SocialMediaasaToolforInclusion

FINALRESEARCHREPORT Thisresearchprojectcontractwasfundedby HumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada

AnneTaylor
6137302966 aataylor@magma.ca February23,2011


Theviewsexpressedinthisreportdonotnecessarilyreflect thoseoftheGovernmentofCanadaor HumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada.

Acknowledgements
Thankstothemanypeoplewhosogenerouslysharedtheirknowledge,experienceandviews regardingtheuseofsocialmediabyvulnerablepopulationsinCanada.AspecialthankstoDr.Timothy PaschforhisassistanceintheearlystagesoftheliteraturereviewandtoMarcoCampara forhisinvaluableinsightsandreferrals.ThanksalsogototheHorizontalPolicyIntegrationDivisionof HumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanadafortheirsupportthroughouttheresearchprocessand fortheircommentsandsuggestionsonanearlierdraftofthisreport. Mostorganizationsservingvulnerablepopulationsarejustbeginningtogetahandle onwhatsocialmediacouldmeanforthewaytheydeliverinformationandservices,andthewaytheir clientelehandlethechallengesintheirlives.SourcesforthisstudywereinterestedthatHRSDCshould commissionthisresearchandmanyrequestedthattheDirectoratesharetheresults. TheviewsandopinionsexpressedhereindonotnecessarilyreflectthoseofHRSDC. MuchoftheinformationcomesfirsthandfrominterviewsandinthislightItakeresponsibilityforany errorsoromissions.

AnneTaylor StilesAssociatesInc

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary

1 4
4 5 5 6 6

1.Introduction
1.1ResearchObjectives,FocusandScope 1.2ApproachandMethodology 1.3ConstraintsandLimitations 1.4Definitions 1.5SocialMediaTrendsandInclusion

FINDINGS

2.AboriginalPeoples

7
7 7 10

2.1AboriginalPeoplesinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot 2.2UseofSocialMediabyAboriginalPeoples 2.3UseofSocialMediabyAboriginalOrganizations

3. PeoplewithDisabilities
3.1PeoplewithDisabilitiesinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot 3.2UseofSocialMediabyPeoplewithDisabilities 3.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingPeoplewithDisabilities

11
11 11 13

4.TheHomeless
4.1TheHomelessinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot 4.2UseofSocialMediabytheHomeless 4.3 UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingtheHomeless

14
14 15 18

5.RecentImmigrants
5.1RecentImmigrantsinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot 5.2UseoftheInternetandSocialMediabyRecentImmigrants 5.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingImmigrants

19
19 20 23

6.Seniors
6.1SeniorsinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot 6.2UseoftheInternetandSocialMediabySeniors 6.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingSeniors

25
25 25

28 29 31
34 38 44

7.Conclusion

Appendices
AppendixACaseStudiesOrganizationsServingVulnerablePopulations AppendixBUseofSocialMediabyFederal,ProvincialandMunicipalGovernments AppendixCLiteratureReview

Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

ExecutiveSummary

Introduction
ThisisareportofthefindingsofresearchcommissionedbytheHorizontalPolicyIntegration Division(HPID)ofHRSDC.Theobjectivesofthestudyweretodeterminetheextent,natureandbenefits ofsocialmediausebyfivevulnerablepopulationsAboriginalpeoples,peoplewithdisabilities,recent immigrants,thehomelessandseniorsandbytheinstitutionsthatservethem,andtoexplorethe extenttowhichsuchmediahelptoovercomesocialisolationandbarrierstoinclusioninCanadian society.TheDivisionalsorequestedinformationonthetopicfromthreelevelsofgovernment municipal,provincialandfederal.Themethodologyconsistedofsemistructuredtelephoneinterviews withsources,primarilybutnotexclusively,intheNationalCapitalRegion,andaliteraturereview.

FindingsVulnerablePopulations
DatafromdifferentregionsofCanadaandanecdotalreportssuggestthatFirstNationsandInuit peopleshaveembracedsocialmedia,usingtoolssuchasFacebook,YouTubeandTwittertokeepin touchwithhomecommunities,fightaddiction,showcaseAboriginalartsandcrafts,preservecultural identityandsupportpoliticaladvocacy.ThoughtherearewellfoundedmisgivingsamongAboriginal peoplesregardingthepotentialnegativeimpactofsocialmediaontheirculturesandlanguages,itis clearthatmanyareusingthesetechnologiesinthefighttopreserveAboriginalculturesandidentity. DespitearemarkableuptakeofsocialmediaamongAboriginalpeople,recentresearchsuggeststhat abouthalfofFirstNationscommunitiesacrossCanadadonothaveaccesstoresidentialbroadband.Ina countryasconnectedasCanada,adequatebroadbandisamajorcriterionforequityandinclusionin Canadiansociety. Informantsreportthatformanypeoplewithdisabilities,connectivityisalifeline.Arecent

Canadianstudyofover700studentswithdisabilitiesrevealsthattheyspend,onaverage,18hoursa weekengaginginsocialmediaforschoolandleisureactivities.Inthesamestudy,welloverhalfsaidthat socialmediamakesthemfeellessisolated.Thebarrierstointernetaccessincludelowincomeandlow levelsofeducation.Thisunderscoresthedoublevulnerabilityofdisabledpeople;studiesconsistently reportloweraveragelevelsofincomeamongdisabledpeople,afactorthatalsohasanimpactontheir abilitytobuyandmaintaincomputers,broadbandandtheassistivedevicesthatpeoplewithdisabilities requiretoparticipateinanincreasinglywebbasedsociety.Keyinformantsandtheliteraturereviewed

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forthisstudyindicatethatalagbetweenthereleaseofnewsoftwareandthedevelopmentofassistive technologyforthatsoftwarealsoposechallenges.InOttawathemajorityoforganizationsadvocating fororservingthedisabledlacktheresourcestostudyhowtheirconstituentsusesocialmedia.Theyalso lackinhouseknowledgetoexploititspotential. Thehomelessareasurprisinglywellconnectedgroup.KeyinformantsinOttawasaythatalmost

allhomelesspeoplehavecellphonesandusetextmessagingandthatthemajorityofhomelessyouth haveFacebookprofiles.Additionally,manymiddleagedhomelesspeople,particularlywomen,use computersandsocialmedia.Sheltersaretryingtorespondtothewebbasedneedsofthehomelessby settingupcomputerlabs,andthedemandfortimeoncomputersishigh.Homelesspeopleuse computerstofindhousing,lookforjobs,creatersumsand/ordohomeworkforthecoursestheyare taking.InformantsindicatethatFacebookishelpingmanyhomelesspeopletoregain,repairandrebuild relationships.Howevermosthomelesspeoplearecarelessabouttheirpersonalprivacyandsome informantssuggestthatFacebookmayexposethisalreadyvulnerablepopulationtofurtherriskonthe streets. Themajorityofrecentimmigrantsoftheskilledworkerandprofessionalcategoriesare

conversantinmostaspectsofsocialmedia,especiallyFacebook,LinkedInandYouTube.Informantssay theiruseofsocialmediahasincreasedsubstantiallysince2008andthatmanyrecentwelleducated immigrantsaremoretechsavvythantheagenciesthatservethem.Inadditiontothesocialmedia optionsofferedonthefederalgovernmentsWorkinginCanadawebsite,thisgroupistappingintothe growingnumberofmultilingualsocialmediawebsitesforinformationandadvicefromother immigrants,counsellorsandCanadiancitizens.However,refugeesandimmigrantsofthefamilyclass tendtohaveconsiderablylessfacilitywithcomputers,theinternetandsocialmediaandmanyhave littleknowledgeofeitherofficiallanguage.Informantssaysuchnewcomersrequirebasiccomputer training(preferablyintheirownlanguage)aswellasfacetofacemeetingsandassistanceinthe settlementprocess.Thegreatmajorityofsettlementserviceagencieshaveyettousesocialmediato reach,informandinteractwiththeirclientele;however,spokespersonsfromorganizationsthatdouse socialmediaemphasizetheeconomyofaccomplishingsomeoftheirworkonlineandtheimportanceof buildingsocialmediareachintoanaccountabilityframeworkthatwillsatisfythedemandsof governmentfunders. TheseniorsectoroftheCanadianpopulationhasseenthegreatestgrowthininternetusersthis

decade.Asof2009over65percentofseniorswereonline,accordingtoStatisticsCanada.Theirmost popularonlineactivitiesareemail(90%),findingtravelinformation(59%)andgettingroad/weather

Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

reports(56%).Informantsfromthisandotherresearchindicatethatemailandsocialmediaincrease contactwithfamily,easeloneliness,lowerratesofdepressionandenhanceexistingrelations.The literaturestressesthat,forseniors,onlinesocialnetworkingisunlikelytoresultinnewacquaintances; andso,fortheveryisolated,onlinesocialnetworkingisnotapathwaytoareallifesocialnetwork. Internetuseishigheramongwelloffseniorsandamongthosewhosefamilieshavehelpedthemtackle thetechnology.Theliteratureaffirmswhatthoseinterviewedforthisstudyestimate:thatpoverty,low levelsofeducation,lowcomputerliteracyandlackoffamilysupportactasbarrierstotheuptakeof onlinecommunication.Mostagenciesandcommunitycentresservingseniorsdonotusesocialmedia, althoughsomeuseemailtocommunicatewiththosewhoareonline.Thoughretiringbabyboomers arebeginningtoswelltheseniorranksandwillboosttherateofinternetandsocialmediause,inthe shorttomediumterm,policiesmustcontinuetotakeintoaccountthemajorityofseniors75yearsand olderwhoarenotonline.

FindingsGovernments
Therearesomeexcellentsocialmediainitiativesamongfederalgovernmentdepartmentsas wellasagrowingawarenessofthebenefitsofsocialmediaforengagingcitizens,gaugingpublicopinion anddirectingthepublictoaccurategovernmentwebsiteinformation.Atthepresenttimetheuseof socialmediaandthedegreeofexperimentationareunevenacrossandwithindepartments.Though departmentsaretrackingusers,todatenoformalevaluationsoftheimpactandeffectivenessofsocial mediacampaignshavetakenplace.Themainchallengesofsocialmediausebygovernmentarehuman resources,riskmanagementandworkingouttheintegrationofprogramparticipationonlinewith communicationstraditionalroleofmanagingdepartmentalmessaging.OtherthantheCIC/HRSDC websiteWorkinginCanada,whichwasnotincludedinthisstudy,nogovernmentdepartmentsare specificallyusingsocialmediatoreachouttovulnerablepopulations. TheGovernmentofOntarioappearstobemakinglessuseofsocialmediathanthefederal

government.OnlyafewOntarioministriesandahandfulofpilotprojectsuseFacebook,Twitterand YouTube.ThesameappliestotheCityofOttawa.Althoughthemunicipalitydoesnothavean overarchingplanforsocialmediause,itisopentoandexperimentingwithitsuse,especiallyinthearea ofpublichealth.TheOttawaPublicLibraryhasbeeninstrumentalinopeningitsdoorstohundredsof refugeesandimmigrantsmonthlythroughtheLibrarySettlementPartnershipandprovidingcomputer

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classesforimmigrants,seniorsandothers;ithas,however,notusedsocialmediaasawaytoengage vulnerablepopulations.

Conclusion
Theinterviewsinthisstudyyieldedusefulinformationbuttheresearchalsorevealedthat empiricalevidenceoftheimpactofsocialmediaonvulnerablepopulationsisscant;andthatthesocial mediapracticesofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentshaveyettobeformallyevaluated.This studyunderscoresthedearthofCanadianacademicresearchandstatisticalsurveydatainthisfield.It suggeststhatgovernmentcouldincreaseinternetliteracyamongvulnerablepopulationsby: encouragingindepthqualitativeandquantitativeresearchonthetopic;providingincentivesforservice organizationstousesocialmediatoengageandinformtheirclientele;supportingorganizationsina proactivecampaigntobringcomputeraccess,computertrainingandinternetliteracytoallcitizens.

1.Introduction
ThisreportsummarizesthefindingsofresearchcommissionedbytheHorizontalPolicy IntegrationDivision(HPID)ofHRSDC.AnneTaylorofStilesAssociatesInc.conductedtheresearch betweenOctoberandDecember2010tostudytheuseofsocialmediabyfivevulnerablepopulations Aboriginalpeoples,peoplewithdisabilities,recentimmigrants,thehomelessandseniorsaswellasby theinstitutionsthatservethem,andtoexploretheextenttowhichsuchmediahelptoovercomesocial isolationandbarrierstoinclusioninCanadiansociety.

1.1ResearchObjectives,FocusandScope
TheobjectiveofthisresearchistoassistHPIDindeepeningitsknowledgeaboutthenatureand extentofsocialmediabyvulnerablepopulationsandtheagenciesthatservethemandthereby contributetotheDivisionspolicydevelopmentandengagementstrategiesforthesegroups. TheHPIDrequestedthatthe28dayresearchprojectfocusontheNationalCapitalRegion;

provideademographicprofileofeachvulnerablegroupintheregion;identifydemographicdifferences betweensocialmediausersandnonusersaswellasbarrierstouse;examinethebenefitsofsocial mediauseanddescribebestpracticesandinitiativesinvolvingsocialmediaamongcommunity institutions,serviceprovidingorganizationsandgovernments.Additionally,HPIDrequestedaliterature

Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

reviewontheuseofsocialmediabyeachofthefivevulnerablepopulationstocomplementthe stakeholderresearchfindings.(ThedetailedStatementofWorkcanbefoundinAppendixA).

1.2ApproachandMethodology
Theoriginalmethodologycomprised14semistructuredinterviewswithmembersofkey institutionsandorganizationsbasedonthreedepartmentapprovedinterviewguides.Shortlyintothe interviewingprocessitbecameevidentthattheapproachwasunsuitable:theuseofsocialmediaby almostallinformantswastoonewandtheirknowledgeofitsreachandroleinencouragingtheinclusion ofvulnerablepopulationstoolimited.Withthedepartmentsapproval,theresearchermodifiedthe methodologytoi)involvemoreinformantsinshorter,lessstructuredinterviewsandii)extendthe research,whereuseful,beyondtheNationalCapitalRegion.Attheconclusionoftheresearch,andwith theDivisionsapproval,theresearcherplacedthegovernmentrelatedinformationintheappendicesas therewaslittletoreportregardingtheuseofsocialmediabythesesectorstoengagevulnerable populations(seeAppendixC). 1 Theresearcherlimitedtheliteraturereviewalmostexclusivelytostudiesconductedbetween

2008and2010becausethefieldofsocialmediaisdevelopingsorapidly.Theliteraturesearchwas conductedonlinethrough:i)academicportalsusingawiderangeofsearchengines;ii)perusalsof onlinejournals;iii)personalcontactwith16academicsinrelevantfields;iv)scansofCanadianInstitutes ofHealthResearch(CIHR)andSSHRCprojectandproposaldatabasesfrom20082010;v)requestsfor informationpostedonCanadianandinternationalacademiclistservs;andvi)postingsonTwitter.

1.3ConstraintsandLimitations
Considerableresearchisavailableonthepsychologicalimpactsandinfluencesofsocialmedia

onyoungpeople.Academicresearchontheuseofsocialmediabyandforvulnerablepopulationsis, however,difficulttofind.ThelargestbodyofEnglishlanguageresearchonthistopiccomesfromthe U.S.;muchlesshasbeencontributedbyAustraliaandGreatBritain;andalmostnoresearchonthetopic emanatesfromCanada.Alsolackingarecurrentinstitutionalandgovernmentsurveydataonratesand patternsofsocialmediausebythepopulationsunderstudy.Furthermore,theuseofsocialmediaasan

1

ThesuccessfulWorkinginCanadawebsiteforrecentimmigrantswasnotincludedinthecurrentstudybecauseitwasthe subjectofacomprehensivestudycommissionedbyHRSDCanddeliveredinMarch2010.Pleasesee:DeChief,D.,Caidi,N., Allard,D.,Lam,M.(2010).ImmigrantsandtheInternet:TheinformationneedsofCanadianImmigrantjobseekersand www.workinginCanada.gc.ca.FinalDraftSubmissiontoHumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada(HRSCD).

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engagementtoolbygovernmentsandserviceprovidingorganizationsinCanadaissonewthat,todate, ithasyettobeformallyevaluated.Asaresult,thereisscantempiricalevidenceofthereach,benefits andeffectivenessofsocialmediainitiatives.Finally,manyofthequestionsoutlinedintheStatementof Workrequiremoreindepthresearchwithmembersofthetargetedvulnerablepopulations;the resourceslimitationsforthisstudydidnotpermitsuchresearch.

