From Digital Divide to Digital Equity and Inclusion
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Item The Impact of Digital Inclusion Initiatives: A Systematic Review(2025-01-07) Ogbo-Gebhardt, EreziThe increased interest in – and funding allotted to – digital equity and inclusion calls for an evaluation on the impact of digital inclusion initiatives. While the impact of broadband connectivity on individuals and communities has been well established in the literature, the broader impact of digital equity initiatives is comparatively understudied. This paper reviews and analyzes the existing literature on the impact of digital inclusion initiatives with a focus on the types of initiatives studied (types of solutions offered and the target populations) and the types of impact evaluated (outputs, short-term impacts, and medium- and long-term impacts). Drawing on 32 articles in the final dataset, this study shows the research on program evaluation seems to be shifting from focusing on outputs, to measuring outcomes. However, literature presents conflicting findings on these outcomes, indicating more research is required on this topic.Item Can Generative Artificial Intelligence Enable Equitable Access to Social Determinants of Health?(2025-01-07) Qureshi, Sajda; Oladokun, Blessing; Nadendla, KavyaWhen people living in low resource environments struggle to access the resources they need live, they are faced with health inequities caused by lack of access to social determinants of health. This paper aims to understand the ways in which generative AI can enable equitable access to resources that are key to social determinants of health (such as dental health, mental health, domestic violence services, substance abuse services, among many others). In order to conduct the investigation, this research seeks to answer: 1) How can AI-powered mobile health services improve the state of social determinants of health? And 2) In what ways can a generative-AI mHealth chatbot enable access to healthcare? The questions are investigated, first through the testing of four hypotheses using data gathered from international agencies, and second through use cases of a chatbot powered through generative AI assisting access to location-based resources. This contribution uncovers key constructs and generative AI features that enable health equity.Item Toward Inclusive E-Government Services: Building Better Digital Literacy Infrastructure and Institutional Support for Marginalized Communities(2025-01-07) Kim, Yeweon; Harding, Alison; Subramaniam, MegaAdoption of digital transactions in the post-COVID-19 era induces extensive changes in public services, including the acceleration of the use of e-government services at national and local levels. Such advances have the potential to widen the disparities in access to basic services that are fundamental to life in communities affected by the digital divide. This study investigates daily struggles and concerns in digital literacy that is needed to navigate e-government services among marginalized populations. Interviews with 151 individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds uncover the barriers due to insufficient technology readiness, inadequate e-service provision, data security risks, and lingering distrust toward public officials. We demonstrate methodological advantages through established rapport with community partners in our statewide digital equity project. The findings amplify the voices of marginalized communities, adding more inclusive insights to the e-government literature and offering practical suggestions for improving infrastructure and institutional support to enhance digital accessibility to public services.Item Echolocation-based Smartphone Assistive Applications in Spatial Perception and Navigation for Blind and Low Vision Users: A Systematic Review(2025-01-07) Wheeler, Annalina; Siemon, DominikWith the expected increase of blind and low vision (BLV) individuals, supporting spatial perception and navigation is critical. Echolocation is recognized as effective in conveying spatial information, and the advancement of smartphone technologies has prompted interest in its use as assistive technology. This systematic review assesses the potential of echolocation-based smartphone assistive applications (EBSAs) and formulates a set of design principles to guide future research and implementation. Of the 17 included studies, nine described echolocation-based assistive technologies (EBATs) and eight discussed smartphone assistive applications. Findings reveal that EBATs and smartphone assistive applications facilitate information gain, ease-of-use, and independence. However, EBATs can present steep learning curves and technological limitations, whilst smartphone applications are limited by sensory inaccuracy and compatibility issues. The findings of this study highlight the need to improve user-centric design, integrate existing technologies and multimodal feedback, as well as encourage stakeholder collaboration in design, development, and testing.Item Using Syndemic Theory as a Framework for Understanding and Addressing Polarization and Other Anti-Social Behavior on Social Media(2025-01-07) Hodson, Jaigris; Morales, Esteban; Owen, JoanDigital information and communication platforms like social media are implicated in the spread of digital polarization, mis-and dis-information, and other types of antisocial online behavior. These problems are complex and cannot be addressed simply via content-based or platform-design changes; however, if information system scholars and practitioners cannot address them, they threaten the very fabric of democratic communication. In this paper, we adopt an epidemiological and social determinants of health model, drawing on the concept of syndemic from the public health literature. We suggest that problems like polarization, misinformation, or online abuse can be best understood using the framework of information syndemic, and then we demonstrate how this framework is a useful theoretical contribution to enhance the understanding of the relationships between structural and technological issues, misinformation, online antisocial behavior, and polarization.Item Hooja? How is AI Impacting the Digital Divide for Norrland’s SMEs(2025-01-07) Sheldrick, Susan; Andersson, Julia; Chang, Shanton; Mckay, Dana; Kurnia, SherahSMEs in Sweden’s Northern expanse, Norrland, operate in remote locations and challenging conditions. AI has been adopted by organizations, providing a valuable addition to the digital toolkit. However, as SMEs lack the resources and capacity of larger organizations the AI systems adopted are often limited and can leave them vulnerable. A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken with rural SMEs and associated stakeholders in Norrland to understand how AI was impacting the digital divide. The findings show that Norrland SMEs are applying AI to their benefit, however concerns are unfolding as to wider implications such as cost and nefarious uses.Item The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) Research and Impact from a Gender Perspective: A Bibliometric Analysis in the IS Discipline(2025-01-07) Lyu, Jueni; Gao, Grace Yuekun; Cheung, Christy; Wang, Snow (Xuejun); Mu, JingwenPromoting women ’s empowerment through ICTs is an essential driver for achieving gender equality (SDG5) goals. While an increasing number of women and girls are enjoying equal opportunities to access technologies and STEM education, how the academic world of Information Systems (IS) emphasizes gender equality remains less known. This bibliometric study addresses this gap by examining the landscape of SDG5 publications within the IS discipline and assessing the impact of these studies. In addition, we highlight the role of leading authors’ gender (female) in driving SDG5 research. To empirically conduct this study, we self-trained an LSTM machine learning model to effectively identify authors’ gender by their names. Our empirical analysis reveals that the IS discipline is less attentive on SDG5 topics. In addition, female scholars tend to publish more SDG5 studies but exert less impact on academic society compared to their male counterparts. We further discuss our findings and propose future research directions.Item Introduction to the Minitrack on From Digital Divide to Digital Equity and Inclusion(2025-01-07) Joshi, K.D.; Leong, Carmen; Bailey, Arlene; Qureshi, Israr