After attending Vicki and Lilinaz’s workshop on Equality and Diversity Inclusion (EDI) and then Vicki and Amy’s focus group, it seemed more and more important to me that we address these digital divides. These are something we are aware of, but perhaps not how deep they run. As I researched this, I became increasingly interested in cyberfeminism, and the construction of digital spaces, the metaverse and how we inhabit it.

I already had a strong interest in intersectionality, and as a humanities student, I already had an interest in the interaction between humans and technology. Technology and these digital worlds we build are, after all, made by humans for humans.

I was unable to fit everything I wanted to, and I think that if I were able to it would be a much, much longer document. Instead, I hope to provide a starting point. This resource explores the digital divide in terms of the physical technological divide, pay gap, cyberfeminism, career divides, digital safety and how minorities are disproportionately targeted online, the impact of the pandemic, shadowbanning, algorithmic bias, and finally, what we may be able to do to address some of these issues.

This resource was developed with input and collaboration from Vicki Madden and Lilinaz Rouhani, whose feedback and suggestions were so valuable, and made this one of the most enjoyable experiences of my internship. They greatly helped to develop this resource.

 

 

 

 

Header image: Digital Divides Resource by Molly Wickett, 2022, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 

If a different or more accessible format is needed, please do not hesitate to contact mwickett@ed.ac.uk.