Beyond the Digital Divide: How New Technologies Can Amplify Civic & Community Engagement

With this project they hope to foster increased dialogue on the changing nature of the “digital divide” and the transformative potential of new technologies. ZeroDivide wishes to thank the staff of the National Civic Review, as well as the talented thought leaders who contributed articles, for making this endeavor possible.

 

 

When we coined the term "zero divide" in 1999, we settled upon an expression that for us was both an analysis and an objective. This analysis centers around the interrelationship between the digital divide and the economic, social, political and cultural divides that together need to be overcome for disadvantaged communities to fully participate in a digital world. This concept is addressed by Ali Modarres in “Beyond the Digital Divide" in this issue.

 

As grantmakers and advisors within the social sector, our objective is to help these communities achieve a zero divide by providing and fostering technology capacity and literacy, and strengthening community assets to foster self-sufficiency by technology adopters.

 

For much of the public, the term “bridging the digital divide” may seem archaic in today’s world, where the technology access gap is narrowing. This may, in fact, be true with regard to larger issues of infrastructure, devices and the Internet. But in today’s context the digital divide often resides in the realm of content, application and literacy. It is still very much in existence and may be widening for many underserved communities.

 

Innovative uses of information and communications technology (ICT) by individuals and nonprofit organizations have the potential to increase economic opportunities, improve health access and status, and enhance civic engagement for disadvantaged individuals throughout the United States. However, these same innovations have the potential to create a structural divide of disenfranchised individuals — those for whom Internet-based commerce, government and social services are inaccessible and whose voices are silenced when technology advances prohibit their active participation in democratic exchange and participation due to cost, availability, language and education barriers.

 

Examples of the critical role of technology use by underserved communities are explored by Jay Nath, in “Re-imagining Government in the Digital Age,” where he describes the possibilities for greater civic involvement through open government data and service strategies and applications. This subject is also discussed by Ignatius Bau in “Connected for Health,” where he makes the case for how electronic health record and digital delivery of health services have the potential to reduce health disparities within vulnerable populations.

 

Throughout this issue authors provide examples of technology innovation and its impact when underserved communities are provided the learning opportunities and resources to create solutions that are relevant and directly applicable to them. While many government agencies and philanthropic institutions are beginning to understand the importance of allocating resources to technology integration and adoption, there is an overwhelming lack of dedicated strategy and investment by these funders to research, test and deploy technology within the social sector.

 

At ZeroDivide, we strongly encourage you to examine the opportunities and challenges posed within this issue and to take action to incorporate the findings in your strategic planning and resource allocation efforts. We thank the National Civic Review for dedicating this issue to the exploration of technology as a major, emerging component of civic and democratic life, with special emphasis on overcoming the digital divide.