Despite the challenges that Crawford describes, alternatives exist. Researchers and practitioners outline many examples of community-based solutions to digital divides. These projects seek to foreground how communities – that is, groups of individuals united by common values, goals, geography, social relations or other factors – are involved in the design and provision of ICTs. In the context of digital divides, such Community Informatics projects focus on how communities develop and provide their own broadband solutions, rather than purchase services from external providers like governments or corporations.
The video below is a conversation between the late Michael Gurstein and Peter Frampton, both of whom are/were active Community Informatics researchers and practitioners. Peter gives an overview of some of the digital divides he has come across, and describes some solutions.
Community Informatics and the Digital Divide
(uploaded Sept 3, 2012)
You can watch more videos about Community Informatics on Michael Gurstein’s YouTube channel.