Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

Lynette Kvasny; Eileen M. Trauth; Allison J. Morgan

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955828

Purpose – Social exclusion as a result of gender, race, and class inequality is perhaps one of the most pressing challenges associated with the development of a diverse information technology (IT) workforce. Women remain under represented in the IT workforce and college majors that prepare students for IT careers. Research on the under representation of women in IT typically assumes women to be homogeneous in nature, something that blinds the research to variation that exists among women. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The paper challenges the assumption of heterogeneity by investigating how the intersection of gender, race, and class identities shape the experiences of Black female IT workers and learners in the USA. Findings – The results of this meta‐analysis offer new ways of theorizing that provide nuanced understanding of social exclusion and varied emancipatory practices in reaction to shared group exposure to oppression. Originality/value – This study on the under‐representation of women as IT workers and learners in the USA considers race and class as equally important factors for understanding variation among women. In addition, this paper provides rich insights into the experiences of Black women, a group that is largely absent from the research on gender and IT.

Richard I.C. Tambulasi

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955837

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which information communication technologies (ICTs) have worked as instruments of perpetuating social exclusion in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses theoretical and conceptual analysis method based on an extensive survey of literature. It greatly draws from the theoretical and empirical insights of social policy sub disciplines of social inclusion/exclusion and social aspects of ICTs. Findings – The paper finds that ICTs in developing countries work to further social marginalization and exclusion. The argument is that developing countries already experience high levels of social exclusion and as a result, ICTs deepen this exclusion. Originality/value – Theoretically, the paper contributes to the development of literature on the impacts of ICTs in developing countries which are in most cases only assumed. The paper is also pivotal for policy analysis purposes as it informs policy makers on appropriate interventions that can ensure sustainable integration of the socially excluded groups in developing countries. In addition, this paper creates a research sub area for further empirical analysis.

Sani Naivinit

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955846

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the access to community telecenters (CTs) and the resulting changes in people's livelihood by focusing on the gendered use of computers and the internet in two Thai CTs. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative methods through participant observation and interviews of 37 respondents are privileged. The assessment of the findings in this study is made by analyzing preset indicators created and adapted from a literature review of telecenters, livelihoods, and gender. Findings – Findings suggest that livelihood changes in specific areas, with a rise in self‐esteem being one of the most noticeable changes. Moreover, financial opportunities, including career enhancement and product development, have expanded as a result of accessing CTs. In regard to gender, although it is found that there is only a small difference in financial opportunity between women and men, the findings point to more positive changes for women than men in terms of health enhancement and social connectedness, while men benefit slightly more in self‐esteem and education. Originality/value – The paper verifies the possibility of information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for enhancing the lives of people. It demonstrates that adults in a rural community can get the benefits of ICTs only if they have the opportunity to learn and have access to use. Furthermore, gender differences identified in the paper can support gender‐sensitive projects using ICT for development.

Nimmi Rangaswamy

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955855

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to profile everyday management and business strategies of 30 cyber cafés in Mumbai and contextualize them in the broader and pervasive culture of non‐formal economy. Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducts an ethnographic study of open‐ended interviews of cyber café owner/managers to understand everyday patterns of managing a cyber café. The field observations and literature review aid an understanding of non‐formal economy in Mumbai. Findings – The paper finds three important insights: business with internet technologies, even at the level of a small café, is expensive, requiring reasonable computing skills to maintain or expand business potential; in order to survive expense management several unauthorized practices are routinised and merge with the broader structures of non‐formal economy; and the non‐formality of business practices influence an open, liberal atmosphere to browse the internet and turn in a predominantly youth clientele. Research limitations/implications – With regulatory discourse on information and communication technologies (ICTs) centered on piracy and ill‐legality, informality of business practices in emerging economies provide an alternate premise to understand its nature and function. These challenge received notions of visualizing ICT as simply piracy and coming to terms with markets shaped and structured by non‐formal processes. Originality/value – The study is one of the first on cyber cafés in Mumbai using the framework of non‐formal economy to analyse data. This paper presents the connections between a small ICT‐enabled business and the pervasive culture of non‐formal business relations in Mumbai. It also reports on the everyday organizational practices and client usages of internet cafés in India.

Saheer Al‐Jaghoub; Chris Westrup

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955864

Purpose – Digital and social inclusion are becoming more talked about as approaches to what has been discussed as the digital divide. But what is digital or social inclusion? The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion of social exclusion as a variety of, sometimes conflicting, social programmes which embody ideas of what society should be. Becoming more aware of this variety of approach can give insights into programmes addressing the digital divide and the political, cultural and social aspects of policies of social inclusion. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses the notion of social inclusion as a variety of social policies to address social exclusion and develop the nation state. It uses an example of a telecentre in Jordan's knowledge station (KS) programme to illustrate and extend this analysis. Findings – The analysis and discussion of the KS initiative shows how different notions of social and digital inclusion are important features of strengthening the Jordanian state and are useful in analysing the relative success of this programme. Originality/value – The paper argues that analyses of digital divides and digital exclusion could be strengthened by a closer understanding of policies of social inclusion. In this way it is possible to move from technological connection as a measure of a digital divide to a more thorough understanding using social inclusion policy which illuminates social, political and cultural aspects of technological change.

