet via mobile Internet. As such, telecom regulator and policy makers need to consider the policies regarding to infrastructure investment frequency allocation, content and application development and competition in order to stimulate the growth of mobile Internet adoption and close the digital divide within country. --Mobile Internet,digital divide,developing country

The Digital Divide: It's the Content Stupid

The article examines the notion of the digital divide, not purely from physical access to the Internet, but from availability to online content. It focusses particularly on concerns held by developing countries, and of intellectual property and copyright

Developing Sustainable Partnerships to Advance Digital Equity

In the early 2000s, inequities surrounding affordable Internet access brought the digital divide into public consciousness. Over time, practitioners and researchers working to address this divide have revealed a persistent, wider gap that includes inequities in social support networks (DiMaggio & Hargittai, 2001). Jenkins et al. (2006) identified a participation gap in using and interacting with digital tools. Evolving conversations have produced a broader conceptualization of the issues through the lens of digital inclusion and digital equity (Siefer, 2016). Those on the wrong side of the digital divide need digital literacy training, access to technical support, and the applications and content that will enable their success in the digital world. In Portland, Oregon, the Multnomah County Library (MCL), digital literacy researchers, and community partners created a bridge to digital equity and inclusion for traditionally excluded members of the community. This work represents a model for collaboration that can be replicated in other communities

Enterprise Content Management Should Be Academic

The ‘digital divide’ that was formed by a curriculum that affords no direct exposure to any business-oriented enterprise content management system and the surprising ubiquity and dependency on enterprise content management systems in business provided the motivation to class-test SharePoint as a surrogate for a university-supported course management system. The classroom test became the basis of a proof-of-concept model for a college-wide document repository that was conceived to manage most of the college’s departmental and committee documents, including those related to AACSB maintenance of accreditation.  The use of a business-tested, enterprise content management system for academic purposes could narrow an academic/industry ‘digital divide’ and may remove an impediment to the adage “practice what you teach.

Sustaining Community Access to Technology: Who Should Pay and Why.

Based on their research on several national, regional, local projects, and an analysis of the Canadian federal governments main Internet public access programs, the authors argue that as the digital divide has evolved and changed, changes in a conception of this and approaches to sustainability are required. This requires defining sustainability in terms of supporting community organizations that provide social development and related content and services to the public, with support for core services, content development as well as technical access and networking. The authors further argue that governments, and in particular the federal government, has the primary role for providing sustainability funding at the community level to address the digital divide and development goals. A conceptual approach is required that extends our understanding of the problem of the digital divide and sustainability to the everyday lived circumstances and needs of citizens and their local communities. Such an approach also permits us to consider sustainability in terms of being primarily a role for governments to provide funding to the community service organizations that provide services at the community level in order to address inequalities and under development. Funding should be used for technical services, the development and maintenance of core operations (staff, volunteers, overheads) and content services that can be accessed using communication technologies

E-Brochure : User's Satisfaction and It's Influence to Communities (A Case Study at RIC Balik Pulau, Penang)

ICT plays the main roles in social and economic changes. In the digital or information age, ICT plays as the main tool to influencing the social and economy. But several people such as communities at rural areas, the senior citizen and the women still stay at the behind of the changes. The different of this people were called digital divide. Digital divide exist in several segment such as location, across countries, gender, age, religious, education level, income level and so on. Many factors contribute too widely of digital divide phenomena. In Malaysia, rural Internet center (RIC) was introduced by government to bridge and shrinking the digital divide between communities at urban areas with communities at rural areas. This study is a part of effort to promoting the RIC. E-Brochure was produced to replace the traditional method (printed brocure) for promoting RIC. 75 respondents from targeted 100 population respondents were randomly selected to evaluate E-Brochure. Questionnaire adapted from QUIS (questionnaire for user interface satisfaction) were use as instrument to see how much the respondent satisfied with E-Brochure. Several elements such as content and ease of use from UIS (user information satisfaction) were put in questionnaire. The reliability of the respondents (70.03%) are overall satisfied using the E-Brochure. 56.54% respondents says that learning to use E-Brochure are easy and 62.65% says that the design are good. The E-Brochure's content are also can be defined as good (67.44%). 93.3% respondent thinks that E-Brochure can appeal them to come using the facilities that offered by RIC