Community Technology Centers Research Articles

‘I'm a resourceful person and I ask questions everywhere I go:’ adult job seekers’ adaptive literacy practices in the platformized workforce development system

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the experiences of adult job seekers in a community technology center, primarily exploring three cases. In adult education, the term digital literacy has been used to refer to technical skills, reflecting a hierarchical framing of learning that positions technologies as neutral tools. Drawing from a sociomaterial perspective, I explore the broader range of adaptive literacy practices emerging for adult job seekers as they moved across entangled platforms and workforce agencies during a six-month ethnographic case study. Findings explore three aspects of the adults’ practices across the platforms: maneuvering resumes across platforms as boundary objects; collaboratively navigating platforms’ rules; and drawing from formal and informal knowledge.

Correction to “Identity, positioning, and platforms: A case study of an older job seeker in a community technology center”

Correction to “Identity, positioning, and platforms: A case study of an older job seeker in a community technology center”

Identity, positioning, and platforms: A case study of an older job seeker in a community technology center

AbstractRequests by education and workforce‐related technologies to reveal intimate aspects of adult learners' identities have become a common practice in a platform society, where personal information is monetized for “free” products and services. This article uses a sociomaterial lens to investigate how an older job seeker in a community technology center positioned her identity in and through a variety of literacy practices as she engaged with technology platforms in her job search. Drawing from data gathered over a 5‐month period with this job seeker as part of a larger ethnographic case study, this article shows the centrality of identity production in navigating and making sense of technologies, which entails negotiating one's sense of self across both front‐end user interfaces and back‐end infrastructures. Practical implications include creating space for students' critical agency of platforms, which can lead to meaningful change in policies related to data collection.

Surfacing the complex conceptions of equity across making and tinkering spaces

PurposeRelatively few studies have examined the perspectives of informal learning facilitators who play key roles in cultivating an equitable learning environment for nondominant youth and families in making and tinkering spaces. This study aims to foreground the perspectives of facilitators and highlight the complexities and tensions that influence their equity work.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with facilitators of making and tinkering spaces across three informal learning organizations: a museum, a public library system and a network of community technology centers. This study then used a framework that examined equity along dimensions of access to what, for whom, based on whose values and toward what ends to analyze both the explicit and implicit conceptions of equity that surfaced in these interviews.FindingsAcross organizations, this study identified similarities and differences in facilitators’ conceptualizations of equity that were influenced by their different contexts and had implications for practice at each organization. Highlighting the complexity of enacting equity in practice, this study found moments when dimensions of equity came together in resonant ways, while other moments showed how dimensions can be in tension with each other.Practical implicationsThe complexity that facilitators must navigate to enact equity in their practice emphasizes the need for professional development and support for facilitators to deepen their conceptions and practices around equity beyond access – not just skill building in making and tinkering.Originality/valueThis study recognizes the important role that facilitators play in enabling equity-oriented participation in making and tinkering spaces and contributes the “on the ground” perspectives of facilitators to highlight the complexity and tensions of enacting equity in practice.

How Natural Mentoring is Used by Latinx Youth at a Community Technology Center

ABSTRACTMentoring is widely cited as a strategy to increase the representation of Latinx in technology, but the role of informal relationships with adults outside their family remains unclear. This study explores how natural mentoring is utilized by Latinx youth at a community-based organization, including the perspectives of both mentors and mentees, what it looks like, and the implications for students’ education and career pathways in the technology sector. The findings describe the motivations, strategies, and ideologies of the adults in informal learning settings, as well as similarities and differences in the perspectives of the mentors and mentees.

Local–global linkages: Challenges in organizing functional communities for ecosocial justice

ABSTRACTCommunities face “glocalized” ecosocial problems. Functional Community Organization bridges local problems with globalized issues, organizes community, and meets need. Models describe glocal linkages and their outcomes, but little is known of processes and challenges in organizing. This article qualitatively explores ecosocial organizing challenges in a Community Technology Center in a US city, which organized around e-waste and digital inequality. Findings indicate that Functional Communities may face challenges in organizing aims due to complexities in balancing need while concurrently addressing global problems and issues in structure, funding, and process. This may be mitigated through communication, focus, self-awareness, and reflexivity.

Building communities, bridging divides: Community technology centers and social capital

This paper explores the use of community technology centers (CTCs) by U.S. adults. In this context, CTCs are broadly defined as public, not for profit facilities where individuals can access the internet and information communication technologies, the most common of which are public libraries. Furthermore, CTCs are a junction where technology usage and community participation can occur concurrently. Two rounds of data collection using Amazon Mechanical Turk (n = 585) and a Qualtrics Survey Panel (n = 330) were used to develop a unique measure of social capital generated at CTCs. Through multiple regression analyses, this study identifies that the activities completed at CTCs but not the frequency of attendance are associated with higher levels of community technology center social capital (CTCSC), or rather the feelings of trust and reciprocity captured by our measure.

