Deck 6: Technology and Inequality

Question 1

What term can be used to describe the gap in access to and use of the Internet that exists between countries in the Global South and Global North?

A) Global digital differential
B) Worldwide digital inequality
C) International communications differential
D) Global digital divide

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which country is discussed in the textbook as an example of a newly industrializing nation that has developed an ambivalent relationship with the Internet as it struggles to join the information society?

A) Brazil
B) India
C) China
D) North Korea

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the Statistics Canada data from 1995, what percentage of the top income earners-those who earned above $63,034 a year-owned a computer?

A) 20%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 70%

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A 1996 report by Statistics Canada, investigated the effect of what on connectivity?

A) Age
B) Gender
C) Nationality
D) Income

Question 5

What is the main purpose of Lifeline?

A) To increase the lifespan of aging individuals through the use of technology
B) To provide low-income individuals with a discount on telephone and broadband services
C) To use technology to extent the lifespan of all individuals
D) To guarantee that any individual who has a cellphone can get immediate medical help

Question 6

What does the term "minimum amount of Internet connectivity" mean?

A) It reflects the minimum speed of download for schools.
B) It reflects existing inequalities in society.
C) It reflects the standard amount of Internet connectivity set for all Canadians
D) It reflects a standard set for all school children today.

Question 7

The Ktunaxa Nation Network seeks to:

A) ensure that every child has access to ICTs across Canada
B) offer real-time and pre-recorded language classes to all First Nations Communities
C) demonstrate that the private sector is best suited to address the digital divide amongst First Nations Communities
D) offer better surveillance mechanisms through networked devices

Question 8

People experiencing homelessness in Canada use cellphones primarily to:

A) play media games
B) check weather warnings
C) access essential services
D) warn other individuals experiencing homelessness about weather changes

Question 9

According to a 2014 study by Haight, Quan-Haase, and Corbett, discrepancies in access to the Internet are impacted by which of the following variable?

A) Educational attainment
B) Mother tongue spoken at home
C) Neighbourhood census area
D) Number of cars per household

Question 10

What has played a central role in terms of providing computer skills to users in Canada and the United States?

A) Internet cafes
B) Universities
C) Libraries
D) YouTube

Question 11

Which divide reflects advantages provided by access to digital technologies, such as finding a job, obtaining health information, and being able to take an online course?

A) Skills divide
B) Perception of use divide
C) Efficacy divide
D) Economic opportunity divide

Question 12

What is the term for resources available through a person's social networks?

A) Cultural capital
B) Social capital
C) Social gains
D) Venture capital

Question 13

Canada's Auditor General has stated that

A) All Canadians must have access to social media by 2024
B) Rural Canada must have a 100% broadband penetration rate by 2022
C) All Canadian media bodies must provide content online
D) the state must set a standard for minimum internet connectivity that applies nationally

Question 14

There are many barriers to Internet use and adoption on the Global South, which of the following is a key micro-level barrier?

A) lack of infrastructure
B) lack of support
C) cultural barriers
D) illiteracy

Question 15

Which of the following characteristics is not a factor in making China a unique case in terms of the diffusion of the Internet?

A) China has seen incredible growth in its information and communications sector.
B) China is the world's leading exporter of modems.
C) China has a population around 20% of the entire world's population.
D) China's governmental policy has been to promote digitization, while at the same time limiting access to content.

Question 16

How did Gurstein (2007) criticize the digital divide concept?

A) The digital divide seems to be shrinking on its own, and any initiatives to speed up or slow down this process have had little effect.
B) The digital divide debate is focussing on the underlying but on-going trends towards increasing social and economic polarization.
C) A large majority of studies simply document the digital divide while offering no ways of addressing the problem.
D) A large majority of studies offer ways of addressing the problem of the digital divide without documenting what they are doing.

Question 17

YouTube has recently begun to cancel adds on which of the following types of videos:

A) Bitcoin videos
B) TV spoilers
C) Anti-vaccine videos
D) Pharmaceutical videos

Question 18

A key weakness of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) programme is:

A) Individuals were not explained how the program works and its long-term outcomes
B) Gives the idea it wants to impress Westernized ideas of education and progress
C) The technology often breaks down
D) Suspicion of American and European made technology

Question 19

Chinese Internet use is rapidly growing and the agency most responsible for China's official approach is:

A) Huawei
B) Alibaba
C) Xiaomi
D) CNNIC

Question 20

Penetration rates of digital technology in countries in the Global South have not increased.

Question 21

China has been criticized for its Internet censorship with restricts users' access to certain websites.

Question 22

The Canadian Big Data Consortium stated that there is no skills gap in Canada in relation to employees in the data sciences field.

Question 23

Graphical browsers were developed early in the history of the Internet.

Question 24

Hargittai developed a tool to measure levels of digital literacy through analysing the familiarity with a list of key terms.

Question 25

The definition of the digital divide by Mossberger, Tolbert, and Stansbury overlooks how the Internet is utilized for political engagement.

Question 26

Cultural capital allows individuals to show credibility and belonging to social groups.

Question 27

Electricity supply is not an issue for countries in countries of the Global South such as Africa.

Question 28

In relation to technology ownership, what is meant by the terms "haves" and "have-nots"?

Question 29

List two initiatives aimed at decreasing digital inequality.

Question 30

Define the term cultural capital and show its relevance to understanding class relations.

Question 31

What are some of the key benefits provided by present-day cellphones or smartphones to people experiencing homelessness?

Question 32

What is the so-called Great Firewall of China? What are some of the techniques used to enforce this policy?

Question 33

Discuss how differences in technology ownership and know-how lead to social, economic, and cultural inequality. Use examples as part of your answer.

Question 34

Discuss the merits and problems of the One Laptop per Child intervention. Based on your response, can you explain how alternative models might address the problems of One Laptop per Child, and what challenges these might face?