Beneficial to scholars and students in the fields of media and communication, politics and technology, this book outlines the significant role of search engines in general and Google in particular in widening the digital divide between individuals, organisations and states. It uses innovative methods and research approaches to assess and illustrate the digital divide by comparing the popular search queries in Google and Yahoo in different countries as well as analysing the various biases in Google News and Google Earth. The different studies developed and presented in this book provide various indications of the increasing customisation and popularisation mechanisms employed by popular search engines, which together with "organising the world's information inevitably also intensify information inequalities and reinforce commercial and US-centric priorities and agendas. - Develops an extensive historical investigation of information, power and the digital divide - Provides new social and political perspectives to understand search engines in general and Google in particular - Suggests original methods to study and assess the digital divide as well as the extent of commercialisation and Americanisation worldwide

Beneficial to scholars and students in the fields of media and communication, politics and technology, this book outlines the significant role of search engines in general and Google in particular in widening the digital divide between individuals, organisations and states. It uses innovative methods and research approaches to assess and illustrate the digital divide by comparing the popular search queries in Google and Yahoo in different countries as well as analysing the various biases in Google News and Google Earth. The different studies developed and presented in this book provide various indications of the increasing customisation and popularisation mechanisms employed by popular search engines, which together with "organising the world's information inevitably also intensify information inequalities and reinforce commercial and US-centric priorities and agendas. - Develops an extensive historical investigation of information, power and the digital divide - Provides new social and political perspectives to understand search engines in general and Google in particular - Suggests original methods to study and assess the digital divide as well as the extent of commercialisation and Americanisation worldwide

This book analyzes extensive data on the world’s rapidly changing and growing access to, use and geographies of information and communications technologies. It studies not only the spatial differences in technology usage worldwide, but also examines digital differences in the major world nations of China, India, the United States and Japan at the state and provincial levels. At the global level, factors such as education, innovation, judicial independence and investment are important to explaining differences in the adoption and use of technology. The country studies corroborate consistent determinants for technology usage for education, urban location, economic prosperity, and infrastructure, but also reveal unique determinants, such as social capital in the United States and India, exports in China and working age population and patents in Japan. Spatial patterns are revealed that indicate clusters of high and low technology use for various nations around the world, the countries of Africa and for individual states/provinces within nations. Based on theory, novel findings and phenomena that have remained largely unreported, the book considers the future of the worldwide digital divides, the policy role of governments and the challenges of leadership.

We are in an ever-changing and fast-paced world that is entrenched in technological innovation. But how is technology and science impacting our society? How does it affect our interactions with these products and ultimately with each other? How is society shaping the types of technologies we are advancing? Critical Issues Impacting Science, Technology, Society (STS), and Our Future compiles theory and research from the confluence of a variety of disciplines to discuss how scientific research and technological innovation is shaping society, politics, and culture, and predicts what can be expected in the future. While highlighting topics including political engagement, artificial intelligence, and wearable technology, this book is ideally designed for policymakers, government officials, business managers, computer engineers, IT specialists, scientists, and professionals and researchers in the science, technology, and humanities fields.

Digital Learning in High-Needs Schools examines the challenges and affordances that arise when high-needs school communities integrate educational technologies into their unique settings. Although remote, blended, and networked learning are ubiquitous today, a number of cultural, economic, and political realities—from the digital divide and digital literacy to poverty and language barriers—affect our most vulnerable and underresourced teachers and students. This book uses critical theory to compassionately scrutinize and unpack the systemic issues that impact high-needs schools’ implementation of digital learning tools. Incisive sociocultural analyses across fifteen original chapters explore the intersection of society, technology, people, politics, and education in high-needs school contexts. Informed by real-world cases pertaining to technology infrastructure, formative feedback, Universal Design for Learning, and more, these chapters illuminate how best practices emerge from culturally responsive and context-specific foundations.

This expansive, four-volume ready-reference work offers critical coverage of contemporary issues that impact people of color in the United States, ranging from education and employment to health and wellness and immigration. People of Color in the United States: Contemporary Issues in Education, Work, Communities, Health, and Immigration examines a wide range of issues that affect people of color in America today, covering education, employment, health, and immigration. Edited by experts in the field, this set supplies current information that meets a variety of course standards in four volumes. Volume 1 covers education grades K–12 and higher education; volume 2 addresses employment, housing, family, and community; volume 3 examines health and wellness; and volume 4 covers immigration. The content will enable students to better understand the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities as well as current social issues and policy. The content is written to be accessible to a wide range of readers and to provide ready-reference content for courses in history, sociology, psychology, geography, and economics, as well as curricula that address immigration, urbanization and industrialization, and contemporary American society.