Liberation and Domination: Understanding the Digital Divide from the Standpoint of the 'Other'

摘要

In this paper, I present the competing perspectives of the digital divide that emerged from a study of African American inner city residents participating in a community technology center. A critical analysis of the participants' narratives about information technology and the digital divide was carried out. This analysis was informed by feminist standpoint theory, which posits that groups sharing a common location within hierarchical power structures also share collective experiences. The results demonstrate that participants viewed the digital divide from racial and class standpoints, and envisioned information technology as both liberating and dominating. These dual perspectives are used to identify policy implications for redressing the digital divide.