Internet connectivity among people experiencing poverty and deprivation
Main Article Content
Keywords
Internet connectivity among people experiencing poverty and deprivation
Abstract
Access to the digital world can have a positive impact on people’s standard of living, life capabilities, sense of inclusion and wellbeing, and is fast becoming an ‘essential of life’ in developed countries. While the majority of Australians enjoy the benefits that access to the Internet can provide, millions are still missing out on important online services and opportunities. In-depth research is starting to uncover a range of factors that can influence digital inclusion among non-users of the Internet generally. Results from a 2013 Hardship Survey show the disparity in Internet connectivity between people experiencing poverty and deprivation and Australians generally. The paper presents detailed findings from the survey on Internet connectivity. It concludes with suggestions to enhance smartphone usage that might help bridge the ‘digital divide’ for this population subgroup.
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References
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Eardley, T; Bruce, J; Goggin, G. 2009. ‘Telecommunications and community wellbeing: A review of the literature on access and affordability for low-income groups’. NSW: SPRC Journalism and Media Research Centre.
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Katz, J; Rice, R; Aspden, P. 2001. ‘The Internet, 1995-2000: Access, civic involvement, and social interaction’. The American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3): 405-419
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Morsillo, R. 2012. ‘Affordable broadband for all Australians’. Telecommunications Journal of Australia, 62 (5). Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lib/ir/onlinejournals/tja/#v62n5.
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Saunders, P; Naidoo, Y; Griffiths, M. 2008. ‘Towards new indicators of disadvantage: Deprivation and social exclusion in Australia’. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 43 (2): 175-194.
Saunders, P; Wong, M. 2012. ‘Measurement and change in deprivation and exclusion in Australia; A report on research in progress’. Working Paper ? Methods Series No. 11. UK: Poverty and Exclusion. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: https://www.poverty.ac.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/WP%20Methods%20No.11%20-%20Measurement%20and%20Change%20...in%20Australia%20%28Saunders%20%26%20Wong%29.pdf.
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Tsatsou. P. 2011. ‘Digital divides revisited: what is new about divides and their research?’ Media, Culture & Society, 33: 317-331.
Wise, S. 2013. ‘Trying to connect: Telecommunications access and affordability among people experiencing financial hardship’. Melbourne: Anglicare Victoria. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.anglicarevic.org.au/index.php?action=filemanager&folder_id=806&form_action=list.
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). 2013a. ‘ACMA-commissioned research’. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/engage-blogs/engage-blogs/Research-snapshots/Mobile-apps-putting-the-smart-in-smartphones.
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). 2013b. ‘Communications Report 2011-12 series. Report 3 ? Smartphones and tablets: Take-up and use in Australia. Summary Report’. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310665/report-3-smartphones_tablets-summary.pdf.
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). 2014. Communications Report 2012-13. ACMA. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.acma.gov.au/~/media/Communications%20Analysis/Comms%20Report%202012%2013/PDF/ACMA%20Communications%20report%20201213_WEB%20pdf.pdf
Baum, F; Newman, L; Biedrzycki, K. 2012. ‘Vicious cycles: Digital technologies and determinants of health in Australia’. Health Promotion International. Advance Access 9th November, 2012, p. 1-12. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/11/09/heapro.das062.full.pdf+html.
Campbell, S; Mason, C; Griffith, C; Dane, S; Reeson, A; O’Brien-McInally, B; Kimber, J. 2013. ‘Broadband Impact and Challenges: Realising the Benefits from the Digital Economy’. Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation, CSIRO EP1312215.
Crompton, S; Ellison, J; Stevenson, K. 2002. Better things to do or dealt out of the game? Internet dropouts and infrequent users, Canadian Social Trends, Summer 2002. Statistics Canada Cat. No. 11-008. Available from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2002001/article/6194-eng.pdf.
Dane, S; Mason, C; O’Brien-McInally, B. 2013. ‘Household Internet use in Australia: A study in regional communities’. CSIRO Report: EP1310907.
Eardley, T; Bruce, J; Goggin, G. 2009. ‘Telecommunications and community wellbeing: A review of the literature on access and affordability for low-income groups’. NSW: SPRC Journalism and Media Research Centre.
Gordon, D et al. 2013. ‘The Impoverishment of the UK PSE UK first results: Living Standards’. Living Standards in the UK; PSE UK first summary report’. Economic and Social Research Council. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.poverty.ac.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/The_Impoverishment_of_the_UK_PSE_UK_first_results_summary_report_March_28.pdf.
Katz, J; Rice, R; Aspden, P. 2001. ‘The Internet, 1995-2000: Access, civic involvement, and social interaction’. The American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3): 405-419
Lenhart, A; Horrigan, J; Rainie, L; Allen, K; Boyce, A; Madden, M; O’Grady, E. 2003. The ever-shifting Internet population: A new look at Internet access and the digital divide. The Pew Internet and American Life Project. Available from: http://www.pewInternet.org/2003/04/16/the-ever-shifting-Internet-population-a-new-look-at-Internet-access-and-the-digital-divide/.
Livingstone, S; Helsper, E. 2007. Taking risks when communicating on the Internet: The role of offline social-psychological factors in young people's vulnerability to online risks. Information, Communication & Society, 10(5): 619-644.
Mossberger, K; Tolbert, C; Bowen, D; Jimeme, B. 2012. ‘Unraveling different barriers to Internet use: Urban residents and neighbourhood effects’. Urban Affairs Review, 48: 771-810.
Morsillo, R. 2012. ‘Affordable broadband for all Australians’. Telecommunications Journal of Australia, 62 (5). Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lib/ir/onlinejournals/tja/#v62n5.
Rennie, E; Crouch, A; Wright, A; Thomas, J. 2011. ‘Home Internet for remote Indigenous communities’. Sydney: Australian Communications Consumer Action Network.
Roy Morgan Research. 2011. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: www.roymorgan.com/news/press-release/2011/1520.
Saunders, P; Naidoo, Y; Griffiths, M. 2008. ‘Towards new indicators of disadvantage: Deprivation and social exclusion in Australia’. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 43 (2): 175-194.
Saunders, P; Wong, M. 2012. ‘Measurement and change in deprivation and exclusion in Australia; A report on research in progress’. Working Paper ? Methods Series No. 11. UK: Poverty and Exclusion. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: https://www.poverty.ac.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/WP%20Methods%20No.11%20-%20Measurement%20and%20Change%20...in%20Australia%20%28Saunders%20%26%20Wong%29.pdf.
South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS). 2013. ‘Cost of living update’. No. 15 June Quarter 2013. Adelaide: SACOSS. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.sacoss.org.au/online_docs/130815%20Cost%20of%20Living%20Update15_Communications.pdf.
Tsatsou. P. 2011. ‘Digital divides revisited: what is new about divides and their research?’ Media, Culture & Society, 33: 317-331.
Wise, S. 2013. ‘Trying to connect: Telecommunications access and affordability among people experiencing financial hardship’. Melbourne: Anglicare Victoria. Accessed 05 August 2014. Available from: http://www.anglicarevic.org.au/index.php?action=filemanager&folder_id=806&form_action=list.
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Published
May 26, 2020
Article Details
How to Cite
Wise, S. . (2020). Internet connectivity among people experiencing poverty and deprivation. Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, 2(3), 11. https://doi.org/10.18080/jtde.v2n3.291
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Section
Telecommunications
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