Rethinking the digital divide

Abstract

In discussing and planning interventions around the "digital divide" people tend to think in terms of the binary oppositions of "digital-haves" and "digital-have-nots". Information and communications technologies (ICT) programs sponsored by governments and other agencies to address the "digital divide" also tend to be "topdown" initiatives that focus on the provision of institutional aid and the development of infrastructure. Within these approaches ICT have-nots tend to be treated as the passive receivers of aid. The agency of digital-havenots in gaining access to ICT has been rarely examined. In this paper we report on a study that has shown that ICT use patterns amongst those with poor ac..