Teri Harrison on 10 Mar 2001 22:38:06 -0000 |
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[Nettime-bold] call for papers -- Digital Divide |
CALL FOR PAPERS EJC/REC: Electronic Journal of Communication/ La Revue Electronique de Communication A Digital Divide? Facts, Explanations, Policies Interested scholars are invited to submit manuscripts for a special issue of Electronic Journal of Communication/La Revue Electronique de Communication (EJC/REC) that will focus on research and theory concerning the so-called digital divide. Presently, heated discussions are taking place in America and Europe, in particular, about whether there is such a digital divide or not. And when it is deemed to exist, the next question is whether it will close or widen in years to come. Most of this discussion is politically charged. Solid scientific research and analysis are scarce. In the meantime, official statistics are beginning to appear, like those of the US Census Bureau, summarized in the NTIA's reports Falling through the Net I, II, III, the Eurobarometer and United Nations Development Reports. However, research and analysis based on these resources and other primarily descriptive statistics does not take into consideration the multifaceted nature of access, the social, cultural, and psychological causes for lack of access, the need for theory to explain these problems and policy measures to address them, and the contributions that a communicative or psychological perspective can provide. We invite manuscripts that address the digital divide and any of the problems associated with understanding its nature, its origins, and its potential solutions. In particular, we welcome: * Empirical studies related to the existence of a digital divide (clearly defined) among one or more of the categories of income, education, occupation, age, sex, race and ethnicity. Multivariate analyses are preferred. * Summary statistics and other concise descriptions of distributions of computers, networks, skills and uses around the world, including Northern America, European Union, Eastern Europe, Eastern Asia and the Third World. * Explanations of (in)equalities based on longitudinal data and/or multivariate models, new conceptual distinctions, and/or theories of (in)equality in the information and network society. * Studies highlighting problems of attitudes towards digital technology, digital skills, usage styles and actual usage in different social contexts, with special attention to the social categories mentioned above. * Studies supporting or refuting popular claims about digital technology and its opportunities to solve inequalities. For example, has digital technology enabled higher rates of political participation in general or has it benefited the existing political elite and already politically active with yet another instrument to increase their advantage? * Descriptions and analyses of concrete policy measures pursued by governments, corporations, union-, consumer- and user groups and civic institutions. Manuscripts should be prepared following guidelines of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). Authors should be careful to remove all personal references from the manuscript to allow for blind review. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically. After acceptance both a hard copy and an electronic copy will be required. Deadline for the receipt of manuscripts is July 31, 2001. Notification of (non)acceptance within 5 weeks (receipts in June and July 2 weeks longer). Authors should submit manuscripts to the Guest Editor: J.vanDijk@wmw.utwente.nl Prof. Dr. Jan A.G.M. van Dijk University of Twente Department of Communication Chair: Sociology of the Information Society Post Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede THE NETHERLANDS Contributions will be reviewed by the editorial board of this special issue: Jan A.G.M. van Dijk, University of Twente NL, Kenneth Hacker, State University of New Mexico, Joe Straubhaar, University of Texas, Austin and a fourth communication researcher from a third world country, to be confirmed. The Electronic Journal of Communication/La revue electronique de communication, one of the first five electronic refereed scholarly journals ever created, has been in continuous publication since 1990. For more information, see http://www.cios.org/www/ejcrec2.htm. Please forward this announcement to interested individuals. _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold