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Inclusion in the Virtual Society
e-gateways as new social places for learning and participation
Sonia Liff, Fred Steward & Peter Watts (Warwick & Aston Universities)
e-gateways - telecottage, cyber- café, community technology centres,
electronic village halls
• New organisations providing internet access in a social place separate from home and work - ‘3rd Places’ for informal public life
• Settings which allow different activities such as learning, information retrieval and communication which traditionally occur in different institutional contexts
• Provide an interface between social networks and virtual networks
Processes of inclusion across the Digital Divide
• Between the worlds of non-users and users- generating interest and confidence to participate
• Between novices and experts - reacting to what people want or need to know, when & how
• Between consumers and creators of e-services and e-products - facilitating and empowering participation
Issues investigated in e-gateway organisations
• Sense of place with distinctive cultures and practices of inclusion and exclusion - drawing on a variety of links to wider social networks
• Ways of engaging interest and supporting learning
• Connections between the familiar and the new - understanding the potential of new technologies and new modes of engagement
UK Survey of e-gateways
• 236 live e-gateways identified in 1998, 50% established since 1996. Continued growth & turnover - sustainability issues
• Mainly small organisations, run by entrepreneurial enthusiasts with a high level of commitment to extending access
• Evidence of many inexperienced users especially in relation to the internet
• Users more like the population at large than shown in general surveys of internet users
Case studies of successful e-gateways
Two contrasting routes for inclusion:
shop front e-gateways
community e-gateways
Characteristics of Shop Front e-gateways
• Prominent, attractive location
• Aims to attract the general public with few prior connections to the e-gateway
• Support for users in response to their interest and need
• Focus on real and virtual communication
Characteristics of Community Gateways
• Low public visibility of location
• Aim to attract users from a specific community / group via existing links
• Emphasis on formal training starting from basics
• Focus on developing competence with computers / internet, some virtual community building
Users in 3 shop front and 3 community UK e-gateways
Similarities• vast majority local
residents - included users with own access
• over 3/4 said social factors were important in their use of e-gateway
• over 1/2 said their knowledge & ability had increased
Differences• Community sites
successful in attracting groups with low use
• Shop front sites successful in supporting internet use including web site creation
Significance of the two approaches for those aiming for e-inclusion
• Failure to locate ICT provisions either in a site that is attractive and accessible to casual passers or has strong links into the community likely to be problematic
• Users of both sites value the social environment
• Scope for strengthening both approaches by learning from each other
Different national contexts
Field work in the two countries with highest global internet access: USA & Finland
Key findings:
• influence of e-gateways on traditional institutions
• contexts which support social innovation
Kirjakaapeli (Cable Book Library) Helsinki
• Shop front e-gateway in central city library
• Open 6 days per week including Sunday - weekdays open till midnight
• Free access to all internet uses including email & chat rooms
• over 90% local users
Watts public library Los Angeles
• Community e-gateway in neighbourhood setting
• 20 free internet workstations
• homework clubs
US e-gateway support networks
• NTIA support for innovative projects
• NSF funded network of community technology centres
• professional volunteers for advice
Key features to learn from e-gateways
• Use is strongly influenced by social environments - which are vital to engage new users, overcome anxieties and help understand the potential of IT
• Diffusion of technology won’t remove the need for social learning
• Different approaches are successful in different contexts - preserve diversity to achieve broad inclusion
Facilitating innovation for social inclusion
• Recognize limits of traditional institutions and promote new boundary spanning settings
• Acknowledge the importance of informal modes of learning in affirming contexts
• Social and virtual interaction are mutually supportive
• Facilitate support networks and ‘voice’ for e-gateways