Reproducing hierarchies or resisting domination: exploring the gendering of technology spaces in the favelas

The relationships among gender, institutional structures, and their associated physical spaces are made visible with the deployment and diffusion of technologies within said spaces. As such, we seek to explore the gendering of technology specifically exploring how users gender gaming spaces and gaming practices. In this article, we challenge the notion of ICTs and gender neutrality exploring how institutional frameworks as well as formal and informal structures impact the ways new technologies are deployed and used. Based on a 10-month ethnography in Community Technology Centers (CTCs) in the favelas, urban slums of Vitória, Brazil, this paper focuses on the uses of ICTs by favela residents, and expands the notion of technological space beyond the physical into the domain of space as socially constructed and negotiated, exposing how space can be defined by socially explicit and implicit boundaries.

Going beyond the “T” in “CTC”: Social Practices as Care in Community Technology Centers

Community technology center (CTC) is a term usually associated with facilities that provide free or affordable computer and internet access, and sometimes training, to people in underserved communities. Despite the large number of studies done on CTCs, the literature has focused primarily on the use of ICTs as the main, if not the only, activity in these centers. When it comes to addressing social concerns, the literature has often seen them as an outcome of ICT use. It does not highlight CTCs as an inherent and important social space that helps to tackle social issues. Thus, in this study, I present an ethnographic account of how residents of favelas (urban slums in Brazil)—who are from understudied and marginalized areas—used these centers beyond the “T” (technology) in order to fulfill some of their social needs. I highlight the social practices afforded by the CTCs that were beneficial to the underserved communities. By social practices, I focus exclusively on the acts of care performed by individuals in order to address self and community needs. I argue that CTCs go beyond the use of technology and provide marginalized people with a key social space, where they alleviate some of their social concerns, such as lack of proper education, violence, drug cartel activities, and other implications of being poor.

Wired mobile phones: the case of community technology centers in favelas of Brazil

ABSTRACTThe growing spread of mobile phones and internet has some practitioners and scholars arguing about the possible irrelevance of community technology centers (CTCs) serving low-income communities. However, although mobile internet is making great strides, it does not yet substitute for public access; in actuality, mobile phones and computers at CTCs complement each other in providing those who face digital inequalities with a broader sociotechnical experience. In order to explore this problem, this paper explores this experience by investigating how favela residents appropriate mobile phones, posing the question, “how do marginalized populations perceive CTCs in the mobile internet era?” To address this question, I draw on a 10-month ethnography in the favelas of Vitória, Brazil which examines slum residents’ uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as computers and smartphones. Through this research, I demonstrate how marginalized people take advantage of smartphones and computers in a complementary way, using these ICTs to best meet their needs as they experience daily life in a relatively severe environment.

Bridging the digital divide among low income urban communities. Leveraging use of Community Technology Centers

To fully leverage the availability of the internet services in Kenya, all the citizens need to be able to access and use the internet and related services. The availability of 4G networks, cyber cafés and fiber connectivity in most residential areas of Nairobi has allowed many Nairobi residents to be part of its information-based society. But, as with the other existing social inequalities in Nairobi, many people residing in the city’s low-income areas lack access to the internet. This has a negative impact on the residents’ prospects as the governments and businesses are increasingly delivering their services online. Using a pre-tested questionnaire, data were collected from five hundred and fifty respondents on their internet access and digital literacy skills among the residents of the Mathare Slum. From the survey, the study found existence of limited digital literacy skills and lack of internet access among the residents of the Mathare Slum. The study then used the Community Technology Centers (CTCs) intervention approach to narrowing the digital divide by setting up a CTC in the Mathare Slum to offer free community internet access and digital literacy skills training. Eight cohorts, each of eighteen residents, were offered free digital literacy training for five weeks and free unlimited internet access for four months. The study then evaluated the trainees’ internet usage continuance intentions after four months of continued use of the internet at the CTC. The results indicate that perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, internet self-efficacy, and confirmation of expectations all significantly influence the participants’ satisfaction with use of the internet. The results also show that continuance intentions of the participants from low income household to continue using internet beyond the CTC can be predicted by perceived service cost, satisfaction, internet self-efficacy and perceived usefulness. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of CTCs as an intervention approach and a replicable model that can be used to bridge the urban digital divide among low income urban communities for the development of an all-inclusive information-based society. Implications and recommendations for policy, practice and research are provided.

Local Economic Impacts of Investments in Community Technology Centers: An Empirical Investigation

Although community technology centers (CTCs) provide a host of services that may have economic consequences, few studies have attempted to empirically assess the impact of CTCs on local communities. Controlling for broadband availability and demographics, this study found that there is a small but positive and significant impact of CTC quality on median household income, at the county level. In addition to bridging the digital divide for disadvantaged populations, our research shows that there are also quantifiable economic benefits from CTC investments.

