The Digital Divide in 2014

Deepak Prem Subramony, Ph.D.Grand Valley State University

The 2014 McJulien LectureAECT – CLT Division

Named in mid-1990s by NTIA functionaries

Highlighted by VP Al Gore & Pres. Clinton

Bush era M. Powell Remains major

socio-economic challenge

Although nature has changed over time

Digital Divide

Globalization 3.0 in 2000s Flattening (Friedman, 2005-6-7)

Ubiquity of handheld devices & parallel rise of social media

New tech initiatives in K-12 (post-Oprah)

Scholarly research remains scant

“Flat” World, Social Media

DMT remain primary MoP in current I Age

Access to MoP leads to empowerment, freedom & mobility

No access: Powerless, captive, trapped

Friedman: Software & brainpower Today’s sources of wealth

Cyclical process

Persisting Systemic Issues

Virtuous Spiral, Vicious Cycle

Access to Information-Age MoP

Information-Age Skills

Professional Trajectory

Socio-Economic

Status

Need tech access + skills/competencies

Access is necessary but not sufficient for skill acquisition

Opportunities to learn and apply skills, role-models, motivation…

Tapscott (2000): Haves, Knowers, Doers

Persisting Systemic Issues

Consumer v. producer level competencies

Alienation/resistance due to ethnocentric & patriarchic discourse Lack of women & minorities in STEM

Yet another up/down-ward cyclical process

Code.org: Coding for all (Partovi & Partovi)

Persisting Systemic Issues

Bowers: Technology is not culturally neutral

It’s embedded with cultural intelligence of its creator/designer

Producer’s privilege: Tech embodies own cultural patterns/values

Akin to privilege native speakers of English, French & Spanish enjoy

Producer’s Privilege

Access: Rich/poor schools structured so as to reproduce class inequalities (Bowles & Gintis)

Privileged students inherit different cultural capital than the oppressed (P. Bourdieu)

The two differ in their habitus: internalized experiences, beliefs, values, attitudes (P. B.)

Linguistic codes help in intergenerational class reproduction (Bernstein/Heath/Young)

Oppressed groups resist dominant discourses in ways that may be self-detrimental (Willis) Voluntary/involuntary minorities (Ogbu)

Structural & Cultural Factors

McIntosh: Invisible knapsack of privilege

Privileged at happy intersections (K. M. C.)

Use privilege to tear down privilege systems

Overcome resistance by transforming tech education to welcome historically marginalized (women & minorities)

Privilege & Resistance