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Sponsored by the Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology section of the American Sociological Association (CITAMS), this volume assembles relevant research focusing on ICTs in Latin America and the Caribbean, two understudied areas of global importance. Regarding Latin America, the mobile broadband revolution is taking place and the spread of mobile telephony and broadband Internet is beginning to reach more economically diverse populations. Concerning the Caribbean, this region reflects perhaps the greatest cultural, geographical and linguistic diversity in the Western hemisphere. Because of historical links with Africa, Europe and other metropoles and the region's proximity to the United States and Latin America, the Caribbean offers a unique angle from which to examine the growth of ICTs. The volume features international editorial teams with leading scholars from the Caribbean, Latin America, and North America. Bringing these voices together, the volume sheds light on how existing policies are meeting challenges to digital inclusion, as well as the benefits of connectivity within these societal contexts.

This volume examines many aspects impacting the digital divide in Latin America and the politics of digital inclusion including mobile youth identities, technology affordability, school transformation by digital media, the diffusion of e-commerce platforms and digital technology in SMEs.

"This is an excellent Handbook with varied, interesting and relevant chapters that present sophisticated approaches to the human aspects of technology usage and digital life" - Robin Mansell, Professor Emerita, Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK "Bringing together an unparalleled collection of global technology scholars, this Handbook offers keen insights into our quotidian digital routines. It is an exemplar of inclusionary voices. A must read for all media and internet scholars!" - Inês Vitorino Sampaio, Professor, Federal University of Ceará, Brazil, and Faculty Associate, Harvard Berkman Klein Center, USA This comprehensive Handbook explores the multiple ways in which people experience digital life. It maps the transitions in human civilization generated by such digital technologies as the internet, mobile telephony, artificial intelligence, the metaverse, social media platforms and algorithms. It explores how the scarcity or abundance of digital affordances impacts access, governance and livelihoods in various parts of the world. The book's 27 chapters are organised in five sections: Social Media and Digital Lifeworlds; Digital Affordances and Contestations; Digital Divides and Inclusion Strategies; Work, Culture and Digital Consumption, and New Media and Digital Journalism. The present and future of digital transitions are interrogated in the context of everyday social production and consumption. Hopeton S. Dunn is Professor of Communications Policy and Digital Media at the University of Botswana and Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Massimo Ragnedda is Associate Professor in Media and Communication at Northumbria University, U.K. and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. Maria Laura Ruiu is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Northumbria University, U.K. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Sassari, Italy and a PhD in Media and Communication from Northumbria University, UK. Laura Robinson is Professor in the Department of Sociology at Santa Clara University, USA, and Faculty Associate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, USA. .

Intro -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Re-imagining Communication in Africa and the Caribbean: 'Releasing the Psychic Inheritance' -- Introduction -- Africa and the Caribbean -- The Challenge of Change -- Structure and Contributions -- Part I: Conceptualising Research and Technology -- Part II: Digital Strategies and Transitions -- Part III: Reforming Media Practices -- Part IV: Challenging States and Corporations -- Synopsis -- References -- Part I: Contextualizing Research and Technology -- Chapter 2: New Optics on Digital Media Cultures in Africa -- Introduction -- Culture -- Identity -- Sociality -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3: Globalisation from Within: Enhancing Digital Productivity and Technology Transformation in the South -- Introduction -- Trade and Development -- Digital Productivity -- The Knowledge Economy -- Present and Future of Work -- Education and Training -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4: Towards an Integrated Caribbean Paradigm in Communication Thought: Confronting Academic Dependence in Media Research -- Introduction -- Communication and Media Studies: Rationale for Inclusivity -- The Caribbean: Early Reflections -- Contributions of International and Regional Associations -- Caribbean Association for Communication Research -- Contributors to a Caribbean Paradigm in Communication Thought -- Stuart Hall -- Internal Mechanisms of Dependence -- Looking 'South' for Options -- Institutional Commitments and Reorientation -- References -- Chapter 5: Tracking Two Waves: Transnational Influencers in Africa's ICT Policy Formulation -- Introduction -- First Wave: Prominence of Trans-organisations and Transnational Interactions -- Domestic Challenges and the Formation of Structural Adjustment Programmes.

This research brings together digital inequality scholars from across the Americas and Caribbean to examine efforts to tackle digital inequality in Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, the United States, and Canada. As the case studies show, governmental policy has an important role to play in reducing digital disparities, particularly for potential users in rural or remote areas, as well as populations with great economic disparities. We find that public policy can effectively reduce access gaps when it combines the trifecta of network, device, and skill provision, especially through educational institutions. We also note, that urban populations have benefitted from digital inclusion strategies to a greater degree. This underscores that, no matter the national context, rural-urban digital inequality (and often associated economic inequality) is resistant to change. Even when access is provided, potential users may not find it affordable, lack skills, and/or see no benefit in adoption. We see the greatest potential for future digital inclusion in two related approaches: 1) initiatives that connect with hard-to-reach, remote, and rural communities outside urban cores and 2) initiatives that learn from communities about how best to provide digital resources while respecting their diversely situated contexts, while meeting social, economic and political needs.

This research brings together digital inequality scholars from across the Americas and Caribbean to examine efforts to tackle digital inequality in Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, the United States, and Canada. As the case studies show, governmental policy has an important role to play in reducing digital disparities, particularly for potential users in rural or remote areas, as well as populations with great economic disparities. We find that public policy can effectively reduce access gaps when it combines the trifecta of network, device, and skill provision, especially through educational institutions. We also note, that urban populations have benefitted from digital inclusion strategies to a greater degree. This underscores that, no matter the national context, rural-urban digital inequality (and often associated economic inequality) is resistant to change. Even when access is provided, potential users may not find it affordable, lack skills, and/or see no benefit in adoption. We see the greatest potential for future digital inclusion in two related approaches: 1) initiatives that connect with hard-to-reach, remote, and rural communities outside urban cores and 2) initiatives that learn from communities about how best to provide digital resources while respecting their diversely situated contexts, while meeting social, economic and political needs.