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This study aims to explore the evolution of the literature on the sociological implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) as an educational tool, particularly its influence on digital inequalities. While AI technologies, such as AI-based language models, have begun transforming educational practices by personalizing learning, fostering student autonomy, and supporting educators, concerns remain regarding access disparities, ethical implications, and the potential reinforcement of existing social inequalities. To address these issues, a bibliometric analysis employing science mapping was conducted on 1515 studies sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection. This analysis traces the thematic evolution of social science perspectives on AI's role in education and its relationship with digital inequalities. The results indicate a growing academic interest in AI in education, with a notable progression from understanding its basic impact to exploring complex themes such as vulnerability, disability, bias, and community. The studies show that AI's application has expanded from isolated research on specific populations to broader discussions on inclusivity, equity, and the impact of AI on governance, policy, and community. However, the findings also reveal a significant gap in sociological perspectives, particularly regarding issues like digital illiteracy and socio-economic access disparities. Although AI holds promise for promoting more inclusive education, further research is essential to address these sociological concerns and to guide the ethical, equitable implementation of AI as its influence on governance, policy, and community impact continues to grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political expression has flourished online, especially on social media platforms, but there are also participation gaps associated with long-standing social and digital inequalities including socio-demographics, political capital, and internet practices. In this study, we examine how network characteristics such as size and diversity contribute to gaps in online political expression and content creation, as well as whether they mediate the stratificational effects of antecedent factors. We test these possibilities using data from a two-wave panel survey of adult internet users in the United States collected just before and after the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Our findings show relatively wide participation gaps associated with network diversity, which also mediates the influence of political interest and digital news use. We argue that more attention should be paid to network inequalities in online participation, particularly whether they arise from fundamentally unfair social conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid digitalization and an aging population are leading to an increasingly prominent age-based digital divide among the world's elderly population. This study focuses on China, one of the most rapidly aging and digitalizing countries in the world. Employing a mixed-method approach, this research examines how elderly individuals experience the digital transformation and the associated digital divide. The findings suggest that the elderly interviewees encounter multiple barriers to learning and using digital technologies, which highlights the significant role of social support and networks in facilitating their adaptation to the digital society and lifestyle. Attitudes toward digital engagement and digitalization vary greatly among the elderly, ranging from being optimistic to feeling left behind and having multiple concerns. Our findings further reveal that the Chinese government has implemented numerous digital apps tailored to the demands of the elderly and provided training opportunities to bridge the gray digital divide. This emphasizes the responsiveness and adaptiveness of Chinese authorities in addressing pressing societal issues. However, we identify a gap in digital outreach, as most elderly interviewees have limited awareness of government digital inclusion policies and programs. This article contributes to digital divide research and offers practical implications for countries grappling with the gray digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphones are the principal instrument for internet access among adolescents and pre-adolescents in many industrialized countries. However, research on the long-term correlates of age at first access to these devices concerning life outcomes is scarce. This study contributes to the literature by collecting data from 3,247 Italian students in grade 10. Through OLS and logistic regressions, we investigate socio-demographics' role in predicting the age of first smartphone access and the associations between the age of access and selected life outcomes. The moderating effect of socio-demographics on such relationships is also investigated through multiple-interaction models. Results suggest that females and students from less-educated families are more likely to receive smartphones earlier. Early smartphone access is negatively associated with adolescents' well-functioning. Finally, deferring access reduces the gender gap in language proficiency, digital skills and life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Socioloski Pregled is the property of Srpsko Sociolosko Drustvo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Digital disparities concerning access, skills, and utilization of digital technology pose a barrier to engagement in e-learning processes, ultimately serving as a significant source of exclusion, inequality, and social isolation. This quantitative study involved 1526 middle school pupils residing in the rural regions of Moldova. The objective of this research is to evaluate students' digital competencies and their perspectives on the online learning experience. Our results indicate that the highest digital competence area is Digital content creation (DC) and the lowest is "Problem-solving" (PS). We also found a positive correlation between face-to-face discussion with the teacher and the mean scores from the digital skills level, the correlation seems to be mediated by the variable "the possibility to ask the teacher" (PAT). The discussion revolves