Possible, Probable and Preferable Futures of the Digital Divide

The digital divide is widely recognized as a contemporary problem between society and techno logy. Strategies for bridging the digital divide are often informed and guided by quantitative assessments of the deployment of information communication technologies. There are few rigorous qualitative attempts to assess the digital divide from either an ethnographic or a futures-oriented perspective. This paper reports findings from a study that examined the possible, probable and preferable futures of the digital divide from an ethnographic perspective. The contents of this report include background to the problem of the digital divide, a review of literature describing the relationship between society and technology, findings from the data collection, and implications for future strategies to bridge the digital divide.