Ethical Perspectives of Digital Divide: An African Case Study

Authors

  • Charles Berebon Rivers State University

Keywords:

Digital divide, Africa, Third world countries, Digital culture, Ethical perspective

Abstract

Only social sciences-based techniques have been used in the numerous publications on the digital divide. A relatively small number of studies have also exclusively examined the digital gap from a philosophical and ethical perspective. An unequal, undemocratic, and unfair society are all products of the digital divide. In addition to raising significant discussion on digital justice, knowledge, power, democracy, globalisation, and information capitalism in Africa, this work raises ethical and moral issues and seeks to address them. This study's justification is that globalisation and information technology go hand in hand. This essay will also go into great detail about how all of these factors relate to information capitalism and how they influence Third World countries, particularly Africa. This research falls under the purview of digital culture and employs textual and critical analysis as philosophical approaches.

 

Résumé

 

Seules des techniques basées sur les sciences sociales ont été utilisées dans les nombreuses publications sur la fracture numérique. Un nombre relativement restreint d’études ont également examiné exclusivement la fracture numérique d’un point de vue philosophique et éthique. Une société inégale, antidémocratique et injuste est le produit de la fracture numérique. En plus de susciter un débat important sur la justice numérique, la connaissance, le pouvoir, la démocratie, la mondialisation et le capitalisme informationnel en Afrique, ce travail soulève des questions éthiques et morales et cherche à les résoudre. La justification de cette étude est que la mondialisation et les technologies de l'information vont de pair. Cet essai examinera également en détail la manière dont tous ces facteurs sont liés au capitalisme informationnel et comment ils influencent les pays du tiers monde, en particulier l’Afrique. Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre de la culture numérique et utilise l’analyse textuelle et critique comme approches philosophiques.

 

References

Adomi, Esharenana E. "Africa and the challenges of bridging the digital divide." Handbook of research on public information technology. IGI Global, 2008. 303-313.

Al-Muwil, Ahlam, et al. "Balancing digital-by-default with inclusion: A study of the factors influencing E-inclusion in the UK." Information Systems Frontiers 21 (2019): 635-659.

Brey, Philip. "Social and ethical dimensions of computer‐mediated education." Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 4.2 (2006): 91-101.

Bynum, Terrell Ward and Simon Rogerson. "Ethics in the information age." Computer Ethics and Professional Responsibility 1 (2004): 1-13.

Bynum, Terrell Ward. "Flourishing ethics." Ethics and information technology 8 (2006): 157-173.

Dahlberg, Gunilla, and Peter Moss. Ethics and politics in early childhood education. Routledge, 2004.

Denning, Carrie A., Robert I. Mcdonald, and Jon Christensen. "Did land protection in Silicon Valley reduce the housing stock?" Biological conservation 143.5 (2010): 1087-1093.

Dillon, Robin S. Dignity, character and self-respect. Routledge, 2013.

DiMaggio, Paul, et al. "Social implications of the Internet." Annual review of sociology 27.1 (2001): 307-336.

Donoghue, Jane. "The rise of digital justice: Courtroom technology, public participation and access to justice." The Modern Law Review 80.6 (2017): 995-1025.

Dreyfus, Hubert L. On the internet. Routledge, 2008.

Drucker, Peter. "The next society." The economist 1 (2001).

Floridi, Luciano. "What is the Philosophy of Information?" Metaphilosophy 33.1‐2 (2002): 123-145.

Graham, Gordon. Genes: a philosophical inquiry. Routledge, 2005.

Grodzinsky, Yosef. "The neurology of syntax: Language use without Broca's area." Behavioral and brain sciences 23.1 (2000): 1-21.

Hacker, Kenneth L., and Shana M. Mason. "Ethical gaps in studies of the digital divide." Ethics and Information Technology 5.2 (2003): 99-115.

Hansen, Karen, and Kent Zenobia. Civil engineer's handbook of professional practice. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

Hongladarom, Soraj. "Exploring the philosophical terrain of the digital divide." Selected papers from conference on Computers and philosophy-Volume 37. 2003.

Hongladarom, Soraj. "Global digital divide, global justice, cultures and epistemology." Information technology and social justice. IGI Global, 2007. 93-111.

Imran, Ahmed. "Why addressing digital inequality should be a priority." The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries 89.3 (2023): e12255.

Iniobong, Umotong & Udofia, Christopher. Critical Reasoning. Robertminder International Limited, 2021.

Iniobong, Umotong, “Aesthetic Controversy in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci's Self Portrait and the monaliza”. Leajon: An Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2.1 (2013).

Iniobong, Umotong, “Ethnic Politics in Nation Building: The African Perspective". Ifiok: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 5.1 (2020).

Iniobong, Umotong, “Humanism and Terrorism: An Epistemic Overview. The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 9.5 (2021).

Iniobong, Umotong, “Terrorism: An epostemic solution”. Sophia: An African Journal of Philosophy 11.1, (2008).

