Session #4 • Digital divide and online tools to shape political opinions

> see slides or download .pdf

Introductory notes by Jonathan Piron

Digital divide

Digital divide often refers to inequalities between certain types of population regarding:

• Access to Internet;
• Access to technological devices;
• ”Tech-savviness”;
• etc.

Or digital divides?

But, in fact, digital divide truly is…

• a rich v/s poor divide;
• a city v/s countryside divide;
• an old v/s new generations divide;
• etc.

We can also approach what we call ”digital divide” in terms of division of society because of, or through, digital technologies. Filter bubbles on social media, isolate us and create more division, fragment opinions.

These digital divides raise democratic issues that must be addressed, because the more technologies advance, the more they get complex — and increases this gap… Where will it end? With online political participation, e-voting, etc. coming up next, the digital divide and the gap between politics and citizens share their fair bit of issues, and democratic deficit shouldn’t lead to the creation of a new digital divide (or the other way around…).

Collective notes

[upcoming]