Digital citizenship and digital access

Elements

Social capital 

Information flows (e.g. learning about jobs, learning about candidates running for office, exchanging ideas at college, etc.) depend on social capital norms of reciprocity (mutual aid) are dependent on social networks. Bonding networks that connect folks who are similar sustain particularized (in-group) reciprocity. Bridging networks that connect individuals who are diverse sustain generalized reciprocity. Collective action depends upon social networks (e.g., the role that the black church played in the civic rights movement) although collective action also can foster new networks. Broader identities and solidarity are encouraged by social networks that help translate an "I" mentality into a "we" mentality. What are some examples of social capital? When a group of neighbors informally keep an eye on one another's homes, that's social capital in action. When a tightly knit community of Hassidic Jews trade diamonds without having to test each gem for purity, that's social capital in action. Barn-raising on the frontier was social capital in action, and so too are e-mail exchanges among members of a cancer support group. Social capital can be found in friendship networks, neighborhoods, churches, schools, bridge clubs, civic associations, and even bars. The motto in Cheers "where everybody knows your name" captures one important aspect of social capital.http://www.bettertogether.org/socialcapital.htm

knowledge Capital

An intangible asset that comprises the information and skills of a company's employees, their experience with business processes, group work and on-the-job learning. Knowledge capital is not like the physical factors of production - land, labor and capital - in that it is based on skills that employees share with each other in order to improve efficiency, rather than on physical items. Having employees with skills and access to knowledge capital puts a company at a comparative advantage to its competitors.


INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL'Businesses develop knowledge capital by encouraging employees to share information through white papers, seminars and person-to-person communication. Knowledge capital is important because it reduces the odds that a company will have to "reinvent the wheel" each time a particular process is undertaken because its employees have access to documents detailing the necessary steps, and personnel who have undertaken similar activities.

Read more:http://www.investopedia.com/terms/k/knowledge-capital.asp#ixzz3ZSL0KdoK

Human Capital

Human Capital is a focused recruitment company specialising in placing highly talented and qualified candidates with Investment Banks, Investment Managers and other financial services businesses. Human Capital has extensive networks with senior management at local and foreign Investment Banks, traditional Asset Managers as well as Hedge Funds. In addition, Human Capital has extensive networks of Qualified Actuaries, Actuarial Students, Mathematics of Finance Graduates, Chartered Accountants ,CFA Charterholders and Engineers. The directors of Human Capital have a combined financial markets experience of 23 years. This combined market experience means that Human Capital is best suited to perfectly match candidates with respective employers and positions.

Human Capital’s competitive advantage is in assisting candidates transition from traditional actuarial, accounting, consulting or analytical positions into a banking or investment environment. This is in addition to assisting candidates with existing banking or investment management experience advance up the corporate ladder in the field they are already specialised in.http://www.hcapital.co.za/

How do the content relate to the South African context

The partially digital: Internet, citizenship, social inequalities, and digital citizenship in South Africa

Tokunbo Toks D Oyedemi, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Abstract

The Internet has evolved as a major medium of information and communication; broadband connection especially enhances Internet's capacity as a virtual platform for social, economic, political and civil activities. The problem is there is a limited and skewed access to the Internet in South Africa. The slow growth of household Internet and fixed broadband is problematic for a country that aspires to be "an advanced information society in which information and ICT tools are key drivers of economic and societal development" (South African Broadband Policy 2010). This dissertation investigates the pattern of Internet penetration in South Africa. Largely, I explore the pattern of Internet penetration amongst university students; data were collected from 10 universities located in both rural and urban areas with other demographic qualities that are representative of the student population in South Africa. ^ Following Mossberger, Tolbert & McNeal's (2008) use of the concept of digital citizenship, I rearticulate the concept as a citizenry with the fulfilled rights to regular and flexible access to the Internet—implicitly individual and household forms of access, the skills to use the Internet, and regular use of the Internet for participation in all spheres of society. I then develop a theoretical framework of digital citizenship by identifying five key elements, namely: citizenship rights, Internet access, Internet use, Internet/digital skills, and policy. These elements are used as measures to investigate the pattern of Internet penetration in South Africa. I conducted a survey amongst students, interviewed officials in government agencies in the communications sector, studied selected policy documents, and carried out digital skill experiments. From the findings, I argue that digital citizenship is largely nonexistent in South Africa, particularly amongst the university students. I claim that most of these students are partially digital . A partially digital person has limited access to the Internet, inadequate skills to apply this technology and as a result cannot efficiently use the Internet to participate effectively as a citizen in society. ^ The study also reveals the skewed access to the Internet replicates the existing pattern of social inequalities in the country, often analyzed in terms of rural-urban inequalities, inequalities based on gender of household heads, family income, racial and population groups. I also claim that students from households that bear the brunt of social inequalities in South Africa are further deprived by the lack of access to the Internet, particularly household access, and the inability to effectively use the Internet. This deprivation means that their rights and abilities to participate in society as citizens using digital means are compromised. In conclusion, I offer recommendations towards achieving digital citizenship.

Reference

Recommended Citation

Tokunbo Toks D Oyedemi, "The partially digital: Internet, citizenship, social inequalities, and digital citizenship in South Africa" (January 1, 2012). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. Paper AAI3518402.

http://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3518402

 literacy and information influency