5.0
Technical Literacy and Social Capacity
In addressing the question of ameliorating the digital divide, a broad
range of contingencies come into play. These include the capacities of
individuals (economic, literacy, interest, need); available technical
resources, available institutional supports and services; the opportunities
and limitations of the immediate social context in which people live (community
circumstances, economic and social relations); work (employment status,
type and requirements of work); and the nature and impact of changes in
the broader economic and social environment (regional, national, or international).
At the most immediate level, all individuals require some basic means
or resources to realize goals of economic and social inclusion and betterment,
whether these are skills improvement, employment, or social participation.
Access to and use of the Internet can be an important resource in this
process, though it must be recognized that other factors inform the relevance
of using technology and the degree to which such access will be possible
and beneficial.
Enabling factors for individual participation and development include:
income, education and literacy, health, physical ability and so forth.
Disadvantages or discrepancies in these areas are obstacles for people
in realizing their potential for development, and social and economic
participation and inclusion. In turn, these individual capacities are
reflected at the community level, and concern issues related to the overall
health and diversity of economic and social institutions and services
in a community or region. The potential for individual betterment through
training, education, and participation relies to a significant extent
on the potential of community resources and institutions to facilitate
these activities. Individual betterment depends on the existence of opportunities
or incentives that give individuals a rationale for engaging in training,
learning and related activities in the first place.5
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