Bianca Christin Reisdorf

A quantitative examination of explanations for reasons for internet nonuse.

This article investigates patterns of reasons for digital disengagement of British adults. It adds a psychological dimension to research that is mostly sociological in nature in trying to separate out explanations for disengaging from the Internet by choice or by forced exclusion. The analysis of a nationally representative survey shows differences between the number of reasons and the most important reasons among different sociodemographic groups, but also among individuals with different psychological profiles. The findings suggest that ex- and nonusers do not have one simple reason for nonuse, but a multifaceted range of reasons, which often represent disadvantages at several levels. The range of often mentioned reasons, moreover, shows that motivations for disengagement cannot be measured by means of the most important reason, but that all reasons have to be taken into account and looked at concertedly.

Internet (Non-)Use Types and Motivational Access: Implications for Digital Inequalities Research

Research into digital inequalities has shifted from a binary view of Internet use versus non-use to studying gradations in Internet use. However, this research has mostly compared categories of users only. In addition, the role of attitudes in digital inequalities has been largely overlooked. This article addresses these limitations by performing a systematic analysis of factors that distinguish low Internet users from non-users, regular users, and broad users. In addition to socio-demographic characteristics, we examine attitudinal variables. Results drawn from multinomial regressions indicate that attitudes play at least as large a role as socio-economic factors in determining the likelihood of belonging to specific (non-)user categories. This identifies positive attitudes toward technologies and the Internet as a crucial step toward Internet adoption. Hence, digital inequality research needs to consider factors other than traditional socio-economic ones to draw a complete picture.

The emergence of a “digital underclass” in Great Britain and Sweden: Changing reasons for digital exclusion

Research into reasons for Internet non-use has been mostly based on one-off cohort studies and focused on single-country contexts. This article shows that motivations for being offline changed between 2005 and 2013 among non- and ex-users in two high-diffusion European countries. Analyses of Swedish and British data demonstrate that non-user populations have become more concentrated in vulnerable groups. While traditional digital divide reasons related to a lack of access and skills remain important, motivational reasons increased in importance over time. The ways in which these reasons gain importance for non- and ex-user groups vary, as do explanations for digital exclusion in the different countries. Effective interventions aimed at tackling digital exclusion need to take into consideration national contexts, changing non-user characteristics, and individual experience with the Internet. What worked a decade ago in a particular country might not work currently in a different or even the same country.

Living Offline - A Qualitative Study of Internet Non-Use in Great Britain and Sweden

This study explores and compares attitudes and feelings of middle-aged British and Swedish Internet non-users as well as their reasons for being offline. The rich qualitative data are conceptualized and presented according to various reasons for non-use, positive and negative feelings regarding non-use, and the positive as well as negative influence of and dependence on social networks. The comparison shows both unique and common perceptions of the British and Swedish respondents, some of which can be attributed to social, economic, or socio-economic factors. However, it also displays vast differences between middle-aged non-users in both countries. The analysis paints a complex picture of decisions for and against the use of the Internet and the need for more research to understand these highly complex phenomena, which cannot simply be attributed to socio-economic backgrounds as has been done in most previous research. The analysis shows that more complex reasons, such as lack of interest or discomfort with technologies, as well as the somewhat surprising finding that social networks can prevent non-users from learning how to use the Internet, as it is more convenient to stay a proxy-user, should be considered in future research and policies regarding digital inequalities.

A brave new world: The problems and opportunities presented by new media technologies in prisons

This article discusses the digital inequalities experienced by prisoners and the potential opportunities that providing ‘new’ media in prisons offer for offender rehabilitation and resettlement. Currently denied access to online and social media that most of us take for granted, and unable to communicate in ways that have become ‘ordinary’ in the wider community, it is argued that prisoners experience profound social isolation and constitute one of the most impoverished groups in the digital age. In prisons which provide selected prisoners some access to information and communication technologies, their high socio-cultural status and consequent construction as a ‘privilege’ frequently results in them being used in the exercise of ‘soft’ power by prison officer gatekeepers. Moreover, when prisoners come to the end of their sentences, they not only are faced with prejudice and poor job prospects due to their criminal record, but their digital exclusion during a period of incarceration may have compound effects and lead to long-term and deep social exclusion.

(B)Locked Sites: Cases of Internet Use in 3 British Prisons

ABSTRACT Based on a qualitative scoping exercise in three British prisons, this article discusses digital inequalities experienced by prisoners and the potential opportunities that digital media in prisons offers for offender rehabilitation and resettlement. As they are currently denied access to online and social media that most of us take for granted, physically cut off from their communities, and unable to communicate with family and friends in ways that have become normal in society, we argue that prisoners experience profound social isolation and constitute one of the most impoverished groups in the digital age. Our results show that prisoners display high levels of both curiosity and enthusiasm as well as fear and reservation toward Internet-enabled technologies, depending on age and gender as well as the length of their sentence. On release from prison, they are not only faced with prejudice and poorer job prospects than the average citizen due to their criminal record, but their digital exclusion during incarceration may have compound effects and lead to supercharged digital and social exclusion. We argue that secure access would be highly beneficial to prisoners who pose a low risk to society, especially during the rehabilitation and release phases.

