Lakhian+Amrita

The Digital Divide:

The Digital Divide consists of two main divides. First being the divide in access; resources can restrict or give access to people depending on their gender, income, race, location and telecommunication infrastructures. The other divide is between nations, certain nations are able to transmit information faster then others simply depending on the how developed the nation is. The Digital Divide in brief effects space time and knowledge.The divide affects the entire world as it impacts communications between individuals who live close together, and those who live across the world from each other. As well it affects nations as a whole, the amount of resources and information they have access to.

For my research I will examine the access third world countries have to internet, compared to those in the first world, as well as access depending on gender. I have come to understand that women generally have less access to the internet and computers, simply because they are women and adopt gender roles. Single mothers for example have less time to access the internet then those in a 2 parent family, and even those in a two parent family time is a factor to how much time they can spend on the internet and because women generally manage more of the household then males they are left with less time to access the internet.

My personal website is : http://individual.utoronto.ca/lakhian_amrita

Critical Review: Done by Shaliah Hassan

The basis of Amrita's paper is the lack of access that women have towards information technologies of all sorts. This is from inherent gender roles that are forced upon women such as domestic roles and lack of confidence in the workforce. In the past women started with data entry and simple jobs using technology. As jobs got more complex these roles were taken away from women as they were seen incapable of completing tasks due to complexity. Women also face issues such as anti-feminist websites that deter them from usage. Safety on the internet is also difficult for women because in a soci-economic setting women are seen to be more dependent then their male counter parts. Pornography also is deemed a female experiences women (negative connotation).

In addition to Amrita's paper, i feel that racial factors also need to be included to give a thorough perspective of all women experiences and hardships faced in the digital divide. The article by Janell Hobson focuses on the women experiences that is constructed by ideology about technology in the digital divide and emphasized the hostile interactions in regards to the divide. The main focus of this paper are black and "coloured" women that are affected by the "mythic constructions" and looks at the "re-imagining" womanhood based on ethic minorities in regard to technological exclusion.

Link to source: http://www.informaworld.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/smpp/content~content=a794146740~db=all (Peer Reviewed text located through Scholars Portal)