Impact On Social Coass Identity/inequality And MARXIST explanations

Question 1

Mertens and d’haenens

Answer 1

studied digital divide in Brussels found clear link between class and internet usage. Lower classes use internet less (81% compared to 94% middle class). Lower classes use technology as a form of entertainment but middle classes use it to boost knowledge and research info. 79% of lower own a games console compared to 65% from higher classes. Claims social class is the biggest factor affecting digital inequality no gender or ethnicity

Question 2

Helsper

Answer 2

researched how youths use digital technologies and said there is a digital underclass forming in Britain. Lower education levels and no employment appear to be left behind with growth of the internet. Government plans to make public services digital by default so these people can’t access them. Poor children are victims of digital divide as parents lack skills to help them use the internet compared to middle classes. Children from better off backgrounds had greater access to internet at home and can exploit its array of resources (e.g. research for homework, YouTube videos to help practical skills like art..

Question 3

Marxist idea 1-deregulation of the media and digital communication

Answer 3

sites are not regulated by the state but private companies. There is little financial incentive to protect vulnerable people like women and children so little is done to prevent their exploitation. The internet is a form of surveillance and a way to control people in the interests of the wealthy. Media owned by few people which transmit ruling class ideologies and present a bias view of world events. Media convergence has led to a greater platform to shape ideas to encourage the acceptance of capitalism and helps to reinforce inequalities.

Question 4

Garside-Marxist-idea 1

Answer 4

Acknowledges that the typical adult spends 8 hours and 41 minutes on media each day but 8 hours and 21 minutes asleep, this suggests digital communication is a way of entertaining people which presents no real threat to the existing capitalist society. (Internet form of surveillance to and to collect data, ads and direct from false class consciousness)

Question 5

Cornford and robins-Marxist-idea2(digital communication is new form of surveillance

Answer 5

digital communication is another way we are ideologically controlled by capitalists who own media, social media makes us think we have freedom, democracy and equality but it is just another way capitalists make money and control people. Digital communication threatens individual freedom as information is collected about us (via Facebook, present ads)

Question 6

Fuchs-Marxist-idea 2

Answer 6

there has been a rise in big data capitalism where data is commodified (e.g. the great hack). Surveillance occurs where companies store, collect, control and analyse big data of internet users. Snowden revealed the existence of a global surveillance system that secret services use to monitor communication between individuals using companies like apple, Facebook, google, Microsoft and Skype

Question 7

The snowden report-Marxist-idea 2

Answer 7

the US and UK government had accessed personal conversations on digital media in the interests of national security. Intelligence agencies dismissed the claims and said it was necessary and legal to protect from terrorist threat but world leaders such as Obama and the brazilian president were wary and protested by not visiting Russia for protecting snowden and the us in fear of being under surveillance.