around the role of the teacher as an intermediary and mediator in the education process, emphasizing the concrete interaction between teachers and students as a fundamental element in enhancing and improving digital skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de l'Éducation is the property of Canadian Society for the Study of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite having high literacy rates and a robust digital infrastructure, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region still faces digital inequalities. This collection of articles explores the complexities of digital disparities within MENA, taking into account cultural, economic, and historical factors. Each article in this section examines the impact of digital inequality on society, the economy, and culture, emphasizing the need for context-specific approaches. The goal of this thematic issue is to encourage international study and address social challenges stemming from digital divides in MENA by critically discussing digital disparities and their effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term digital divide refers to disparities in digital access, infrastructure, and opportunities. However, it is important to recognize that information and communication technologies (ICTs) do not operate in isolation. They are influenced by social and structural factors. This study focuses on Tunisia and Morocco to examine access to and usage of digital technologies, factors shaping these patterns, and the impact of unequal access and usage on employment and socioeconomic well-being in the post-Arab Spring era. Using Afrobarometer household surveys from 2013 to 2022, encompassing 9595 respondents, we construct a digital inclusion index and disaggregate results to illustrate the dynamics of digital inequalities. We employ pooled logistic regression to explore the determinants of digital inclusion and examine how disparities shape well-being. Findings show improved digital inclusion in Morocco and Tunisia from 2013 to 2022, yet over 80% of their populations remain partially or entirely excluded. We confirm previous studies suggesting that digitalization mirrors or exacerbates preexisting inequalities, with gender, age, education, and socioeconomic status significantly influencing digital inclusion, indicating persistent inequalities and barriers. Our findings also have broader implications for the MENA region, emphasizing the need to address the complex interactions among sociodemographic factors, including gender, age, education, and socioeconomic disparities, in order to achieve equitable digital inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users of digital technologies are still held legally responsible for managing their personal data. However, not all users have the same opportunities for privacy management as researchers find systematic sociodemographic differences in, for example, users’ privacy literacy and self-efficacy – two important predictors of privacy management. The present study argues that one reason for such digital inequalities is how easily people have access to privacy information in their everyday lives (e.g. through their profession or social contacts). Analysing data of a representative sample of German internet users (N = 3978) by means of a Bayesian structural equation model, we find that men and more educated persons report easier access to privacy information which, in turn, positively relates to both privacy literacy and self-efficacy. Older persons feel less confident about privacy protection while men and more highly educated persons have higher privacy literacy levels. In conclusion, the present study reveals that casual access to privacy information can be important in learning and being confident about privacy management, but it cannot fully explain digital inequalities in online privacy self-efficacy and literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of an empirical research on the topic of personal data awareness, conducted through a survey of a representative sample of the Italian population. Considering five self-perceived levels of digital competence, we investigate the perception of digital footprints people leave online, how they act when apps and platforms demand to share personal data, and whether they are concerned about privacy issues. We discuss these topics and the research data in the light of theoretical frameworks regarding the emerging forms of new digital inequalities, which are broadening to include the awareness gaps, among different users, about how apps and online platforms collect and use personal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the interaction between digital capital and some offline components (economic, cultural, political, social and personal) that represent the background against which we access and use the Internet. Based on a stratified sample of the UK population (868), six indexes (one for each component) were generated through factor analysis and univariate analysis. We summarised them into a unique model by performing a multiple linear regression to evaluate the role-played by offline components in the development/reinforcement of digital capital. The interaction between these new indexes and the digital capital index shows that, with the exception of the political component, all offline backgrounds positively contribute to digital capital. Moreover, the multiple regression analysis shows that the economic and social components have the strongest influence on digital capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay of digital technologies and inequalities are increasingly discussed in contemporary research, mostly focusing on different forms of digital divides and often addressed as a 'problem' that societies should face. Hence, digital education and its governance becomes a major arena for addressing inequalities. In this paper, we offer a cross-country and multi-voiced perspective on how socio-digital inequalities are problematized in digital education policy in three world regions – Latin America, Africa and Europe – studying cases through policy documents in Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Botswana, Germany and Sweden. Our analysis shows how differences and similarities between digital education policy are rooted in various sociotechnical imaginaries that go beyond the national as they are highly situated in spatial–temporal contexts and rooted in historical trajectories. Our contribution aims at a further exploration of the entanglements of educational technology and in/equalities through global conditions and local (hi)stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the digital work of museums and galleries in the UK, 2020–2021. Focusing on social media activity, we explore two questions: (1) How did approaches to, and institutional perceptions of, social media shift during the pandemic? and (2) Looking to the future, what practical and theoretical challenges do social media present for museums and galleries, and what are the related policy implications? The discussion draws on a mixed-methods study including an analysis of 9000 tweets, and reflective semi-structured interviews with 19 digital workers. Our findings can help shape global digital heritage practices as we emerge from the pandemic, enabling more dynamic and meaningful forms of cultural participation, and underpinning more confident and ethical social media trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile devices were key drivers for recent Internet expansion in lower-income countries, democratizing access. Nonetheless, concerns arose regarding their role in the creation of new digital underclass related to the capital-enhancing consequences of Internet use. Among these, e-government engagement allows individuals to reduce the administrative burdens of governmental interactions. Nonetheless, its uptake has been proven to be highly stratified in Latin American countries where most services are not digital-by-default. The article argues that disparities in digital access play a role in this e-government divides. It examines the antecedents and determinants of household computer access and mobile-only Internet use, and e-government engagement in Brazil. Based on "TIC Domicilios 2019" survey, using logistic regressions to predict household access to computers, mobile-only Internet access, and e-government engagement. Mediation analyses of the latter models are conducted, testing the sequential nature of socio-digital inequalities based on the DiSTO framework. Findings show that living in a household with computers reduces the chances of being a mobile-only user and increases the odds of e-government engagement. Mobile-only access reduces e-government engagement. The effects of socioeconomic status and digital inequalities are mediated by household access to computers and mobile-only use. Implications for digital inclusion policies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some decades on after the MacBride Many Voices, One World report (1980) and the Maitland Missing Link report (1985), global telecommunications have only gained in importance, yet are still fissured by global inequalities. This situation is evident in one of the major developments underway in recent years: 5G mobile technologies. 5G is highly significant for present and future communication—and well advanced in its deployment and adoption. However, the dominant ways in which 5G has been imagined, planned, and deployed have been significantly shaped by interests and geopolitical forces that exclude many countries, and many of the putative beneficiaries of the emergent technology. To shed light on this impasse, in this paper, we offer a comparative analysis of policy and technology realities in two distinct countries that have been relatively overlooked in 5G: Peru and Indonesia. What we find is that national policies are premised on a shared interest and shared benefits, however, at this crucial point in deployment the outcomes are remote for the majority of citizens, especially in ways that matter for daily lives. In both these countries, 5G provides benefits for the small groups who can access and afford it, with others groups in position to be able to come online in the near future—as it provides opportunities for investments, fees, and penalties. However, for large segments of the populations, 5G, the prospects of connectivity, and the emerging digital economy are a long way off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid pace of technological advancements of the last decades, accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, has increased the importance of digital skills for individuals, businesses, and society. However, despite efforts to increase digital ownership and educational initiatives, the digital divide remains a persistent issue and a barrier to social inclusion. Digital exclusion is not limited to access vs. no access but encompasses a spectrum of participation influenced by factors such as geographical location, skills, motivation, and identity. The study explores what sociodemographic and sociotechnical aspects shape users’ digital skills. It is based on an online survey of English internet users aged between 20–55 with school-aged children (N = 2,004), to measure their digital skills across six dimensions and analyzes the relationship between these skills and sociodemographic and sociotechnical variables. Results show that among the sociodemographic aspects, including gender, age, education level, employment status, income, and residential area, only income significantly contributes to distinguishing groups per level of digital skills. The study also shows that motivation gap, access gap, usage gap, and social support, are all associated with individuals’ digital skills.

The aim of the paper is to analyze the characteristics of students'students'digital capital, with a particular focus on education and digital inequalities. It is assumed that students'students'digital capital is relatively high, as they are digital natives. Auxiliary hypotheses relate to characteristics of digital capital in education, as well as the dependence of digital capital on students'students'socio-demographic and educational characteristics. The analysis is based on the data from a survey conducted on a sample of 438 students. For the purposes of the analysis, a five-dimensional index of students'students'digital capital was constructed. The results partially confirm the main hypothesis and an auxiliary one, while the hypotheses regarding digital capital in education and the impact of educational portfolio are fully confirmed.

