Nemer, D., & Tsikerdekis, M. (2017). Political engagement and ICTs: Internet use in marginalized communities

Citation

Nemer, D., & Tsikerdekis, M. (2017). Political engagement and ICTs: Internet use in marginalized communities. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(6), 1539- 1550. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1002/asi.23779

Annotation

This article presents a study on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) and their ability to provide avenues for political engagement and increased participation in marginalized communities. The authors cite events in Egypt in “The Arab Spring” and the Occupy Wall street Movement as examples of how ICT’s have changed the way political activists interact. The problem is equitable access and can be observed in a level of digital inequality. The authors chose to look at the favela communities of Vitoria Brazil. Economic protests in 2013 in Vitoria showed how access to internet and social medial for student organizers revealed a level of privilege that further marginalized poor protesters. The article asks several questions: “Do Internet engagement attitudes affect political engagement?”, “Does technological efficacy affect Internet engagement attitudes?” and “Does access to devices that support mobile Internet affect political engagement?” Methodology consisted of initial ethnographic surveys of Vitoria’s favelas and then a questionnaire given out at telecenters (free government subsidized internet access) and LAN houses (paid internet access). Qualitative observation show very few of the respondents participated in the 2013 protest and most learned about them after the fact on television. This show an unequal access divide by class, politics are not something for the poor. In North America poor and marginalized groups are affected by the digital divide. They often avail themselves of the library as a free access to internet when they cannot afford personal mobile or home internet. This is an important look at how libraries can address this divide and work with the poor in their communities to provide equitable access.

Areas/Topics/Keywords:

Digital Divide, marginalization, ICT’s, Brazil, protests, telecenters, political engagement

Page Author: Philip Weaver