On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to go to DC and meet with some people on the Presidential Transition Team. I got to talk about my research on Internet uses and skills with people who seemed genuinely interested in what we know about this topic and how it might apply to future initiatives. It was an exciting experience.
It is great to see an administration again that cares about information technologies (see related comments in Obama’s weekly address from two weeks ago). However, it’s important to realize that achieving a knowledgeable Internet citizenry is not simply a technological problem and thus cannot be resolved by a solely technical solution. There is plenty of research now that shows how mere access to the Internet does not level the playing field when it comes to achieving universal Internet literacy. Rather, coupling technical access with education about uses is an important part of the puzzle. Of course, even if one accepts all this, solutions are far from obvious. I got lots of really good questions from the people in the room and was thrilled by the conversation.
Afterward, walking down the hall, I saw on the doors the names of lots of people who have been in the news recently. It’s wonderful and encouraging to see the number of smart and knowledgeable people on this team.
{ 13 comments }
P O'Neill 12.20.08 at 2:10 am
If you have any influence with them, ask them not to trash the current White House webpage when they move in. Or at least ensure some way that the links to it will still work. A lot of the Bush disaster was documented by bloggers via links to the site. It would a shame for it all to disappear.
MarkUp 12.20.08 at 3:31 am
I’m sure VP Dick will claim it all to be personal/political and subject to an undisclosed location burial.
Paul 12.20.08 at 10:24 am
I hope that these “smart and knowledgeable people” have a good dose of common sense too. Obama has a very difficult task ahead of him and people need to realize that in the political realm anything can happen even with the best of intentions. History can be a harsh judge .
Seth Finkelstein 12.20.08 at 12:39 pm
Sadly, “smart and knowledgeable” isn’t enough in politics. Al Gore was one of the most visionary politicians and a true proponent of the Internet, yet a vicious hatchet-job on him still haunts his public reputation ( see my Al Gore “Internet” page).
Anyway, I hope you can use your position in The Belly Of The Beast to counteract the hucksters selling Internet popularity-mining as a political solution, and much worse, the horrible alliance between corporate interests and some techno-utopians to use theoretical Internet effects to promote risk-shifting onto the weak and powerless. While the popularity-miners are mostly annoying flacks, the risk-shifters are deeply destructive to the fabric of society.
C. Hall 12.20.08 at 1:48 pm
Eszter-
Would it be possible for you to point to some of the research on Internet access, adoption, and literacy?
Thanks,
Cyrus
HH 12.20.08 at 5:13 pm
There is a simple test of the political value of Internet academic research: Is it actionable? Apart from a few crusaders like Lawrence Lessig, the Internet academic community has been remarkable timid. Perhaps this will change with the encouragement of the Obama administration.
I think the central difficulty is that, for most scholars, their core mission is to conserve and perfect our understanding of things of known value. Because the Internet is emergent, and we are just at the beginnings of its socially transformative effects, scholars can’t get their canonical bearings. So they stay on the periphery, and have “exciting” conversations. Meanwhile, Internet history is made by entrepreneurs, eccentrics, and, yes, politicians.
Eszter Hargittai 12.20.08 at 5:50 pm
Cyrus, in my post I link to my research page, which has links to my publications, many of which deal with related issues. Looking at the reference lists of my publications will point you to lots of literature on these topics. Also, searches for terms like “digital divide” on Google Scholar would likely help. Regarding Internet literacy in particular, there’s much less work and I welcome pointers you might find.
gmoke 12.20.08 at 9:13 pm
Eszter, have you sat down with Nolan Bowie over at the Shorenstein Center? He’s a public interest lawyer who’s been working for years on media access issues. I’ll buy you guys lunch just to listen to the conversation (someplace in Harvard Square in January?)
Luther Blissett 12.21.08 at 1:15 am
Seth, I’m just glad Al Gore invented the internet.
drpangloss 12.21.08 at 1:19 am
Glad you are still enthused and thanks for that, eh. But my fingers are so really, really crossed that Obama et al aren’t just a well spoken mediocre crew it is very difficult to type this message.
PersonFromPorlock 12.21.08 at 2:45 pm
I suspect ‘the interest of the government’ will be expressed by trying to deliver the internet to a particular political viewpoint or to commercial interests, or both. Politicians of all stripes jockey shamelessly for advantage and take bribes, and there’s no reason to suppose that the Obama camp will be any different. The excellence of his internet advisors will probably best be reflected in their advice that’s ignored.
Alice 12.21.08 at 5:55 pm
Its great to finally have an administration which takes science and technology seriously. I hope you had a great time in DC.
beezer 12.23.08 at 6:21 pm
A Chicago politician with immense powers of persuasion leading a talented, motivated group of internet savvy insiders. I don’t know whether to run to the nearest exit or sit still and hope the lights I see aren’t the front end of a tractor trailer.
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