The Digital Villages Research Network

Broadband issue makes headlines in the Gazette.

Thanks to Lynne and Steve for developing our page which lists community websites in the Redcar and Cleveland area. Thanks also to those who helped us to generate this information.

Do check out websites in your local neighbourhood and contact the project if you know of any others that we should include.

Our Redcar focus group took place on the 10^th January 2011 at Coatham Memorial Hall. It was led by Nick Murray and Pauline Wright. We were delighted that ten people came to join us to discuss the issues. Focus group participants are members of the ROC organisation in Redcar. You can find out more about their organisation at http://www.redcarroc.org.uk/.  

The group discussed a range of topics including: first time use of computers and specific ICT activities they currently carry out as individuals. The latter ranged from e-mailing and Facebook to general research. One member of the group used Skype.

We discovered some interesting themes. For example, most of the group perceived computer access as a positive means of enhancing their lives. They said:

             “It opens the world to you”

             “Contact with people”

There were some more critical comments about internet use. The main issues that were raised included: safety, especially for vulnerable people and security, particularly in terms of on-line banking and disclosure of personal details.

Group participants also make use of local government and community websites, especially for gaining specific information about, for example, rubbish collection days. Some group members used other community sites, including, ROC, Focus and Carers Together.

We asked the group what they thought about creating a website specifically for the people of Redcar. There was general consensus that this would be a good idea, though participants felt it would also benefit from focusing on events and issues that were Borough-wide.

A range of ideas for potential content was discussed including information about available support for disability/illness and as a means of “making their voices heard” through access to local Councillors and MP’s.

A key issue for group members was:

How would the site be moderated and maintained?

One of the most interesting themes for our research centres on the importance of ICTs for this group. Access to internet technologies plays a major role in enhancing and enriching individual lives. Use of a computer is instrumental in facilitating independent living, contact with family and friends and generating a sense of empowerment.

We are very grateful to this group for taking part.

Is there anything you would like to add to these ideas? Please tell us your thoughts below by submitting a comment.

Some potentially good news?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/dec/06/extra-50m-superfast-broadband-uk-2015

The research team has been busy reading the interview transcripts and analysing the data. What better way to spend your time in the snowy conditions! I have to say we have some great data so many thanks to our participants for their time and support of the research.

There are some really interesting themes emerging. In this blog I’m going to focus on place and community. On the whole, people speak very positively about their local communities. Sometimes they wish they could be more involved but often don’t have the time to do so, because of the demands of employment and looking after family.

Sense of belonging is strong in many of the places where we have done the research. People feel attached to the local area and say that community members are friendly. Many people talk about the benefits of being near the sea and living in a picturesque area. There are some downsides though – not enough local services in some places, people moving in and out of villages without investing in the local community, the pains of poor rural access to Broadband, and in urban areas like Redcar, a sense that more regeneration urgently needs to take place.

There are some really interesting local activities and community websites. Many people have told us that they like looking at community websites, in particular the photographs and information about local history. They would like to see more about their local communities on the internet – more information on events, transport and services. It is about sharing local knowledge and information; social networking and community connectivity; and showcasing local communities and their unique characters and activities.

One of the main aims of our project has been to find out about people’s different experiences of technology use. Whether people’s experiences have been good, bad or indifferent, we have been keen to find out so that we can develop a better understanding of digital inclusion.

We are delighted that one of our interviewees has written up her own experiences which she has agreed for us to post on our website. What is so striking is the way in which early experiences of technology and learning have a profound impact on how we see and relate to technology today.

This is her story. Do you have a similar point of view or share similar experiences?

“I have always disliked things that are technical. I had no technical education at school; physics and technology were not on offer to girls in the ‘50s/’60s at my school. Technical matters were the remit of men and boys which suited me fine because from a very early age I preferred to spend my leisure time reading when I was excused from housework.

I enjoy the act of writing – I find it helps me to think creatively so when I did a university course in my forties I had no interest in writing my essays in any other way than by long hand and paying someone to type them up if it was required. However I was beginning to recognise that work presented on computers did look good and indeed might become a requirement.

At this stage I did attend a basic computer course for a term but I found it really difficult and I knew straight away that my mental health and my relationships would suffer if I pursued this tortuous learning. What finally killed it for me was being told by the tutor that all computers were different!

I joined an animation group because it was suggested to me and I had an interest in the creative writing aspect of developing a story line. I can honestly say that now that we have finished working on the script I am losing interest and have no wish really to learn about animation though I am sure it will be interesting to see the final result.

The only thing I find fascinating are the little plasticine figures that appear to walk but are in fact manipulated by hands that have disappeared on the video.

Perhaps that’s why I feel ambivalent about animation. The figures represent a manipulated reality: they are created by human beings and cannot move without help. Is our experience of reality any different, manipulated as it is by anyone in authority including the new power of the cyber world? We are left without a sense of autonomy.”

Thanks to Community Researcher Nick and our interviewee for this blog post.

Paul, Eileen and I attended and presented at the Niace conference on Digital skills and inclusion in London yesterday. See the conference website for lots of information on the day.

Our workshop focused on rural broadband access, digital exclusion and non-use and the value of digital village websites. We used data from our research to faciliate discussion. The document can be found here. All names have been changed.

I was pleased to hear that the rural issue is on the radar, though there seems to be much more work to be done. There is also a suggestion on the Niace website that plans for superfast broadband rollout will exacerbate the urban-rural divide. Our data supports this view, with Moorsholm residents reporting difficulties in accessing websites, especially with new media features and with potentially serious implications for rural businesses. Suggestions were made that more outreach is needed in rural communities, for example, internet access points in pubs and community venues, or greater use of dongles and 3G. Whilst these ideas are excellent for rural residents, they do still bypass the core problem of inequitable access and connectivity across geographical areas. 

There is an increasing push to get non-users online, with a concerning suggestion that there will be much less choice about use in the future. See slide 6 of this presentation. Although it is recognised that digital exclusion maps onto social exclusion and poverty, it seems that action to combat digital exclusion will focus on the necessity of internet use, rather than the underlying factors which shape access and skills development.

There is a strong case to be made for encouraging greater development of digital villages for local communities, not least because of the connectivity it affords community members. Comments from our workshop suggest that digital villages need good organisation and leadership. They can also be a way of getting people involved in community both on the ground and online. A nice example of different digital villages can be seen here.

Congratulations to Nick on his featured profile in Talk of the Town . To read the article click here

We have successfully carried out interviews with over 60 people from across Redcar and Cleveland. I’m sure the researchers will agree that everyone has really enjoyed interviewing and hearing people’s different stories about ICT use. We are very grateful for people’s participation in the project and would like to say thank you for sharing your stories with us.

Our next phase involves writing up our extensive research findings. We are looking forward to sharing these with the wider community by the end of the project.

Interesting findings from the Joseph Rowntree Fund about how computers and the internet are no longer seen as luxuries but are vital to working-age households for full participation in society. This is set in the context of the Minimum Income Standard which asks for public views on what is essential to everyday life for a ’socially acceptable’ standard of living. Read more on the article in the Guardian or the full report at JRF.