Raelene Wilding

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955873

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to anticipate the potential outcomes of efforts to promote social inclusion of youth from refugee backgrounds by considering diverse research conducted on information and communication technologies (ICTs), social inclusion, and young people of refugee backgrounds. It is argued that, while social inclusion programs might be successful at the local level, it is unclear whether they might actually do more harm than good in other, transnational contexts. Design/methodology/approach – Literature reporting on projects that use ICTs to facilitate social inclusion is critically examined, with specific attention to identifying the foundational assumptions underlying such projects. These foundational assumptions are considered in relation to findings of research that identifies the transnational character of the experiences, expectations and aspirations of young people of refugee backgrounds. Findings – The analysis highlights a conceptual disjuncture between the local aims of social inclusion and the transnational experiences of youth with refugee backgrounds. This conceptual disjuncture raises important questions about the potential effects of any program that aims to use ICTs to support young people from refugee backgrounds. While it is clear that a number of potentially positive outcomes are likely from using ICTs to promote social inclusion for refugee youth, several potentially negative outcomes are also apparent. It is argued that these potential harms tend to be overlooked because the foundational concepts of social inclusion assume a “local” community. One means of avoiding the potential for such harms could be to adequately recognise the extent to which individuals and groups participate in intersecting local and transnational communities, networks and flows of ideas, resources, and people. Originality/value – This paper uses evidence of the significance of transnational social and cultural fields to propose an important intervention in social inclusion programs, by pointing to the possible harms that might result from the success of programs that facilitate social inclusion at a local level without appropriate awareness of its effects on non‐local contexts in which participants might also be active.

Suneeti Rekhari

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955882

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at some of the issues surrounding access to and the use of new media technologies by Indigenous people in Australia and question why this is an area of study that receives a marginal focus in academic work. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on previous literature in the area of information and communications technology (ICT) adoption and social exclusion, this paper combines the methodological frameworks adopted by hegemony research and more general studies of new media. Findings – The paper discusses the impacts of new media use by Indigenous communities, within the framework of discussions about a “global Digital Age”. The paper also briefly looks at the social implications of new media adoption. Originality/value – It questions the assumption that adoption and use of new media is for the “good” or “benefit” of all. It will be of value to researchers of ICT adoption by Indigenous communities.

Catharina Muhamad‐Brandner

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955891

Purpose – Māori culture is a central aspect in Aotearoa /New Zealand's national identity. Beginning in the 1970s biculturalism saw the indigenous culture and values acknowledged and incorporated in wider public discourse and policy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether New Zealand's cyberspace accommodates Māori. It explores how the web space is influenced by biculturalism and in turn what an understanding of this web space can tell us about biculturalism in Aotearoa . Design/methodology/approach – A brief introduction to biculturalism in New Zealand provides the background to the investigation of the country's web space. Recent access statistics enquire whether Māori are actually connected to the internet. The exploration of the structure of the internet is informed by newspaper articles and online documents relating to the development of two Māori specific second‐level domain name spaces. A word‐frequency analysis within a sample of 21 websites provides an overview into the use of the Māori language in cyberspace. Findings – The paper shows that although Māori have the lowest access rate to the internet compared to other ethnic groups in New Zealand, their influence on the country's web space is nonetheless far‐reaching. Developments regarding Māori language uses over the last years are generally progressive. Māori culture and ongoing social changes are increasingly accommodated on the internet – Māori have been actively shaping the web space. However, these efforts do require the support and acceptance of the wider Internet community. The linguistic and structural developments taking place online since the mid 1990s were influenced by the bicultural thinking, public discourse and practice of the time. Originality/value – This paper draws together the Māori success‐stories in their endeavour to assert their cultural needs in New Zealand's cyberspace. It highlights that the understanding of Aotearoa as being a bicultural country influenced developments taking place online potentially will lead to a truly bicultural web space in the near future.

Tyler Pace; Aaron Houssian; Victoria McArthur

2009 Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society

doi: 10.1108/14779960910955909

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how both the presentation and limitation of visual choices in massively multiplayer online role‐playing games (MMORPG) avatar creation interfaces tends to exclude or favor different real life social groups. Design/methodology/approach – A novel method combining both quantitative and critical analysis of the syntagmatic‐paradigmatic structure of MMORPG avatar creation interfaces is used to inform the findings of this study. Findings – This study concludes that as cultural interfaces, current fantasy themed MMORPGs remediate socially exclusive values both from fantasy literature and from their own game lore. The socially exclusive values deal largely with extreme and immutable racial and sexual dimorphism. Research limitations/implications – Interfaces which present users with color palettes and/or smooth slider‐based body modifiers do not lend themselves well to this method of analysis. In addition to this, only a handful of the popular MMORPGs are analyzed within the body of this work. Practical implications – This paper demonstrates that MMORPG players and designers need to be more aware about how they are constructing and embedding social values in their worlds. Avatars are critical conduits for online social dynamics and embedding socially exclusive values may transfer negative ideologies from old media to new. Originality/value – This paper offers one of the earliest critiques of embedded values in avatar creation interfaces of MMORPGs. The paper aims to begin discussion on an overlooked area of now popular media that has not received any critical attention regarding its embedded messages of social inclusiveness or exclusiveness.