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Short abstract:

Stand NU2_01

Abstract:

We designed a carpet to facilitate discussions on the complex problem of digital inequality. The carpet design is a result of our participatory action research on digital inequalities in Amsterdam (2017-2023). During this research policymakers, ICT designers, and other professionals often asked the question: Who are those citizens with a distance to the online world? Digital inequality was often oversimplified, primarily portraying older individuals lacking ICT skills. This stereotype neglects demographic diversity and fails to recognize that digital inequality affects various age groups, including children. Additionally, the emphasis on skills overlooks that ICT use is influenced by the social (technical) space that people live in, for example, the dominant societal norms and values, and the way in which society is organized. A myopic focus on elderly and individual skills risks ignoring that the structural consequences of digitalization for citizens across different backgrounds remain invisible (intersectional invisibility) and delays measures being taken to remedy the negative effects. The carpet challenge participants (policymakers, researcher, ICT designers and others) to reflect critically on their own assumptions and blind spots trough reflective questions, fostering a deeper situated understanding of the complex problem. Moreover, it helps to identify opportunities for systemic actions, recognizing that digital inequality is not solely an individual responsibility but rather a complex interplay involving macro-societal, meso-organizational, and micro-individual factors.Authors: Nicole Goedhart and Christine Dedding