Description
This cutting-edge Handbook offers fresh perspectives on the key topics related to the unequal use of digital technologies. Considering the ways in which technologies are employed, variations in conditions under which people use digital media and differences in their digital skills, it unpacks the implications of digital inequality on life outcomes.
About the Author
Edited by Eszter Hargittai, Professor and Chair of Internet Use and Society, Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Reviews
'This collection is deeply needed amid the hype of digital equity and inclusion. Not only does it focus attention on areas, topics, and communities that demand greater understanding (the elderly, hardware access, disability, and privacy) but it adds crucial nuance and context to the present public and political conversation on digital equity and inclusion, especially given the IIJA's digital equity programs. It reminds us that money will not solve these issues without deeper understanding and community-driven approaches. In addition to being a must-read for policy makers, this collection would be welcome in senior undergraduate or graduate courses on digital policy, broadband policy, the digital divide, digital media, health communication, media and disability, and research methods, among many others.' -- Christopher Ali, International Journal of Communication
'Eszter Hargittai's edited volume, Handbook of Digital Inequality, is an important addition to the communication and technology literature. Digital inequalities are very real and significantly impactful, and this volume shines a bright light on the areas to which we should be giving more attention. Hargittai has compiled a thoughtful collection of chapters that collectively create a robust resource that readers will likely find themselves revisiting frequently for references, data points, and interesting ideas for research directions.' -- James Jarc, Communication Research Trends
'At the dawn of the Internet age, digital inequality was a central concern. But then a combination of triumphalism (in the developed nations) and spiraling complexity (rapid proliferation of ways to go online and things to do there) led attention to shift away from this topic. As work and schooling moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world rediscovered that inequality in access to digital platforms and resources remains high and is ever more central to social inequality overall. Eszter Hargittai has identified the scholars who have sustained a research focus on digital inequality and have found ways to cast empirical light on such complex issues as the impact of different ways of accessing the Internet and variation in online skills, and has produced a Handbook that will be invaluable to anyone who cares about social inequality - just when we need it the most.' -- Paul DiMaggio, Princeton University, US
'This is a must-have book for any social scientist concerned with the digital age for, as its multiple authors clearly demonstrate, not only is almost every dimension of our lives now digital, but everything digital is, in one way or another, unequal. The task is to transcend early ideas of the digital divide to develop a complex and contextual understanding of digital inequality that can, potentially, help us to ameliorate or overcome its excesses and adverse consequences.' -- Sonia Livingstone, LSE, UK and author, Parenting for a Digital Future
'The pandemic highlighted the critical and persistent need for widespread and equitable use of the internet in societies throughout the world. This timely Handbook provides a roadmap forward, with a comprehensive view of leading research, written by an international and stellar set of authors who have shaped the field and continue to innovate with new insights.' -- Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University, US
Book Information
ISBN 9781035308989
Author Eszter Hargittai
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
International contributors assess a variety of key contexts that impact access to digital technologies, including contextual variations related to geography and infrastructure, as well as individual differences related to age, income, health and disability status. Chapters explore how variations emerge across the life course, illustrating the effects of digital disparities on personal wellbeing. Intervening in critical debates relating to the digital divide, this Handbook offers key insights into privacy and trust issues that affect technological usage.
Employing both quantitative and qualitative investigations into the relationship between social inequality and the Internet, this Handbook is crucial reading for scholars and researchers in both communication and sociology, particularly those focusing on digital inequalities and human-computer interaction. It will also benefit policymakers in need of innovative approaches to understanding, challenging and addressing the digital divide.
About the Author
Edited by Eszter Hargittai, Professor and Chair of Internet Use and Society, Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Reviews
'This collection is deeply needed amid the hype of digital equity and inclusion. Not only does it focus attention on areas, topics, and communities that demand greater understanding (the elderly, hardware access, disability, and privacy) but it adds crucial nuance and context to the present public and political conversation on digital equity and inclusion, especially given the IIJA's digital equity programs. It reminds us that money will not solve these issues without deeper understanding and community-driven approaches. In addition to being a must-read for policy makers, this collection would be welcome in senior undergraduate or graduate courses on digital policy, broadband policy, the digital divide, digital media, health communication, media and disability, and research methods, among many others.' -- Christopher Ali, International Journal of Communication
'Eszter Hargittai's edited volume, Handbook of Digital Inequality, is an important addition to the communication and technology literature. Digital inequalities are very real and significantly impactful, and this volume shines a bright light on the areas to which we should be giving more attention. Hargittai has compiled a thoughtful collection of chapters that collectively create a robust resource that readers will likely find themselves revisiting frequently for references, data points, and interesting ideas for research directions.' -- James Jarc, Communication Research Trends
'At the dawn of the Internet age, digital inequality was a central concern. But then a combination of triumphalism (in the developed nations) and spiraling complexity (rapid proliferation of ways to go online and things to do there) led attention to shift away from this topic. As work and schooling moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world rediscovered that inequality in access to digital platforms and resources remains high and is ever more central to social inequality overall. Eszter Hargittai has identified the scholars who have sustained a research focus on digital inequality and have found ways to cast empirical light on such complex issues as the impact of different ways of accessing the Internet and variation in online skills, and has produced a Handbook that will be invaluable to anyone who cares about social inequality - just when we need it the most.' -- Paul DiMaggio, Princeton University, US
'This is a must-have book for any social scientist concerned with the digital age for, as its multiple authors clearly demonstrate, not only is almost every dimension of our lives now digital, but everything digital is, in one way or another, unequal. The task is to transcend early ideas of the digital divide to develop a complex and contextual understanding of digital inequality that can, potentially, help us to ameliorate or overcome its excesses and adverse consequences.' -- Sonia Livingstone, LSE, UK and author, Parenting for a Digital Future
'The pandemic highlighted the critical and persistent need for widespread and equitable use of the internet in societies throughout the world. This timely Handbook provides a roadmap forward, with a comprehensive view of leading research, written by an international and stellar set of authors who have shaped the field and continue to innovate with new insights.' -- Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University, US
Book Information
ISBN 9781035308989
Author Eszter Hargittai
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