The purpose of the article is to assess the gap between people’s readiness for effective activity in the digital economy and to identify the functional capabilities of universities to reduce this gap. The research used methods of generalizations, logical, systematic, and comparative analysis, and statistical-economic, sociological, and economic-mathematical methods and techniques. The results of the study showed that the digitalization of the economy, the state, and society, which is taking place in Ukraine, requires a significant increase in the level of society’s readiness for digital changes. For effective integration into the digital environment, in particular in the field of education, it is necessary to create a digital infrastructure that meets EU standards. The authors conducted a study of the development of the digital inclusive component of the regions of Ukraine.Proposed ways of digital development of society. In particular, it has been proven that promoting the development of the provision of educational services improves the digital literacy of the population for daily tasks and for employers to minimize the gaps between the digital environment and people’s skills. It is substantiated that the acquisition of new digital skills and competencies of employees requires the development of training networks and the improvement of foreign language knowledge, both for young people and for other generations.

The present study investigates teachers’ views on their experience as digital actors in the context of Greek educational policy. The interview was used as a tool for data collection. Findings revealed that the teachers in our survey highlighted the shortcomings of the Greek educational approach in terms of material and technical infrastructure and the training of teachers regarding ICT. Through this new digital context of education, teachers conceptualize their competence and self-efficacy, their self-perception, and their emotional response to integrating new digital tools into teaching practice.

Shaping digital inclusion policy and practice to meet community-defined goals requires more than access to digital devices and connectivity; it must also enable their effective design and use in situated local settings. For the Nation of Hawai’i, a Kānaka Maoli (Hawai’ian) sovereignty organization with a land base in Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo on the island of Oahu, these activities are closely associated with broader goals of Nation-building and sovereignty. Recognizing there are many different approaches to sovereignty among diverse Kānaka Maoli, in this paper we document how the Nation of Hawai’i is conceptualizing the ongoing evolution of their community networking project. We suggest that the Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo initiative reflects one Indigenous organization’s efforts to frame community networks as a means to generate a “sovereignty mindset” among members of the Nation, as well as share resources and experience among local community members and with other communities in Hawai’i and beyond.

In this thematic issue, we present research from authors who seek to contest, challenge, and reimagine what digital inclusion is and what it might be. Authors present work from understudied vantage points and “hard to reach” terrains, such as communities that remain geographically, technically, socially, economically, and metaphorically “disconnected”—sometimes by choice. Through their attention to the role of intangible factors like relationality, social capital, emotion, sovereignty, and liminality, the articles collectively push against and expand the boundaries of digital inclusion research and practice.

Some people live in social media "news deserts," while others are embedded in online networks that are rich in news content. These news deserts represent a new form of digital inequality—distinct from problems of access, resources, or civic skills—that could foreclose one of the ways social media are believed to contribute to informing citizens and engaging them in democratic processes: providing opportunities for incidental news exposure. This study investigates incidental exposure on social media platforms, drawing on an online survey administered just before the 2018 US Midterm Elections (N = 1493). The study finds that even after controlling for key individual-level factors, characteristics of social media discussion networks play a role in explaining variation in incidental exposure. The results are discussed in light of prevailing theory about incidental exposure, public engagement, and digital inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bourdieu's sociological concepts and approach are well suited to capture and interpret the new phenomena of the information society. The present paper shows how these concepts and notions have been applied in recent literature, both theoretically and empirically. We focus on the notion of digital capital, which is considered a new factor in the process of Bourdieu's cultural reproduction concept. Thus our starting point is that status in digital inequalities, and thus digital capital, plays a significant role in determining educational inequalities and school performance. We illustrate this hypothesis by analysing data of PISA 2015 from Hungary, namely the impact of different dimensions of ICT use on test scores in mathematics, reading literacy and science. Our results suggest that digital capital plays a crucial role in shaping educational inequalities, but that the effects vary across dimensions of digital inequalities and ICT use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As digital technologies continue to transform health care and health systems, they will continue to have a lasting impact on health services. Many health and social care services have rapidly become ‘digital by default’. The electronic identification (e-ID) technology is needed for secure authentication to digital services. Recent studies have shown that the ‘digital divide’ is prominent between ethnic minorities and the majority populations and between older and younger adults. Inequalities related to not having an e-ID, which is in many countries required to access digital health services, remain under-researched. Moreover, there is a lack of knowledge of the use of digital services among older migrants. This study analyses general socio-demographic as well as migration specific factors that may be associated with not having an e-ID among older migrants. We used the Care, Health and Ageing of Russian-speaking Minority in Finland (CHARM) study, which is a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling Russian-speaking adults aged ≥ 50 years living in Finland (N = 1082, 57% men, mean age 63.2 years, standard deviation 8.4 years, response rate 36%). Our results showed that 21% of older Russian-speakers did not have an e-ID. Our regression analysis showed that older age and poorer economic situation were associated with a lower probability of having an e-ID. In addition, we found an association between not speaking local languages and not having an e-ID. This may relate to private banks regulating the requirements for obtaining the most common e-ID method, online banking ID. We argue that for individuals who are already in vulnerable positions, current e-ID practices might pose yet another obstacle to obtaining the health services they need and are entitled to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Digital Education Review is the property of University of Barcelona, Virtual Teaching & Learning Research Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Elementary Education / Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines, with ethnographic lenses, the emergence of shared networks in the Tseltal and Zapoteco communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca (Mexico). 'Shared networks' are first-mile signal-sharing practices that articulate interconnection infrastructure and values of coexistence to, in the cases studied, extend the internet to areas where the services of existing larger internet service providers are unsatisfactory or unavailable. It argues that by infrastructuring their own local networks and interconnecting to the global internet, Tseltal and Zapoteco people are effectively internet codesigners, building Latin-Centric Indigenous networks and shaping internet governance from below. When comunalidad values, supported by unlicensed frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum, towers, radio antennas, houses' rooftops, routers, and cables, intersect with the values of the internet service providers and their policies, hybrids emerge. Shared networks are a result of what these hybrids enact and constrain, as well as evidence of the vivid struggles for a more inclusive and pluriversal internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the South African findings from an international mixed methods study between the LEGO Foundation, Dubit and the Universities of Sheffield (England) and Cape Town (South Africa) on young children's learning with digital technology. The findings of the study, the first of its kind in South Africa, show the consistency of qualities and experience of play, but also reveal socio-economic, linguistic, ethnic, gender and racial inequalities in the play environments of both groups of 3–11-year-olds. Yet, despite these structural inequalities, the play ecologies of children in resource-constrained environments show their creativity within the digital/non-digital environment. The paper discusses some of the analytical tools used and the geo-political issues raised, and considers these in conjunction with selected data. We conclude that the different socio-cultural conditions and geo-political realities offer new insights about the role global education research can play in helping combat structural inequalities in resource-constrained environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite a growing body of research on associations between adolescent digital use and well‐being, few studies have investigated these associations a) longitudinally and b) across socioeconomic status. The present study uses high‐quality longitudinal data to examine how digital engagement shapes socioemotional and educational outcomes from early to late adolescence across socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Participants are 7685 individuals (49.0% female) from the 1998 birth cohort of the longitudinal Growing Up In Ireland (GUI) survey. The survey was administered to Irish parents and children between 2007 and 2016 (at ages 9, 13, and 17/18). Fixed‐effects regression modeling was used to establish associations between digital engagement and socioemotional and educational outcomes. Further Fixed‐Effects models were analyzed separately by SES, to assess how associations between digital use and adolescent outcomes differ by socioeconomic groups. Results: Results show that digital screen time increases markedly from early to late adolescence, but to a higher extent among low‐SES versus high‐SES groups. Heavy levels of digital screen time (i.e., 3+ hours daily) are associated with declines in well‐being, particularly for external and prosocial functioning, while engagement in learning‐oriented digital activities and gaming is associated with better adolescent outcomes. Yet, low‐SES adolescents are globally more harmed than high‐SES adolescents by their digital engagement, and high‐SES adolescents benefit more from moderate levels of digital use and from engaging in learning‐oriented digital activities. Conclusions: This study suggests that digital engagement is associated with socioeconomic inequalities in adolescents' socioemotional well‐being and, to a lesser extent, educational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of the COVID‐19 and the resulting global pandemic has ushered in far‐reaching changes for countries across the world, not least of which are changes to their education systems. With traditional location‐based exams