Though the Internet may be seen as Habbermas' wet dream , Sharon Mazzarella notes, in her art ice, Girl Wide Web, that one of the difficulties of her study was "recruiting a racially and economically diverse group of participants" and that this "digital divide potentially silences not only individual voices in individual social milieus (like middle schools), but also entire groups within the public sphere" (197). The difficulties Mazzarella came upon and nature of computers as inherently "white-collar" create a sphere of discourse that is only accessible by material means.
Even if economics were not a factor in accessibility, the nature of class ethos limits many of the possible uses of the Internet. Typically (an unsubstantiated generalization), the working class is practical, shunning the theoretical. For them, it is not about how they can make their voice heard, as much, as it is a tool that is used to get things done. They want to know, "How do I get to Chicago?", "How do I clean my garbage disposal?", or "What do I need to change the oil for my Harley Fat Boy?" The use of the tool is not dictated by the capability of the tool, but how the tool best fits with the philosophy, ethic and goals of that social group.
Unfortunately, the tool is already limited in its use because of social perceptions and the way, in which, these perceptions shape individuals and social groups. These perceptions limit the discourse between the tool and the individual and how the individual interacts with the tool, in this case the networked computer.
How to bridge the divide? Unfortunately, "a leap from the lions head" is not the best answer. The tool--and the potential uses of the tool--need to be enculturated. Socialization of the various uses for the networked computer must become an exigency for technology and education, where, regardless of class and race, students can learn and use a the computer in more ways that just as a tool of production.
1 comment:
Is digital technology really silencing people that chose not to use it as a tool of proclamation, but of production?
I would say not necessarily.
Yes, technology ostracizes those that are economically underprivileged. But, I would argue that the internet has allowed significantly more people to cheaply express their opinions than ever before. After all, once you have access to a computer and internet connection (perhaps at a public library), Blogger is free.
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