Papers
Bridging Digital Poverty: Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies at Community Technology Centers in the Dominican Republic
Dissertation defended at the Univ. of Miami on July 2009
Globalization and the rise of the Information Society pose many challenges to developing nations. In adherence to the Millennium Development Goal of digital inclusion, the government of the Dominican Republic established a national program of community technology centers, or telecenters, that aim to promote digital literacy among the poor. This study examined how these telecenters promote the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and tested whether perceived structural factors, individual motivation or demographics predict adoption. Results from a survey conducted in the rural villages of El Seybo, Navarrete, and Oviedo confirm that telecenter users learn how to use information and communication technologies as a resource for information about civic life, entertainment, and professional development. The study concludes that telecenters can succeed in decreasing digital poverty, provided issues of sustainability are addressed with consistent and continued government funding and support. The field of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) is in its infancy and has yet to develop strong methodological or theoretical standards. This study of ICT adoption and telecenter use in rural areas of the Caribbean contributes empirical evidence to the literature of this emerging discipline.
LikeTelecenter Web Portals in Latin American and Arab Nations:: A comparative analysis
Co-authored with Dana M. Janbek. Presented at the International Association for Media and Communication Research World Congress, Stockholm, Sweden, July 2008.
As societies worldwide become increasingly inter-connected through an expanding digital network of information and communication, communities that do not bridge the digital divide find themselves at a disadvantage in the global market economy. Numerous telecenter initiatives in developing nations aim to foster prosperity by promoting literacy, providing skills training, and connecting isolated communities through the adoption of information communication technologies (ICTs). Governments and non-profit organizations attempting to bridge the digital divide in rural communities have found that technology adoption can pose significant hurdles. While scholars have examined telecenter projects worldwide from the point of view of feasibility and sustainability, few studies have documented how rural communities at varying levels of development create virtual community and reflect their identity through this new medium.
This descriptive study documents evidence of virtual community-building in ten developing nations in the Latin American and Arab world: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Jordan, Sudan, Syria, and Tunisia. Based on the premise that active participation improves the learning process, as suggested by constructionism theory, this study examined telecenter portals for evidence of user participation in digital literacy initiatives. The findings of this exploratory study indicate that most telecenter portals offer few interactive applications, therefore limiting the opportunities for users to practice digital literacy skills and create virtual community.
Internet Use and Social Isolation among Mexican-Americans
Presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Midwinter Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 2008.
Ever since the release of the “Home Net” study in 1998, a number of researchers have examined the incidence of social isolation and loneliness among Internet users in the general United States population. Still, no study has focused solely on this association among Latino Internet users. Using data collected from a statewide probability sample of 269 Mexican-American Texas adults, this study conducted a binary regression analysis to assess the incidence of isolation and loneliness among the Internet users. The results of this research indicate that Mexican-American Internet users are less lonely than those who do not use the Internet.
Foreign Ownership of Broadcast Television Stations in the Digital Era
Accepted for presentation at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, San Diego, California, November 2008
The first centennial anniversary of broadcast regulation is upon us. The Radio Act of 1912 was the first federal legislation to rule the airwaves. Over the years, other laws followed, tightening station ownership rules and limiting access to the broadcast spectrum. The Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 310) offered a comprehensive revision of existing frequency licensing rules and codified foreign ownership restrictions under Sections 310(b)(1) and 310(b)(2). When the law came under extensive revision more than half a century later, in 1996, Congress undertook to increase competition in the telecommunications sector and enshrine universal service provisions for basic communication services and Internet access. Yet, it did not go so far as to lift restrictions on foreign ownership of broadcast stations. At the same time, American audiences were able to access programming originating from foreign sources on a multiplying array of digital media platforms. This study analyzes the legislative history of limits to foreign ownership of broadcast television stations and evaluates the rationale governing the restrictions within the context of the current digital media boom. It argues that technological innovation has rendered foreign ownership restrictions effectively obsolete and the regulatory framework anachronistic.
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