Beyond Digital Divides in Asia, Oceania, Middle East & Africa

Gerard Goggin (@ggoggin)Dept of Media & Communications, University of

Sydney

Creating Connections, Building Bridges: Advancing the Digital Divide Research, Policy, and Practice Agenda

2015 Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide 2015 ConferenceArizonia State University Sky Song, Scotsdale AZ, 21-22 Oct 2015

cautionary remarks (encore)• four regions in this brief presentation have been arbitrarily grouped

together – as much, or more so, than the other regions we are discussing today

• each regions contains many diverse countries; & most countries contain much diversity in turn

• it is arguable that many countries in each of these regions (if not the regions themselves) have been the subject of proportionally less research on digital inequality than elsewhere (e.g. North America, Europe)

• the often precarious conditions of knowledge production & research in many countries in these 4 regions means that data, initiatives, and research is lacking; and it is often carried out by researchers who do not live & work in the region/country itself

• a significant issue for regions whose communication & technology networks & infrastructure have emerged in relations of imperialism and colonialism (18th-20th centuries) & now contemporary capitalism (20th-21st centuries)

‘diversity of paths’ in digital exclusion (Mandela)

• As I outlined at the 2014 PPDD conference in Seattle, while digital divide can be a useful indicative term to affiliate researchers in this area, it is important to be sensitive to the particular concepts & theories for digital inequality in particular countries & cultures;

• So: recognising the ‘diversity of paths’ & particular frameworks/concepts countries use to tackle digital inequality

• In 2015, I suggest this entails thinking about the emerging dimensions of digital exclusion/inclusion

very broad update on 4 regions

most recent, reliable macro-level data is ITU data on 2014 & end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators (projections only for 2015), released in May 2015I’ve excerpted some of this to sketch aggregrate figures for these regions (Oceania is incorporated into Asia-Pacific)

(see ITU definitions of regions)

Source: ICT Facts & Figures: The World in 2015 (Geneva: ITU)

key issues in ‘rest of world’As ITU notes, concerning the 2015 data:• Africa is region of obvious concern: 20% use Internet in Africa,

compared with almost 40% in Asia & Pacific (obviously this aggregates very different countries);

• Africa is only region where mobile broadband subscriptions are below 20%

• Mobile broadband extending rapidly, into rural areas (but still a long way to go; & what is quality/capability of coverage?);

• in developing countries, fixed broadband is 3x price of developed countries, & mobile broadband is 2x price of developed countries

• Household Internet access: 7% in least developed countries, compared with 46% world average

new dimensions of digital exclusion: what are the new ‘constraints’?

• Need for research + policy + practice to capture & address very specific ‘digital repertoires’ (Jonathan Donner, After Access) in different places E.g. in, let’s say, a poor community somewhere in the African region, what’s the mix between use of mobiles for listening to music, then switching to PC & software for making/producing music; then storage media (CD/USB/DVD) as well as ‘cloud’ for distribution?

• Need for research & response to address new ‘constraints’ (cf. Donner, After Access) that arise at cusp of emerging patterns/trends in use & digital tech ‘repertoires’ & infrastructures & policies

What forms do Internet, mobiles phones & media take around the world? (it’s not all the same)What are the mobile Internets emerging, esp. in Africa, parts of Asia & Oceania, & elsewhere (e.g. Latin America)?How we understand role of policy & practice in shaping such ‘assemblages’ of mobile Internet technologies & their exclusions/inclusions?What are the policy & governance ‘ecosystems’, especially in mobile Internet? How do we align then to make ‘enabling’ ICTs, beyond divides?

missing data/research

‘digital repertoires’Good data & ICT indicators, by countries & regions & sub-regions, for people with disabilities (often among the poorest in ‘rest of world’)Public wi-fi

references

Jonathan Donner, After Access: Inclusion, Development, and a More Mobile Internet, MIT Press, Nov 2015