no longer possible at universities, the uptake of online proctored exams (OPE) has occurred at a pace not seen prior to the pandemic. Students' experiences of online proctored exams during the pandemic are reasonably well‐understood in terms of digital access and ease of use of the technology. However, less is known about students' perceptions of digital confidence and competence to complete an online exam, both of which are important digital equity considerations. Objectives: This study investigates students' digital confidence and competence to undertake online proctored exams to determine whether issues of equity exist for students. Methods: This study reports the results of a survey (N = 761) of one university's students' experiences of end‐of‐semester online proctored exams in New Zealand. Results: Most students were positive about online exams, felt reasonably confident to complete an exam, and had the necessary digital access (i.e., devices, internet) and competence to succeed. However, digital inequalities were found between students' perceptions of digital competence based on ethnicity. While more time learning online equated to increasing self‐reported digital competence for most ethnic groups, this was not the case for Pacific learners. Takeaways: Perceptions of low digital competence can contribute to digital inequalities. Educators can support learners to develop positive perceptions of digital competence by teaching digital literacy skills. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Online proctored exams (OPE) have replaced many traditional exams because of the pandemic.Research on the use of online proctored exams during the pandemic suggests some acceptance among students.Apart from access related issues, little is known about digital inequalities associated with online exams. What this paper adds: Most participants were positive about OPE and felt reasonably confident to successfully complete them.Confident students were more likely to report that the exam software was easy to use.Perceptions of digital competence differed based on ethnicity.Marginalized groups were more likely to experience digital inequalities than other groups. Implications for practice and/or policy: Digital inequality is about more than issues of digital access (i.e., devices, internet).Provide differentiated technical support for students who express low digital competence.Teaching online exam digital literacy skills might increase perceptions of digital competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic led many schools to invest in technology that remains in classrooms today. The abrupt changes did not leave much time for professional development or planning time on how to use these digital tools to support literacy development effectively. Educators continue to grapple with how to use this technology to support language arts, specifically writing. Literacy teachers who strive to integrate this technology into their instruction must consider digital inequalities, the digital literacy skills students already bring with them, and how to differentiate digital literacy instruction for those with varying levels of competence. This literature review explores the research into digital student writing, online composition, digital inequalities, problematic characterizations of adolescent digital writers and writing, and the power of teacher perceptions. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Law & Society/Revue Canadienne Droit et Societe (Cambridge University Press) is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Regulatory Security State (RSS) has far-reaching political consequences for the world beyond the EU, for EU priorities and its ability to realize them. We show this point through an analysis of how the extension of the RSS into the digital played into a constellation of factors that skewed politics towards the 2018 election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. We trace the connections from the General Data Protection Regulation through shifts in Facebook's self-regulation to the Brazilian elections with the help of three conceptual tools: 'infrastructures', 'regulatory design' and 'ripples': the GDPR generated a regulatory redesign of infrastructures sending ripples travelling from the EU to Brazil, back and beyond. We contribute theoretically by developing concepts for contextualizing the RSS and empirically by demonstrating the political stakes of contextualizing the RSS. Both contributions have a bearing for analyzes of the RSS beyond the case we focus on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaping digital inclusion policy and practice to meet community‐defined goals requires more than access to digital devices and connectivity; it must also enable their effective design and use in local settings. For the Nation of Hawaiʻi, a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) organization with a land base on the island of Oahu, these activities are closely associated with broader goals of nation‐building and sovereignty. In this article, we document how the Nation of Hawaiʻi is conceptualiz‐ ing its community networking project as an example of an Indigenous organization’s efforts to frame community networks as a means to generate a “sovereignty mindset” among its members, as well as share resources and experience among community members and with other communities in Hawaiʻi and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this thematic issue, we present research from authors who seek to contest, challenge, and reimagine what digital inclusion is and what it might be. Authors present work from understudied vantage points and “hard to reach” terrains, such as communities that remain geographically, technically, socially, economically, and metaphorically “disconnected”— sometimes by choice. Through their attention to the role of intangible factors like relationality, social capital, emotion, sovereignty, and liminality, the articles collectively push against and expand the boundaries of digital inclusion research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I critically examine the New Zealand Human Rights Commission's interactive website the Voice of Racism, to highlight the limitations and radical potentialities of vernacular affordances for anti-racism campaigns. I draw on Melissa Harris-Perry's concept of the Crooked Room, to assert that online encounters across difference operate within a "crooked platform," which can problematize the recognition of marginalized bodies. I use a multimodal analytic technique called Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis to analyze the anti-racism campaign and explore the complex and interdependent relationship between user experiences and architectural structures of inequality. I show how vernacular affordances of platforms and audio-visual cues influence users' perceptions of self and "other" in relationship to their environmental reality. I encourage anti-racist activists to attune themselves to the often imperceptible tilt of digital platforms by listening and engaging in reflexive practices of digital recognition. Throughout this article, I maintain that our perceived alignment with digital platforms is an optical illusion, inequality remains an invisible structural feature of the online environments that we inhabit. The room is still crooked, we simply can no longer see the walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the outburst of the COVID-19 virus many changes have taken place that concern most aspects of human life. A group that seemed to be affected most by the pandemic was that of the lower socio-economic stratums. This paper aims to demonstrate how individuals were most influenced. Firstly, their health was severely affected mainly due to the higher prevalence of social determinants that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 and as they were more likely to delay seeking the necessary care for the virus. They also had to deal with a greater financial burden throughout the pandemic. Individuals of lower socio-economic stratums were much more likely to lose their jobs, to have their earnings reduce and to have to work while sick or in unsafe conditions. The last areas that have been negatively affected by the pandemic is digital, educational and health accessibility, as poorer individuals appear having reduce to technical means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant literature has increased our understanding of the multifaceted nature of the digital divide, showing that it entails more than access to information and communication resources. Research indicates that digital inequality mirrors to a significant extent offline inequality related to socioeconomic resources. Bridging digital divides is critical for sustainable digitalized societies. Ιn this paper, we present a literature review of Information Systems research on the digital divide within settings with advanced technological infrastructures and economies over the last decade (2010–2020). The review results are organized in a concept matrix mapping contributing factors and measures for crossing the divides. Building on the results, we elaborate a research agenda that proposes [1] extending established models of digital inequalities with new variables and use of theory, [2] critically examining the effects of digital divide interventions, and [3] better linking digital divide research with research on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider inequalities within households to be an important step for increasing our understanding of digital inequalities perpetuated by smart homes. We argue that the key to understanding the use of the Internet of Things is household choreographies rather than individual practices. We specifically address different power relations between household members in regard to their use of IoT devices. Using interview data collected through five visits to 30 households in 15 months, we use abductive analysis to develop our framework that has three dimensions: materiality, accessibility, and harmony. We find that acceptance of the IoT's materiality by all household members is key, but household rules are also crucial to how well the IoT can operate. Parents can more precisely moderate their children, and data and privacy also require more moderation. In addition, the IoT can help complex household choreographies, but household choreographies that are too complex can hinder IoT use. Finally, we note that traditional gender roles remain prevalent in smart homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2021 military coup d’état in Myanmar and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic commencing at the end of 2019 have had major impacts on the already existing digital divide in this Southeast Asian country. This paper aims to explore the effects of these two events on the digital divide and their consequences on the learning practices of students in Myanmar. Following a broad review of relevant literature, primary data were collected from students in Myanmar about their use of IT for online learning and the outcomes. The raw data resulting from this field research has been shared with stakeholders who analyzed, evaluated, and commented on it during expert interviews. The main findings are: IT usage for online education among students in Myanmar is a matter of major concern. A majority of students nationwide have no access to computers. The IT skill level in the country corresponds to this finding and is only on an average level. Smartphones are more accessible but are often old or of lower quality. Internet connections are available but are vulnerable to disruptions initiated by the military regime. Therefore, it can be concluded that students in Myanmar in many cases did not have the technical equipment or skills necessary to learn effectively through the usage of IT during the national crises. Nevertheless, it can be stated that IT helped and was also supportive in sustaining and improving the well-being of students in Myanmar.