So I’ve just come fresh out of a wee group co-ordinated by CCP Scotland, with brilliant contributions from colleagues over at SAMH, Carr Gomm, and Deaf Blind Scotland. As always, I’ve come away having learned far more than I’ve shared, even though I was there as a trainer. It’s the way with digital stuff: there’s… Read More Data privacy: a class privilege.
Figure 1: Maslow theory of needs. ©University of Reading In our work with Get Digital, we are constantly seeing a number of key themes which impact on an individual’s engagement with the internet, but the two which are of particular interest for the purpose of this discussion are motivation and competing priorities. What both people… Read More Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the impact of digital inequality
This post also appeared as part of an SCVO publication. The last weeks have been pretty immersive (read: chaotic). With Mhor Collective, One Digital and SCVO, we’ve been working with some fantastic third sector organisations to understand the challenges they face when addressing issues of digital inclusion, and- hopefully- work with them towards some solutions.… Read More Digital Bookmark: Notes from digital inclusion research (and the day job).
One of the issues which has become apparent even in the short time since I began working with the University of West Scotland and SCVO, is the translation process required to ensure that conversations around research are both accessible and inclusive. It is vital that institutional processes -such as ethics- are duly addressed and made… Read More Explaining research
When we’re working at Mhor Collective with our partners across the not-for-profit sector in Scotland and talking about the social inequalities often exacerbated by digital, we are often asked how we define ‘basic digital skills’ — and how we measure the impact of any support work. The second question is one we continue to wrestle with- and our research… Read More Be safe, legal and confident online: a new framework for essential digital skills.
The publication of doteveryone’s fantastic 2018 Digital Understanding Report is of particular interest, highlighting that ‘Digital understanding is not about being able to code, it’s about being able to cope. It is about adapting to, questioning and shaping the way technologies are changing the world.’ The report sets out a definition of digital understanding as a separate from… Read More Power, People and Technology
Today, in advance of the plenary speakers at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance conference in Cleveland, I’ve been reflecting on definitions. NDIA define digital equity as ‘a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy. Digital Equity is necessary for civic… Read More Digital Equity and Digital Inclusion
In starting to think about a participatory action research approach to learn more about the impact of digital skills intervention, I came across an article by Edwin Mayorga (Mayorga, 2014) reflecting specifically on a digital critical participatory action project, within a cultural context of ‘racial capitalism’ (Mayorga, 2014/ Melamed, 2011). Mayorga intended for this project… Read More #BarrioEdProj : Digital Participatory Action Research
In framing my research, I’m beginning to look critically at the impact of Pierre Bourdieu’s notions of capital, habitus and field within the area of ‘digital sociology’, especially reflecting on the societal impact of digital technology. I’m particularly interested in the idea of digital capital and of the way in which ‘habitus’- or social class-… Read More Bourdieu and the digital space
Having worked in the field of digital inclusion for the best part of a decade now as a practitioner, and as someone moving into research to enhance that practice, I’m excited about trying to pull various strands of thought together – reflecting on the intersection between the individual at risk of digital exclusion (and social… Read More Preliminary thinking.
