I was reading a book ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Downloaded: Dissent in the digital age’ edited by Tara Brabazon, and it brought up an interesting perspective on the effects of internet social media: that of exclusivity and the isolation and powerlessness that can result from it. The upcoming Web 2.0 and social apps like MySpace can be argued to be exclusive, just as much as they can be heralded as offering unprecedented access and freedom of communication. Social sites have a slightly up-scale, trendy affectation and can be complicated to manage and use, and the upcoming Web 2.0 may have the same problems.
Many people do not use these sites or even the internet because they do not associate with it or know how to use it, and some cannot afford it especially in Australia with our set of internet plans on offer. This could be stopping these people from being as relevant, politically or socially active as they might have been with usage of these technologies.
Some authors in the book argue that although the internet was supposed to be a revolution for change, the fact that not everyone uses it to the same extent, or at all, has tempered this effect. The internet is full of contradicting information and websites full of differeing opinions, and it can be overwhelming to try and understand how to use the internet to gain information and what you can trust. It requires a certain amount of tech savvy.
I personally think if people are not using the internet (apart from access or financial reasons) it is their fault if they are not able to have as much relevance in certain groups as otherwise. I believe the barrier of entry is not too great, and people can limit themselves to a few familiar sites and email without getting too confused or exposed. However, the goal of achieving some kind of technological or social revolution will be realized to a greater extent than it has been, if more people get on the web and use it more deeply.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Shebley say…
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting Grish..back in Malaysia, when internet was first introduced to the people, the Malaysian Government has came out with a superb initiatives in conducting sessions with the schools, old folks and those people from the rural areas on the important of using internet for acquiring additional knowledge with “know-how’ experience. This task force even conducted internet classes for those people at the rural areas so that they will be at the same pace with those people in the urban areas.
On the other hand, I personally believe that the issue on “affordable or not” is just a minor issue as if it is important, they will definitely cut their monthly expenses (maybe on grocery) in materializing this matter. However, if they really can’t afford it, they can still use it at the public library. The matter is either they want and care or just don’t bother with it…
Right. In the book, elderly people, many in nursing homes or by themselves, are one of the groups vulnerable to falling behind in terms of net usage. We haven't really had a govt sponsored education on the Internet in Western countries, have we?
ReplyDeleteGrish
Shebley say...
ReplyDeleteWestern countries im not sure Grish but I'm pretty sure most of the Asian countries yes..
A report by the Australian government called "Australia in the Digital Economy" (2009) found that 36% of Australian internet users consider the level of their internet skills to be above average while a further 45 percent consider themselves as having average skill levels.
ReplyDeleteAs can be seen from these figures most Australians don´t have skill barriers when using the Internet and I guess that the younger the generation, the better the skills, the more usual the access of the internet is.
According to the report "Younger Australians - 18 to 30 years old, and males, were more likely to perceive their internet skills as being above average."
Skills levels are critical to ensuring Australian´s maximise the benefits of the internet, however they are also important in ensuring that Australians are able to address any online risks by setting in place appropriate technological behavioural measures.
Shebley say...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Eva for the statistic analysis. How about those people above the age of 30 years old..should they be left out from the “internet community”? What is the action taken by the government? I would suggest that the local authority to provide a drastic approach in penetrating this age group of people as they are certainly among the senior people within the community that are able to influence the decision making process compared to the younger people with age below 30 years old.