Creating caring institutions for community informatics

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the potential affordances of applying a feminist ethics of care approach to community informatics practices in public internet access facilities. As feminist technology scholars have long observed, technology and technoculture are strongly encoded as masculine, privileging traits such as scientific knowledge, rationality, objectivity, and distance. These characteristics are expressed in traditional infomediary practices in a variety of ways, including notions of expertise, ways of conceptualizing technology, emphasis on skills attainment, and deficit-based models of user behavior. In contrast, ethics of care emphasizes the importance of relational and situated knowledge, pluralistic voices and experiences, and relationships bound by mutual interdependence. Traditionally, caring has been feminized and thus necessarily excluded from technoculture and relegated to invisible and unpaid labor. Caring and associated affective labor practices remain an under-examined subject in infomediary practices. Public libraries and community technology centers are logical places to explore for care work, given that they share many characteristics of the spaces where care work has historically been performed. We argue that an ethics of care framework has several possible affordances for infomediary practices in these institutions, including highlighting the gendered power dynamics that define and shape existing practices; distributing care work and making existing care work visible; and envisioning a more holistic and ethical approach to engaging diverse publics. We translate Tronto’s seven warning signs for ‘bad care’ in institutions into seven positive guidelines for providing ‘good care’ in public internet access facilities, then contextualize these for community informatics institutions and practices.

A qualitative study of tobacco use in eight economically disadvantaged Dominican Republic communities.

Understanding social conditions prior to intervention design can enhance tobacco control interventions. This paper describes formative research conducted in 2010 about tobacco use in eight economically disadvantaged Dominican Republic communities, four of which participated in a previous intervention study (2003-2008). A combined US-Dominican team used a rapid assessment process to collect qualitative social and cultural data on tobacco use, knowledge and attitudes; plus observations about social and policy factors, such as exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), tobacco regulations, pregnancy, health care provider (HCP) practices and sustainability of the 2003-2008 intervention. This assessment found that tobacco use varied by age. While all ages typically used cigarettes, older adults used relatively more unprocessed tobacco, which is seen as less harmful and less addictive. Middle-aged smokers typically used commercial cigarettes, which are viewed as dangerous, addictive, expensive and offensive. Young adults reported avoiding smoking, but using relatively more smokeless tobacco. Smoking during pregnancy has reportedly decreased. SHS was viewed as harmful, although smoke-free homes were uncommon. HCPs discussed tobacco issues mostly for patients with tobacco-related conditions. Sustainability of the 2003-2008 intervention appeared to be linked to active Community Technology Centers with strong leadership, and community social capital. This information could be used to design better targeted interventions in these communities.

Online Favela: The Use of Social Media by the Marginalized in Brazil

Based on fieldwork over six months in the favelas (urban slums) of Vitória, Brazil, this paper focuses on the motivations, engagements and adoption of social media by marginalized people in community technology centers (CTCs). It asks the following questions: (1) what is their experience using CTCs? (2) How does their experience inform the ways we should think about what constitutes empowerment vis-à-vis social media? This paper emphasizes the socio-cultural aspects of social media practices among marginalized people and attempts to understand such aspects and practices from their perspective. It argues that theoretical positions stemming from technology utilitarianism need expanding, because mundane and non-instrumental practices observed in the favelas shed light on the importance of technology in a variety of dimensions within people's lives. Encompassing such practices contributes to a broader comprehension of the engagements and ingenious strategies that help shape the daily use of technology by marginalized people.

Local Economic Impacts of Investments in Community Technology Centers: An Empirical Investigation

