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10/31/2006

The Dimensions of Digital Empowerment

The terminology surrounding digital inclusion has evolved rapidly over the past few years as field practitioners come to understand the technological and motivational complexities involved in bringing underserved populations online in ways that are meaningful and long lasting for them. In her exploration of “digital empowerment,” Karen Archer Perry , founder and principal consultant of Karacomm, sees multiple dimensions in the endeavor, each requiring careful attention and assessment over the lifespan of digital-inclusion initiatives.

Digital-divide terminology has evolved from a binary discussion about who is or isn’t online to a much richer dialogue on the many facets of digital literacy. The broader goal of digital empowerment encompasses access to bandwidth and equipment as well as digital-literacy training that is tightly connected to the value that ICT offers in people’s lives. Most importantly, digital-empowerment programs require pragmatic and sustainable processes that celebrate the journey from novice to fully functioning “digital citizen” to “empowered innovator.” Digital empowerment can be explored along three dimensions: access to bandwidth, digital literacy and computing hardware.

Access to Bandwidth

For years now, the slow dial-up speeds have hindered users’ fast and easy access to information. But what defines a sufficient speed? Is it the US Government’s definition of 200 Kbps? Is it San Francisco’s 386 Kbps free service, or the 1 Mbps symmetrical services planned for Philadelphia and Minneapolis? Or are these offers just creating a new divide while the rich upgrade to 5, 10, and 100 Mbps? Will the new divide mean video or no video? When talking about digital empowerment, affordability and availability matter as much as download speeds. Incremental improvements in bandwidth are critical, and that availability will set the stage for advancements in the dimensions of digital literacy and access to equipment and devices.
Digital Literacy

Digital-inclusion training programs must incorporate a diversity of users and therefore abilities to access ICTs effectively. Too many training programs top out with the basics of Word and Excel. Rick Herrmann from Intel poses the following digital literacy taxonomy:

Digital Isolationist
Digital Novice
Digital Basic Household
Fully Functioning Digital Household
Digital Professional
Digital Innovator

This progression of functionality is encompassed in the Wireless Philadelphia Digital Inclusion strategy, which addresses Motivation, Access, Confidence and Enrichment:

Motivation Programs help people find the relevance of ICT in their lives;
Confidence Programs build basic skills and including safety and responsibility;
Enrichment Programs strive to increase the value and relevance of ICT over time;
Access Programs address low cost broadband and access to computing equipment and software.

What people do on the Internet matters. These tools can be used for email and games or as tools for learning, job advancement, community building and creativity. Digital empowerment requires more than basic literacy but an appreciation for the tools offered in ICT and the ability of users to leverage them fully for personal value.

Personal Computers

The Pew Center for Internet and American Life reports that 70% of American households have computers, but in low-income households those computers often do not work. In higher-income households and in the business world, personal computers are personal tools. One-to-one computing is the norm for people who leverage ICTs heavily in their life and/or work. In my four-person household, we have 1.25 computers per person as well as alternative devices such as PDAs. When we had only one PC for managing the family calendar, paying bills and two girls’ homework, we often had a waiting line like those at the public access PCs in libraries. We need to measure not just the number of households with a computer, but the number of computers per household and per person. Why would we need more TVs per household (2.6) than PCs (1.8)? As ICT becomes more integral and empowering for individuals, the need for personal, reliable and plentiful hardware solutions become critical to digital empowerment. As with bandwidth and literacy, incremental advancements merit appreciation and celebration.

Effective Digital Inclusion Programs

The best programs are multi-faceted and include access, training, hardware and content. Each blends centralized functions that enable sustainability and scale with neighborhood partnerships that connect more deeply with participants. While the municipal and community programs under development are quite unique, I am convinced that each one moves the ball forward in individual communities and in the market at large.

We must stop considering Inclusion in binary terms. We need to develop processes and metrics that appreciate the progress people are able to make as they leverage information technology more fully in their lives. And we need to measure advancements in each of the dimensions of digital empowerment —Access to Bandwidth, Computing Hardware and, most importantly, Digital Literacy and Personal Value.

Digital Inclusion Funds provide only the seed money to accomplish these bold goals. We need to measure our programs’ abilities to sustain, scale and reach ubiquity in our served communities. It is too early to call a winner. We do know that the creativity of communities, municipalities, vendors, nonprofits and foundations have set the stage for this decade to redefine digital empowerment and achieve it in many communities across the country.

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Broadband and Education

The Dimensions of Digital Empowerment

Access to Bandwidth

Personal Computers

Effective Digital Inclusion Programs

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