Transcript The digital divide

Social Exclusion in the
Information Age
ItrainOnline MMTK <www.itrainonline.org>
Content Overview
 What is social exclusion and what are
some of its forms?
 What is social exclusion in the
information age?
 Opportunities and Threats
 Regulation and social exclusion
 Civil Society and Policy-making
Learning Objectives
 Identify and define forms of social
exclusion
 Be able to give examples of how ICTs can
be mobilised to mitigate social exclusion
 Understand how ICTs can exacerbate
and/or create new forms of social
exclusion
 Familiarity with frameworks for change and
policy-making
What is Social Exclusion?
The various ways in which people are
kept from fully participating economically,
politically, socially, and culturally in
society;
Is a result of not having power and hence
access to decision-making that could
influence policies or create opportunities
for improving their standard of living.
Social exclusion because of...








poverty
ethnic and cultural factors
oppression and corruption
gender
geography
literacy and skill levels
physical disability and illness
others
Information Age
 Information Society
 Globalisation
 ICTs for Development
Social exclusion in an
Information Age








poverty
ethnic and cultural factors
oppression and corruption
gender
geography
literacy and skill levels
physical disability and illness
others
Information Society – Opportunities (1)
Social inclusion is about removing the
barriers and factors which lead to
exclusion so people can participate.
How can ICTs help do this?
Information Society – Opportunities (2)
 Organising and networking
 Accessing information
 Creating content
Information Society – Opportunities (3)
 Economic growth and access to new
markets
 Better access to education, distance
and life-long learning
 Health information and communication
 Democratic development through
enhanced transparency, equality and
transparency
Information Society – Threats (1)
ICT network infrastructure requires
significant investment. Private
sector investment is one of the key
drivers for ICT development.
What are some of the implications of
this in terms of social exclusion?
Information Society – Threats (2)

Concentration of media ownership

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)

Surveillance and control over access
and use of ICTs

Future exclusion
The Role of Regulation?
Regulation can work in support of fighting
social exclusion.
In other instances, regulation can further
entrench existing power structures.
Civil Society and Policy-making
Participation and organisation is needed to:
• promote and defend Communication
Rights;
• defend the internet as a secure and
accessible space for social justice,
campaigning and for promoting
development;
• provide input into national information
society plans.
APC internet rights charter




The Right to Communicate
Freedom of expression and information exchange
Diversity, ownership and control of content
Free/open source software, technology
development and intellectual property rights
 Privacy
 Global, regional and national governance of the
Internet
 Awareness, protection and realisation of rights
Four pillars of the CRIS campaign
Communication Rights in the Information Society:
 Creating spaces for democratic environments;
 Reclaiming the use of knowledge and the public
domain;
 Reclaiming civil and political rights in the
information society; and
 Securing equitable and affordable access.
<www.crisinfo.org>
Conclusions
The digital divide has been described as
an exacerbated form of other already existing
divides – many of which are the causes
of social exclusion.
Social inclusion for all in an information age
requires internationally recognised rights for
communication and access to ICTs, and concerted
efforts to protect the social sphere of ICTs.