Impacts Of Digital Communication On Inequalites / Theoretical Explanations

Question 1

Age - Digital generation divide

Answer 1

Each successive generation sees a greater use of and reliance on digital communications. Difference between digital use of old age and youths

Question 2

Age - Palmer - Toxic parenting

Answer 2

Argues that parents rely on technology to occupy / entertain their children - eg iPads at mealtimes at restraints , children can feel isolated and can’t relate to others face to face

Question 3

Age - Postman

Answer 3

Children exposed to adult content - the internet leads to children and youths being exposed to adult content e.g sex and violence

Question 4

Age - The Ofcom report

Answer 4

Suggests that of all the older - over 65- people who use the internet , only 59% use it everyday

Question 5

Age - Garside

Answer 5

Generational differences - children know more about technology as they have been brought up with it - digital natives - shaping digital communication- 6 year olds can use a phone better than a 45 year olds - older age uses it for information whereas younger people use it for entertainment
Older people may feel isolated as they can’t necessarily connect and relate to things online

Question 6

Age - Boyle

Answer 6

Digital generation divide - suggests that this is not just with regards to digital communications but within the media as a whole
Acknowledges a range of reasons for this phenomenon- young people are more equipped to develop their skills demanded by new technologies
Young people want to create their adult identities and digital communications can help with this
The peer group is an important forum for adolescents and technologies help with alternative ways of keeping up communications and developing social networks

Question 7

Age - Berry

Answer 7

Researched older users of the internet and found that when explains their reasons for not accessing the internet most participants explained that this was due to their lack of skill and / or lack of internet in doing so
79% of households below state pension age have internet access compared to only 37% of those above state pension age - supports digital generation divide

Question 8

Class - Mertens and D’Haenens

Answer 8

Digital divide in Brussels - clear link between class and internet usage - those from lower social classes used technology as a form of entertainment, whereas middle class mes used devices more to boost their knowledge and to research different information
79% of those from the lower classes owned a games console was opposed to 65% of those from a higher social class

Question 9

Class - Helsper

Answer 9

Researched youths and the use of digital technologies- evidence of digital underclass - those with lower education levels and no employment appear to be those left behind in the growth and the use of the internet - government plans to make public services ‘digital by default’ meaning that these individuals will be unable to access them

Question 10

Marxist - Garside

Answer 10

Acknowledges that the typical adult spend 8hrs 41 mins on social media a day but only 8hr 21 mins asleep suggesting digital communication is a way of entertaining people with presents no real threat to the existing capitalist society

Question 11

Marxists - Cornford and Robins

Answer 11

The digital communication is just another way in which we can be ideologically controlled by a capitalist who can own and control this form of media . Makes us think we have freedom , democracy and equality actually just another way capitalist can make money

Question 12

Marxist- The Snowball Report

Answer 12

The US and British governments had accessed personal conversations on digital media in the interests of national security
Intelligence agencies suggest that these are necessary and legal but these actions have lead to mixed reactions from world leaders

Question 13

Feminist- Arlaccki

Answer 13

Also states that organised exploitation is one of the most undesirable consequences of globalisation, He states that this is not currently considered a priority by any country

Question 14

Feminist - The centre for social justice

Answer 14

Study aimed to examine the nature and extent of slavery in the UK . Findings showed that both Uk nationals and those from abroad are exploited in the sex industry through forced labour, domestic servitude and forced criminal activity

Question 15

Feminist- Hughes

Answer 15

Explains that digital communication can help to reproduce patriarchy through sex exploration such as bride trafficking and sex tourism . Digital commerce means that information about where to buy prostitutes can occur and live sex shows can be viewed through video conferencing

Question 16

Feminist- Schuster

Answer 16

Researched women’s feminist engagement in New Zealand and notes that online activism is often the preserve of the young , and that due to the closed nature of some social networks . May create a divide between young feminists and older act, as the new wave of feminists unwittingly hide their politics from their older peers

Question 17

Feminist- Haraway

Answer 17

Felt that the women should be a part of the technological advances that were occurring rather than be redid to the social construction of what a women should be. Discusses the image of a cyborgs and is interested in the way that technology can provide a way for women to become more empowered through changing their identities rather conforming to patriarchal ideals

Question 18

Feminist- Nakuamura

Answer 18

Studied the way in which the digital global world is being used increasingly more by women from a range of different ethnic and class backgrounds. Social media and digital communication can be used by women as a forum of support when they face discrimination and inequality

Question 19

Feminist - Cochrane

Answer 19

Examines the range of ways in which women have used digital communication in order to challenge patriarchal and sexist attitudes, she notes the following campaigns :
- The girl guides - introduced a campaigning and activism badge
- Mumsnet.com - found that 59% of their users considered themselves feminists, double those who did not
- Larasi - started a campaign to address racist and sexist attitudes in music videos and students campaigned for the banning of the song Blurred lines from being played in University campus

Question 20

Postmodernist - positive - Collins

Answer 20

Explains that to understand society the chains between people must be understood. He explains the importance of researching with a micro - approach in order to compare peoples on and offline lives

Question 21

Postmodernist - positive - Bjorklund

Answer 21

Explains the that until individuals have used autobiographies to describe their lives near the end of their lives but that in a postmodern world people take a different view of defining the self. Facebook is like an ongoing autobiography where different people can present how people see their lives

Question 22

Postmodernist- positive- Hart

Answer 22

Supports this in suggesting that due to social media websites people are writing and rewriting their lives , presenting values that are important to themselves and their society , Je claims that as a result people are creating both online and offline identities. Status updates on Facebook , for example , are not superficial as some might suggest but significant and relevant to the social context of the individual.

Question 23

Postmodernist- positive- Foucault

Answer 23

Argues that surveillance is likely to become an effective means of regulating behaviour and reducing crime in contemporary society
A contemporary example of surveillance through the use of digital communication is used by Google ads which tracks your interests using previous search data and guesses your profile . Adverts are then targeted at you

Question 24

Postmodernist - critical - Case

Answer 24

Suggests that people posting their lives online can create a challenge , especially to adolescents who in effect have two adolescents: one online and one offline . She explicitly that it can be hard to remove mistakes that can remain documented. For example , it is difficult to know what private data is stored online even when it is deleted by the owner, this can cause disputes between individuals

Question 25

Postmodernist- critical - Elliot

Answer 25

Is pessimistic about the fragmentation nature of identity as a result of sites such as Facebook

Question 26

Postmodernist- critical - Miller

Answer 26

Carried out the global social media revolution m pact study . This aims to report on the use and consequences of social media for people around the world . That used an ethnographic method to explore peoples on and offline lives