The Digital Divide

Hello!
Hope everyone is well today, I’m feeling very indulgent! As far as indulgences go it’s not very exotic, but this time of year with all the work I’ve got to do it’s all I have. I’m typing this as I sit in the sun, drinking my morning coffee. It’s so cold this morning and I live in an old Queenslander so we are freezing every winter. So a quiet spot to work in the sun seems very special to me, plus I’m not stuck in the computer rooms at uni, trying to concentrate, stay quiet and not daydream all at the same time which can be very distracting.
Today I thought I’d blog about the digital divide, thrilling I know, so I wont bore you any longer about the state of the weather and get into the meaty stuff!
The digital divide isn’t something that we, living in a privileged society often think about, I remember John commenting in one of the lectures or tutes (they all melt into one after awhile) about how he desperately misses his internet access when he is away from the computer. Enough to have withdrawals after a 24 hour hiatus. After reading the Marshall chapter on new media cultures it’s easy to believe that this is only due to a socioeconomic divide, but it can be so much more. Money is often only one part of the problem. Flew describes the digital divide as "questions of inclusion and social exclusion from such forms of interaction and participation, as well as questions of identity and the self in virtual environments." (Flew: 2004:61) My mother can’t text. It’s not as shameful as it sounds really. As a matter of fact she doesn’t know how to use many of her mobile phones features, how can she? There is only so much one can do when the equipment in question is only turned for the two minutes. I remember when I was in year 12, I snuck my phone into class and sent her a text requesting she pick me up, as I was sick (not sick enough for the school office though, but enough for my mum). She replied 9 times! The first 5 were a jumble of letters and numbers, and the next 4 were “yes”, but she had to sent it a couple of times, just encase it wasn’t working. Mum is actually alright on the internet, though only able to do the things she needs to, like paying a bill or searching for accommodation in Noosa. But this divide, the 'age related digital divide' maybe easily changed. Most of the people that fit into this category have the technology, or at least access to technology. So I had a look on google to find internet help desks and learn how sites, I found one called learn the net, which seemed really interesting. It's quite a simple interface, with the choice of three languages, mini courses and a list of the top ten reasons for using the internet. I have to say there not the best reasons, I've never used the internet to "rate the worlds worst parked car", which happens to be the no. 2 reason.
Here is my list of the top ten things I do on the net.


1. Email - always fun
2.Check my bank account , pay bills, banking, another life changing one
3. Look for Jobs - Seek.com seems to have the best listings for Brisbane
4. Watch the fashion parades; I wanted to put this at number one, but I decided number four makes me seem like less of a flake (just barely)
5. Celebrity gossip and clothing- refer to number 4.
6. Download uni stuff- the amount of times I do this really should be up there with one, but its even more boring than email so it was shunted to 6.
7. Podcasts and ipod radio: Ipod radio is on the list to the left in the itunes folder, you can play a radio broadcast through the internet depending on what your favorite music genres are.
8.Ebay; say no more
9. Book accommodation; my cousin Anna went to the UK last month, her accommodation was completely booked and paid for online.
10.Google; no matter what the topic, fun can be had by all.
If you want to tell me what your favorite list is comment!
Soph
References
1. Flew, T. 2004. Virtual Cultures from New Media. An introduction. Melbourne. OUP
2. Marshall, D. P. 2004. New Media Cultures. London. Arnold.