The Digital Disconnect
The Digital Disconnect
The Social Causes and Consequences of Digital Inequalities
Ellen J Helsper
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Ellen J. Helsper 2021
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020942246
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ISBN 978-1-5264-6339-5
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Contents
List of Figures
About the Author
Ellen J. Helsper
is Professor of Socio-Digital Inequalities in the Media and Communications Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research interests include the links between social and digital inequalities; vulnerability and discrimination in digital spaces; digital literacy; mediated communication and interpersonal relationships; and methodological innovation in quantitative and qualitative media and communications research. Her work is truly global in nature through her involvement in the From Digital Skills to Tangible Outcomes; Connected Communities and Inclusive Growth; YSkills; Global Kids Online; and World Internet research projects. She consults widely for governments, the third and commercial sector on issues to do with client and citizen (dis)engagement in increasingly digital societies. Organisations that she has worked with include the BBC, the European Commission, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), OECD, and UNESCO.
Ellen holds and has held Visiting Scholar positions at prestigious universities and research institutes in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the US. She has a PhD in Media and Communications from the LSE and an MSc degree in Media Psychology from Utrecht University and worked in commercial market and audience research in Europe, Latin America and the US.
Acknowledgements
The journey to finishing this book was a long one, life and work frequently interfered. A continuous stream of research projects and international collaborations were a blessing, but also led to further delays. There was no way I could leave out all the exciting new ideas these brought! While I wrote the book, it is the result of a collective effort, the discussions and collaborations with these outstanding scholars. For this, my eternal gratitude goes to colleagues on the From Digital Skills to Tangible Outcomes (DiSTO) and the EU, LATAM and Global Kids Online projects, as well as to all those who shared their socio-digital life stories by participating in interviews, surveys, theatre plays, and other creative data-generating processes.
Closer to home, the Book club provided critical and always spot on feedback on various drafts. Many of your books were finished before mine this was great motivation, showing me that it could be done. I especially want to thank Sonia Livingstone, Peter Lunt, and Bart Cammaerts, who pushed me over the finish line, sacrificing their precious time, reading and commenting over lovely dinners. Without your insights and inspiration, this book would have lacked coherence and depth!
Similarly, Michael Ainsley, thank you for sticking this one out with me. Your patience and understanding about delays and eternal revisions were exceptional. Andrew Schrock, from Indelible Voice, what a godsend that I found you towards the difficult end. You performed a miracle and are a true editing wizard. The book is so much better (and shorter) because of your input. Without you, I would have given up with the finish line in sight and the book would never have materialised!
I want to thank all those who have accepted my distractedness and grumbles, continuing to believe in me and showing interest throughout. Special thanks to the West End girls and the Sunny escape crew for dragging me out, providing light relief and making sure I did not disappear into the pages of what seemed a never-ending story. A special shout out goes to Katka for tagging along on the ride and keeping me mentally and physically fit.
Last but not least, thanks go to my family. First, my parents and their partners, who always had a warm welcome and a cuppa at the ready. To my (great)aunts and uncles, in particular my aunt Marjan Lucas, for her moral support and help on international politics and how they are experienced from the bottom up. Special thanks to my brother, Charles Helsper, for listening while struggling with his own worklife balance and for providing the first reference to this book. And finally, to my nephews and niece for reminding me that there are more important things than writing a book. I am looking forward to living through an unpredictable future full of social and digital adventures with you!
This book is dedicated to my parents, Annelies Lucas and Hans Helsper. Without your unwavering, loving support and intellectual feedback, there would have been no book.
Introduction
Times change. Early in the 21st century, calls to bridge the digital divide were dismissed by people who saw internet access as a luxury. Two decades later, it is tough to find a policy maker, business leader, or academic arguing against the importance of high speed, broadband internet access. The internet and related Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become household staples and are seen to have the power to transform lives for the better. In parallel, our understanding of the risks and opportunities of digitisation has matured. When I started writing this book, the language of divides was still prominent, but has since been replaced by an outcomes-based approach that links social and digital inequalities (Helsper, 2012). These latter ideas frame this book, emphasising the consequences of digitisation in terms of well-being, health, and wealth rather than digitisation itself.