Digital divides, usability, and social inclusion: Evidence from the field of E-services in the United Kingdom

Advances in ICT have changed, and continue to change, interactions between service providers and customers. Service industries like health care or consulting traditionally relied on interpersonal “high touch, low tech” (Bitner, Brown, and Meuter 2000: 138) exchanges. Today, however, service providers and customers increasingly interact through virtual, rather than physical interfaces (Breidbach, Kolb, and Srinivasan 2013a). But, service research to date has focused predominantly on face-to-face settings (e.g., Froehle and Roth 2004), while technology-enabled value co-creation processes remain largely unexplored and misunderstood (Breidbach and Maglio 2015). Consequently, the understanding of ICT-enabled service is incomplete, and exploring the broader role and implications of ICT in service represents a key research priority for service science (e.g., Srinivasan, Breidbach, and Kolb 2015) and IS scholars alike (Maglio and Breidbach 2014).This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Social Inclusion and Usability of ICT-enabled Services on October 2017, available online at: https://www.routledge.com/Social-Inclusion-and-Usability-of-ICT-enabled-Services/Choudrie-Kurnia-Tsatsou/p/book/9781138935556. Under embargo until 30 April 2019.

The unexplored history of operationalising digital divides: a pilot study

Since the early years of the personal computer, when computing began to diffuse to the general public, social researchers have focused on the (non)use of information and communication technologies in the household and the impact of the resulting digital divides on social and economic inequalities. The Internets diffusion led this work to become an increasingly central focus of research, but not following a sustained trajectory of attention. This study tracks the questions used to operationalise digital divides as a heretofore unexplored history that throws light on the course of social research – illuminating problems that are masked by traditional studies that follow the responses to these questions, but not the questions. By focusing on surveys of Internet use, analysing questionnaires from the USA, Britain, Hungary and South Africa reaching back to 1997, we examine how survey research questions on Internet (non)use have evolved. Study of the changing operational definitions of Internet use across time and space provides a formerly unexamined perspective on the ebb and flow of academic interest in digital divides, the changing meaning of that term and the relationship of social research to technology and policy change.

Digital Rehabilitation: A Model of Reentry Into the Digital Age:

Despite societal dependence on digital technologies and the Internet across the developed world, current prisoner rehabilitation, reentry models, and practices across most U.S. state correctional systems only target offline realms and issues while disregarding the digital realm. By integrating existing models of rehabilitation and reentry with recently developed and refined digital divide theories, this article develops a new model of digital rehabilitation, considering both the online and the offline realms. The proposed model fills a gap in the literature and allows for a more complete understanding of the problems that parolees encounter on release from prison. By conceptualizing corresponding fields and resources across three realms—prison, reentry, and digital—the digital rehabilitation and reentry model enables systematic research into the extent to which the digital realm can assist in a more successful reentry process.

Social Shaping of the Politics of Internet Search and Networking: Moving Beyond Filter Bubbles, Echo Chambers, and Fake News

Global debate over the impact that algorithms and search on shaping political opinions has been increasing in the aftermath of controversial election results in Europe and the US. Powerful images of the Internet enabling access to a global treasure trove of information have shifted to worries over the degree to which those who use social media, and online tools such as search engines, are being fed inaccurate, fake, or politically-targeted information that could distort public opinion and political change. There are serious questions raised over the political implication of any biases embedded in the algorithms that drive search engines and social media. Do digital media biases shape access to information shaping public opinion? To address these issues, we conducted an online survey of stratified random samples in seven nations, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the US. We asked Internet users how they use search, social media, and other media, for political information, and what difference it makes for them. The findings cast doubt on technologically deterministic perspectives on search, such as filter bubbles. For example, our findings show that search is among an array of media consulted by those interested in politics. Internet users are not trapped in a bubble on a single platform. Another deterministic narrative is around the concept of echo chambers, where social media enable users to cocoon themselves with likeminded people and viewpoints. However, most of those interested in politics search for and double check problematic political information, and expose themselves to a variety of viewpoints. Thus, prevailing views on search and politics not only over-estimate technical determinants, but also underestimate the social shaping of the Internet, social media, and search. National media cultures and systems play an important role in shaping search practices, along with individual differences in political and Internet orientations. The findings suggest there are disproportionate levels of concern, often approaching panic, over the bias of search and social media, and that targeted interventions could help reduce the risks associated with fake news, filter bubbles, and echo chambers.