De digitale kloof in de computergeneratie: ICT-exclusie bij adolescenten.

Abstract

The digital divide in the computer generation: ICT-exclusion among adolescents


In the contemporary information society adolescents tend to be associated with a frequent and confident use of ICT. As they are born and bred in a context of computer technology, adolescents of today are believed to represent the computer generation. They are considered cyber kids, skilful users of the Internet, and the central figures of technological revolutions. When worries are expressed about a so-called digital divide and the emergence of a new class of information poor, young people are seen as a group with no problems at all. The issue of the digital divide is typically portrayed as a dichotomy between computer anxiety, which is believed to be typical for the elderly, and computer enthusiasm, which is considered normal for the young.
The positive connection between adolescents and computer technology is not a self-evident fact, however. One category of adolescents manifests a reluctant attitude towards the use of ICT. They never or rarely use computers or the Internet. The primary objective of this study was to look into the myth of the cyber kid; exploring the often forgotten digital divide in the adolescent population.

Date of Award	2006
Original language	Dutch
Supervisor	Caroline Pauwels (Jury) & Keith Roe (Promotor)