The objective of this study is to analyze the local economic impact of investments in community technology centers (CTSs). More broadly, it asks the question whether investments in CTCs are primarily motivated by considerations of equity and social justice, or whether there is an economic rationale that can justify such investments.The community technology center movement has a long pedigree, both in the United States and abroad. Historically, their motivation was to extend information and communication technology (ICT) access and training services to communities and individuals deprived of such services because of low socioeconomic status or lack of digital literacy. In effect, they were seen as universal service programs for those who could not afford household ICT access. However, CTCs also provided a host of services that might have economic consequences: digital literacy training, small business services, job training, etc. These services may cumulatively be expected to have effects on local economic growth, through encouraging small business entrepreneurship, lowering unemployment and enhancing local labor skills. Identifying the magnitude of these economic consequences, if any, is critical to ensuring continuing public support to CTCs.The relationship between telecommunications and economic growth has been long recognized in the economics literature, ever since Jipp’s pioneering work found a positive correlation between telephone density in a country and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By substituting for other production inputs and reducing transaction costs, telecommunications contributes to economic growth. Growth in turn makes more investment capital available for telecommunications development and also contributes to demand by increasing household income. However, establishing a connection between CTC investments and economic growth is harder, and has not been explicitly addressed in the literature. Analysis of the economic consequences of investments in CTCs is also complicated by lack of quality data as well as methodological issues. Data availability is a major concern, since no centralized database of CTC investments exists — most CTCs are run by a wide variety of entities including municipalities and city governments, charitable foundations, industry and trade groups, and public libraries. To solve this problem, we use data on CTCs from two sources that provide information on subsets of all CTCs: data for CTCs attached to public libraries are available from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); and data from the National Broadband Map (NBM) for Public Computing Centers (PCCs) funded through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The IMLS data tracks individual libraries and PCCs and logs the types of services available at each location, including digital literacy courses and general education assistance. The NMB data includes the periodic reports to the NTIA from recipients of PCC grants about the number of new and improved PCCs, the number of new and upgraded workstations available to the public, hours of operation, average connection speed, primary uses of the PCCs, average users per day, and training provided with BTOP funds. We supplement this with information on broadband availability from the National Broadband Map; and socioeconomic and demographic information from the U.S. Bureau of the Census such as poverty level, average income, average household size of the region, and geographic data such as population and the ratio of the population living in rural areas.In terms of method, models for the economic consequences of ICT and broadband deployment need to account for the simultaneity bias and spurious correlation. The incremental economic effect of CTCs needs to be isolated from that of the availability of broadband and ICTs in the wider community; it needs to rule out reverse causality, namely the tendency of wealthier communities to invest more in all public infrastructures including CTCs; and it needs to control for trends in the overall national and regional economies. Our paper utilizes an econometric model that addresses these methodological issues using appropriate controls and instrumental variables. The outcome of this research will provide inputs into the relative merits of the investments of scarce public resources into CTCs or other public infrastructure investments. It has significant implications for public policies aiming at universal broadband access through middle mile institutions, as well as for the creation of community resources and local development.

A Randomized Study of Internet Parent Training Accessed From Community Technology Centers

Behavioral parent training (BPT) has been shown to be efficacious to improve parenting skills for problematic interactions with adolescents displaying oppositional and antisocial behaviors. Some research suggests that support group curricula might be transferred to the Internet, and some studies suggest that other curriculum designs might also be effective. In this research, a BPT program for parents of at-risk adolescents was tested on the Internet in a randomized trial (N = 307) from computer labs at six community technology centers in or near large metropolitan areas. The instructional design was based on asynchronous scenario-based e-learning, rather than a traditional parent training model where presentation of course material builds content sequentially over multiple class sessions. Pretest to 30-day follow-up analyses indicated significant treatment effects on parent-reported discipline style (Parenting Scale, Adolescent version), child behavior (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory), and on social cognitive theory constructs of intentions and self-efficacy. The effect sizes were small to medium. These findings suggest the potential to provide effective parent training programs on the Internet.

Mobilizing learning resources in a transnational classroom: translocal and digital resources in a community technology center

Drawing from transnational and activity theory frameworks, this study analyzes the ways translocal flows shape learning in a community technology center serving adult immigrants in the US Southwest. It also explores students' constructions of the transnational nature of the courses they took, where they had access to both online and face-to-face instruction. Findings describe the ways transnational flows shaped relationships between elements in the classroom activity system – in particular, the framing of the online platform as a mediating tool and object of instruction, the roles in the division of labor for local tutors, and the students' construction of remote and local support. Pedagogical implications for adult immigrant education supported by translocal online resources are discussed.

Gendered Space: The Digital Divide between Male and Female Users in Internet Public Access Sites

Community technology centers and libraries have been crucial components of public policy initiatives to reduce the digital divide. Using theories of structuration and the social construction of technology, this paper examines the gender dynamics of the digital divide at public access points in Austin, TX over 10 years. Using extensive participant observations, we found male users outnumber female users in public access Internet usage, even accounting for age and ethnicity. In-depth interviews revealed that both sexes saw public access as the least desirable place to use the Internet, but discourses around libraries differed. Female interviewees associated libraries with nostalgia for books and family, while male interviewees associated libraries with technology. Older female users also described feelings of technophobia.

Theory Building for ICT4D: Systemizing Case Study Research Using Theory Triangulation

The popularity of case study methods in information and communications technology for development research presents challenges in comparing findings across studies for the purpose of theory building. The object of this paper is to describe a qualitative study in which theory triangulation was used to systematically compare multiple cases to develop theory. The concept of development provided the theoretical context for the study. The work of Hall and Midgley was used to provide three rival philosophical positions that give rise to differing approaches to social development. These are: populist, enterprise and statist. The application of these three contrasting perspectives using theory triangulation is demonstrated in the analysis of multiple case studies taken from a community technology center program in Australia. The relative strengths and weaknesses of each approach are identified and used as the rationale for theory development.