I agree with the framework outlined in Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health, which suggests that digital literacy and internet access has a strong impact on health. It is increasingly getting harder to do anything without the internet today. I remember when I was applying to college, my parents were slightly unhelpful because they wanted me to physically mail in transcripts and applications to each school. They were shocked to find out that even college applications are all done online. If I did not have a high school counselor that gave me the information for all the website resources, it is possible that I could have missed applying to colleges by their deadlines and their guidelines. This is just one small way that digital literacy and internet access can have an impact on someone’s livelihood.
All of the elements that are listed in figure 1 are very important, but the one that stands out to me the most right now if food. Due to the current government shutdown, many people in our country will not have access to food in the upcoming months. As of a result of this shutdown, I have been seeing community members be more vocal on social media about resources in my area. They have been posting links to local food banks and I have seen other community members offer to share some of their home grown vegetables to families. If someone does not have social media or access to online resources, they might not know where to go to find food for their families during this time.
I do believe that this is a good framework to describe the digital divide because it offers a few strategies for digital inclusivity. It is important to acknowledge that owning devices and having access to Wi-Fi does not equate to digital literacy. My grandparents own iPhones but I would not consider them to be digitally literate. They often email me when they mean to text me and they do not understand how to work their iPad. When it comes to healthcare for patients, we must understand their current use of technology so they not only have access to their patient portals, but they know how to find them and they understand what they are looking at
The area that was most impactful when reading The Digital Divide Is a Human Rights Issue was education. The article was an important reminder that for some students, education stops at the classroom door, meaning that they do not have access to their work at home if they do not have internet access. The article also made me aware of the fact that if children do not have internet access, they also lack the ability to find tutoring resources online in subjects they do not understand. This can cause these children to fall behind because they lack the ability to seek extra resources.
The strategy that I found most promising is forming an advocacy structure. This relies on social workers creating a campaign around digital inclusion. On a local level, social workers might know other stakeholders that would be interested in the campaign. They may know who else to connect with to advocate for this issue. I find articulating a desired outcome to be challenging. Technology grows and changes so fast that I think it might be difficult to name one desired outcome, because new technology may be the standard by the time people have access to the one they were originally campaigning for.
While reading Adapting Clinical Skills to Telehealth: Applications of Affirmative Cognitive‑Behavioral Therapy with LGBTQ+ Youth, one element of the approach that I found effective was demonstrating an LGBTQ+ affirming stance online because it can be harder to ensure a comforting and affirming environment online, so clinicians should be very intentional about making their clients feel heard and affirmed. Another tool that I found to be effective was developing behavioral strategies online. It is important that clients are still given coping strategies and activities they can complete even though they are online.
I am attaching a photo of a list of suggested apps for preschool aged children. This shows how children who do not have access to technology might be behind in school before they even begin.
Hi! I really agree with the framework in Digital Inclusion as a Social Determinant of Health because it shows how much digital literacy and internet access affect everyday life. I think about when I applied to college, my parents thought I had to mail everything in, and without my counselor showing me online resources, I could have missed deadlines. That experience made me realize how vital digital skills are. The part of Figure 1 that stands out to me most is food. With the recent government shutdown, I’ve seen people sharing food bank links and local resources online, which made me think about how those without internet access might miss that help. I also connected with The Digital Divide Is a Social Justice Issue, especially how the lack of internet limits students’ education outside the classroom. The strategy that resonated with me most was creating advocacy structures to promote digital inclusion. However, I can see how setting clear goals might be hard given how quickly technology is changing.
Great read! Sanders and Scanlon (2012) was my favorite article. The fact that they argued for internet access as a human right that everyone should have really resonated with me. I chuckled a bit because I do not think internet companies would see it that way. As social workers, I wonder how we can help achieve this human right for all, especially in both rural and urban areas, and globally. I believe we should first focus on the areas we live in before taking larger steps. What strategies could we use to convince our community leaders to assist us in initiating this human right in our neighborhoods? I understand your perspective that education is also a human rights issue. Many children are not receiving the education they need and are falling behind when it comes to technology. Education can be divided into different areas, particularly for parents who believe in homeschooling but are not part of the modern movement. Such families might inadvertently hinder their children from understanding the importance of technology in their upbringing.
Ally,
Nice job on this post. i’ve the apps for kindergarteners. It raises some very interesting questions from when we talked about “My Parents were Right” article doesn’t it?
Dr P