Iniobong, Umotong, “The Cradle of Western Philosophy”. Aksu Journal of History and Global Studies, 1.1 (2014).

Iniobong, Umotong, “The Role of African Logic in the Developmental Dynamics of Modern African States". Akwa Ibom State University Journal of Arts (AKSUJA), 5.1 (2020).

Jason, Gary. "On the Nonexistence of Computer Ethics." Social Philosophy Today 4 (1990): 197-206.

Johnson, Deborah G. "Ethics online." Communications of the ACM 40.1 (1997): 60-65.

Johnson, Doris G. "Handheld Computers: No Child Left Behind's (NCLB's) Digital Divide Equalizers?." Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology 1.2 (2009): 39-66.

Kennedy, George A. Classical rhetoric and its Christian and secular tradition from ancient to modern times. Univ of North Carolina Press, 2003.

Koehler, Wallace. "A longitudinal study of Web pages continued: a consideration of document persistence." Information Research 9.2 (2004): 9-2.

Koehler, Wallace. "Digital divide and ethics." Libraries in the Digital Age: The Internet: Ethics and Legal Issues & Information Services–Practice and Research (2001).

Kuipers, Benjamin, John McCarthy, and Joseph Weizenbaum. "Computer power and human reason." ACM SIGART Bulletin 58 (1976): 4-13.

Lu, Ming-te. "Digital divide in developing countries." Journal of Global Information Technology Management 4.3 (2001): 1-4.

Maldonado, Edgar A., Nicolai A. Pogrebnyakov, and Annemijn F. van Gorp. "ICT policies as a means to inhibit social exclusion: The South African case." Social Inclusion: Societal and Organizational Implications for Information Systems: IFIP TC8 WG8. 2 International Working Conference, July 12–15, 2006, Limerick, Ireland. Springer US, 2006.

Mansell, Robin, and Uta Wehn. Knowledge societies: Information technology for sustainable development. Oxford University Press, 1998.

Mason, Shana M., and Kenneth L. Hacker. "Applying communication theory to digital divide research." It & Society 1.5 (2003): 40-55.

Maurer, Christian, and Veronika Lutz. "The impact of digital divide on global tourism: strategic implications of overcoming communication gaps caused by digital inequalities." Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2011. Springer, Vienna, 2011. 265-277.

Moore, Henrietta L. "The changing nature of anthropological knowledge: an introduction." The future of anthropological knowledge. Routledge, 2003. 1-15.

Moss, Jeremy. "Power and the digital divide." Ethics and information technology 4 (2002): 159-165.

Mphidi, Makotoko Hamilton. Strategy for South African Public Libraries to bridge the digital divide. Diss. University of Pretoria, 2016.

Najafi Tavani, Saeed, Hossein Sharifi, and Hossam S. Ismail. "A study of contingency relationships between supplier involvement, absorptive capacity and agile product innovation." International Journal of Operations & Production Management 34.1 (2013): 65-92.

Richards, Richard A. The species problem: A philosophical analysis. Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Robles, José Manuel, and Cristóbal Torres-Albero. "Digital divide and the information and communication society in Spain." Sociologija i prostor: časopis za istraživanje prostornoga i sociokulturnog razvoja 50.3 (194) (2012): 291-307.

Schement, Jorge Reina. "Communication and information." Between communication and information (2017): 3-33.

Singh, Vikkram, and Joshua Chobotaru. "Digital divide: Barriers to accessing online government services in Canada." Administrative Sciences 12.3 (2022): 112-120.

Sorokin, Pitirim A. "Social and cultural mobility." Social Stratification, Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective, Second Edition. Routledge, 2019. 303-308.

Spring, Joel. American education. Routledge, 2019.

Stahl, Bernd Carsten. "Social Justice and Market Metaphyics: A Critical Discussion of Philosophical Approaches to Digital Divides." Global Information Technologies: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. IGI Global, 2008. 3345-3356.

Thirumal, P., and Gary Michael Tartakov. "India’s Dalits search for a democratic opening in the digital divide." International exploration of technology equity and the digital divide: Critical, historical and social perspectives. IGI Global, 2011. 20-39.

Van Dijk, Jan AGM. "Digital divide: Impact of access." The international encyclopedia of media effects (2017): 1-11.

Veruggio, Gianmarco, and Fiorella Operto. "Roboethics: a bottom-up interdisciplinary discourse in the field of applied ethics in robotics." Machine Ethics and Robot Ethics. Routledge, 2020. 79-85.

Warschauer, Mark. "Demystifying the digital divide." Scientific American 289.2 (2003): 42-47.

MADSEJ cover

Downloads

Published

2023-10-19

How to Cite

Berebon, C. (2023). Ethical Perspectives of Digital Divide: An African Case Study. Multilingual African Digital Semiotics and E-Lit Journal (MADSEJ), 1(1), 67–87. Retrieved from https://madsej.africanelit.org/index.php/madsej/article/view/6