1.10 - Impact of Digital Communication on Social Inequalities - notes

Social class and digital inequalities

Social class significantly affects access to digital communication. Middle-class individuals often have greater resources to engage with digital tools, as they can afford the latest technology, while working-class people may face barriers due to the expense of devices and services.

Key ways social class impacts digital access

• Cost barriers - Digital devices and internet services can be expensive, making them less accessible to lower-income groups. This creates unequal participation, with middle-class users more likely to afford the latest technology.
• Digital underclass - This term describes a group excluded from digital communication due to lack of resources. Characteristics include unemployment, lower education levels, limited digital skills, and reduced social capital - networks of contacts that offer support, advice, and opportunities.

Research on class differences in digital use: Mertens and D'Haenens

• Background - Mertens and D'Haenens conducted a study in Belgium to examine digital usage across social classes.

• Results - 94% of middle-class individuals used digital forms of communication, compared to 81% from working-class backgrounds.

• Conclusions - Working-class users primarily engaged with digital tools for entertainment, such as through game consoles, while middle-class users focused on education and information gathering.

Gender and digital inequalities

Gender differences in usage patterns

• Time spent online - Men tend to spend more time accessing the internet than women, with specific reports indicating men accessed the internet for an average of 23.3 hours per week compared with 17.8 hours for women in the UK in 2014.
• Social relationships and platforms - Younger women often use digital tools to build and maintain social connections, favouring platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (now called X).
• Types of activities - Men are more likely to engage in activities such as emailing, participating in chat rooms, and playing computer games on consoles.

Key studies on gender and digital communication

• Ofcom (2015) - In 2014, men accessed the internet for an average of 23.3 hours per week, compared to 17.8 hours for women.
• Li and Kirkup (2007) - Men were more likely to use email, chat rooms, and console games than women.

Location and digital inequalities

Global disparities in internet access

• Lack of connectivity - Many people in poorer countries have no internet access due to limited mobile networks and infrastructure.
• Language and literacy barriers - The dominance of English on the web excludes non-English speakers, while low literacy rates further compound access issues.
• Regional variations - Access is uneven; for example, in Africa, connectivity is highest in countries like South Africa and Nigeria, but overall remains low.

Statistics on inequalities in worldwide internet usage

• UN findings - In 2015, 4 billion people (57 per cent of the world's population) had no internet access, including 90 per cent of those in the 48 poorest countries. Only 7 per cent of Africa's population was online.
• UNESCO literacy data - In 2019, sub-Saharan Africa had a literacy rate of approximately 65 per cent among those aged 15 and above, with the 13 lowest-literacy countries all in Africa. Low literacy makes navigating digital content challenging.

The following table summarises global internet usage by region in 2015, adapted from Internet World Stats.

Disability and digital inequalities

Positive impacts of digital communication for disabled people

• Digital tools can empower those with disabilities by providing platforms for expression, community building, and alternative experiences.

• Digital activism and storytelling - Interactive technologies allow disabled individuals to share personal experiences directly. For example, YouTube blogs cover disabilities like autism or wheelchair use, creating communities and educating non-disabled audiences.

• Support networks - Platforms like Facebook host groups such as Disability Rights UK, Dancing Giraffe, and ABLEize, connecting around 50,000 disabled people in the UK for mutual support and political advocacy.

• Virtual worlds - Sites like Second Life or Virtual Ability enable users to adopt avatars that overcome real-world limitations. Wheelchair users can "walk" or "dance," while text-based chat levels the playing field for deaf individuals, as it doesn't require sign language knowledge.

Research on disability and virtual engagement

• Ginsburg - Interactive platforms enable first-person discussions, fostering digital video activism and community building for those facing face-to-face interaction challenges.
• Boellstorff - Observation of disabled users' experiences in virtual environments found users control their identities, engaging in activities denied in real life, such as running or skydiving. This boosts confidence, self-esteem, and social skills, with communities like Virtual Ability designed specifically for support.

Challenges and limitations

• Despite benefits, digital media can exclude disabled users.

• Design barriers - Small fonts hinder visually impaired people, while typing requirements exclude those with motor difficulties.

• Increased participation with caveats - While engagement has grown, inaccessible designs can "disable" users further.