Offline World: the Internet as Social Infrastructure among the Unconnected in Quasi-Rural Illinois

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

The United States continues to experience a persistent rural-urban digital divide. However, in this area of research, less attention has been paid to the divide in regions between these two demographic and geographic extremes. In this paper, we examine the perceived effects of internet inaccessibility in this in-between space, which we term "quasi-rural." Using quasi-rural Illinois as a case study, semi-structured interview data is used to highlight the experiences of those who are directly affected by the digital divide, as well as those who provide service alternatives and advocate for internet connectivity. With this data, we describe the personal experience of at-home internet inaccessibility. We then focus on how limited, or a lack of access shapes the perceptions of community connectedness and disadvantage among those affected by the divide. Our findings demonstrate the internet's function as social infrastructure; differences in access are then conceptualized as a form of socioeconomic inequality.

Original languageEnglish
JournalIntegrative Psychological and Behavioral Science
Volume55
Pages (from-to)371–385
Number of pages15
ISSN1932-4502
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

    Research areas

  • Digital divide, Quasi-rural, Rural-urban divide, Social capital, Social infrastructure, Socioeconomic inequality, BROAD-BAND ACCESS, BENEFITS

ID: 255100779