Course:LIBR559A/Bredin , M. (2001)

Citation

Bredin , M. (2001). Bridging Canada's Digital Divide: First Nations' Access to Naew Information Technologies . The Canadian Journal of Native Studies ,22, 2, 191-215. Retrieved June 6, 2017.

Purpose of article

The purpose of this article is to situate the digital divide within the “history of colonial relations and within the political economy of communications” (Bredin, pg.192). Additionally it seeks to highlight the how new information technologies are be successfully harnessed by First Nations communities.

Main Arguments

The digital divide has historical links to colonial practices and is reinforced by patterns of economic underdevelopment which causes cultural marginalization and social exclusion (Bredin, pg.211).

Exclusion of Native peoples from participation in the digital culture can be attributed to other processes of marginalization
The digital divide is caused by the centralization and concentration of control over cultural production and the increasing privatization and individualization of cultural consumption.
Divide between metropolitans and rural communities encourage this centralization.
The increasing speed of communication diminishes its “expressive complexity” and inclusion of diverse communities (Bredin, pg.195). This speed also distances the information from the context of its creation.
The commodification of the internet has begun to erode its role as a tool for providing educational and cultural resources
Capitalism causes new forms of social differentiation through consumption and the distribution of wealth.
Information capitalism is characterized by increased individualization of work, over-exploitation of workers, social exclusion and a global criminal economy Bredin, pg.197).
Social exclusion leads to marginalized communities being of little political interest to the ‘power that be’ which leads to them being bypassed by the flow of wealth, information, and basic information technologies.
Not only has hypercapitalism perpetuated the sharing of information from those in control of the technology, but has ensure the continuation of cultural appropriation and exploitation as these marginalized communities to do have the access or opportunity to share and create their own knowledge and culture.
First Nations intervention has resulted in local control and application of digital tools which they have been able to adapt to cultural traditions, local knowledge and community values not reflected in digital tools which are controlled by the state or corporations(Bredin, pg.211).

Methods

This paper is both a thought piece which draws on “literature on the political economy of media and the rise of information technology” as well as case studies which are used as examples of possible solutions to the difficulties presented in the paper(Bredin, pg.193).

Areas / Topics / Keywords

Information disparities, policy development, government policy, First Nations, self-governance, cultural agency, hypercapitalism

Key Concepts

Digital Divide – “ the gap between those who can make effective use of information technologies and those who cannot (Bredin, pg.193)

Social exclusion – a shifting process through which entire countries, regions, neighborhoods etc. are gradually become less interesting politically to the power that be Bredin, pg.197).

Pitfalls, Blind Spots, and Weaknesses

One of the weakness of this article is that it relies heavily on the work of other scholars. While using supporting works and theories can be beneficial too much reliance reduces your arguments ability to stand on its own. It is not until near the end of the article the author brings in primary sources from which they draw their own conclusions.

Contributions to Scholarship

While the digital divide had been a top of discussion among scholars prior to the writing of this article Bredin is one of the first to bring the discussion specifically to First Nations Communities and does an admiral job at discussing the situation for First Nations within a Canadian context. This is important as the policies and governance of information technology and the ability of the First Nation’s to react will depend greatly on the political and social climate within the country. Despite the age of this article it is still very relevant to the discussion and helps to form a basis from which further work has been done on this top by authors such as McMahon.

Link

http://www3.brandonu.ca/cjns/21.2/cjnsv21no2_pg191-215.pdf

Page Author: Pauline Richer