The digital divide at work and home: The discourse about power and underrepresented groups in the information society

Lynette Kvasny, Eileen M. Trauth

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

The information society has often been described as a meritocracy that enables a level playing field for all participants. From this perspective, individuals from underrepresented groups can make it alongside individuals of wealth and privilege. All that is necessary is education and training, perseverance, and painstaking effort. But if, as some argue, it is not a level playing field, then how do various underrepresented groups cope and compete within this power structure? To find this out, a critical analysis of the responses from underrepresented groups to the dominant discourses about power and IT was carried out. A conceptual framework based upon a study of African-American men and women in low income urban communities was applied to the findings of two different studies of gender in the IT profession. The results show a consistent pattern ofresponse across underrepresented groups. In addition, these findings suggest that positive interventions can be applied across underrepresented groups so that IT does not become simply the latest mechanism for stratifYing society.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationGlobal and Organizational Discourse about Information Technology - IFIP TCB/WGB.2 Working Conference on Global and Organizational Discourse about Information Technology
PublisherSpringer New York LLC
Pages273-291
Number of pages19
ISBN (Print)9781475753288
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003
EventIFIP TCB/WGB.2 Working Conference on Global and Organizational Discourse about Information Technology - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: Dec 12 2002Dec 14 2002

Publication series

NameIFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Volume110
ISSN (Print)1868-4238

Other

OtherIFIP TCB/WGB.2 Working Conference on Global and Organizational Discourse about Information Technology
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period12/12/0212/14/02

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Information Systems
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Information Systems and Management

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