1.4Definitions
Thefollowingdefinitionsapplytotermsusedinthisreport.ICTs:InteractiveCommunications Technologies;Web1.0:onewayInternetbroadcastingcharacterizedbystaticwebsites; Web2.0:web applicationsthatfacilitateinteractiveinformationsharing;socialmedia:webbasedmediaforsocial interactionsandusercreatedcontentincludingsocialnetworkingwebsites,microbloggingsites,forums, weblogs,voiceoverIP,andmusic,photo,videoandbookmarksharingsites,examplesofwhichinclude Facebook,MySpace,Bebo,Twitter,LinkedIn,Flickr,YouTube,Skype,Diggandseveralhundredother optionsontheinternet;socialnetworking:usingsocialmediatonetworkonline;socialinclusion:the capacityofindividualstoparticipateinthesocialandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesinorderto optimizeeducational,employment,andhealth/wellbeingoutcomes;socialcapital:asocialnetworkof relationshipsbasedontrust,reciprocityandsocialnormsthatincreaseapersonsaccesstoinformation, skillsetsandabilitytobeanactiveparticipantinsociety.

1.5SocialMediaTrendsandInclusion
InJuly2010Nielsonreportedthat22percentofalltimespentonlinegloballyissocialmedia related.Socialnetworkingsurpassedemailintimespentin2007andinnumbersofusersinJuly2009. Expertsinthefieldsaythatthecommunicationsrevolutionisjustbeginningandthatthecoming explosionofmobiledeviceswillfurtherexpandtheuseofsocialmedia. 2 Numerousstudiesshowthat CanadaisonthecuspofthiscommunicationsrevolutionwhichisrevolvingmainlyaroundFacebook, Twitter,YouTubeandbloggingsites. 3

InherlatestStateoftheInternetreport,MorganStanleyanalystMaryMeekerpredictsthatwithinfiveyearsmoreusers willaccesstheInternetusingmobiledevicesthanlaptopPCsandthatmobiledatatrafficwillincreaseby4000percentby 2014.<http://gigaom.com/2010/04/12/marymeekermobileinternetwillsoonovertakefixedinternet/> 3 InJune2010theresearchfirmInsideNetworkannouncedthatCanadawasthefourthlargestmarketonFacebook,onaper capitabasis,afterIceland,NorwayandHongKong.MorethanhalfofCanadianshasafacebookprofile.ForresterResearch maintainsthatifoneincludesallsocialmedia,thenumberofCanadiansusingsocialmediaisalmost80%. <http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/06/02/facebookusersdata.html#ixzz150Prrq5x>

Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Thisstudyattemptstoshedlightontheimpactofinternetaccessandsocialmediauseon Canadasmostvulnerablepopulations.Towhatextentdothesegroupsparticipateinsocialmedia?Will thesemodesofcommunicationfurthertheinclusionofsuchgroupsinCanadiansocietyorwilltheir growthinCanadacompoundthedisadvantagesalreadyexperiencedbyvulnerablegroups?

FINDINGS

2.AboriginalPeoples
2.1AboriginalPeoplesinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot
About13,000peoplelivingintheOttawaareaidentifythemselvesasAboriginal,accordingtothe 2006Census; 4 over50percentofOttawasAboriginalpopulationisundertheageof24,makingthecity hometooneofthefastestgrowingurbanAboriginalpopulationsinCanada.Ottawaisalsohometothe largesturbanInuitpopulationoutsideoftheNorth. Amongthose15yearsandover,morethanonethirdofAboriginalpeoplehaveahighschool diplomaoranapprenticeshiportradesdiplomaand37percenthaveacollege 5 oruniversitydegree. Nevertheless,Aboriginalleadershavesignalledhighratesofunemployment,substanceabuseand illiteracyandarateofhomelessnessthatisdisproportionatetothepopulation. 6 Morethanaquarterof OttawasAboriginalpopulationisdisabled,afigurealmostninepercenthigherthanthegeneral population. 7

2.2UseofSocialMediabyAboriginalPeoples
ThelatestStatisticsCanadadataoninternetusebyoffreserveAboriginalpeoplegoesbackto 2001,atwhichtimethoseofAboriginalancestryoffreserveweredeemedjustaslikelytousethe InternetasnonAboriginalpeople,with72percentlogginginatleastseveraltimesaweek. 8 Aswith

Statistics Canada. Aboriginal service providers estimate that 16,00018,000 Aboriginal people now live in Ottawa (Equity and InclusionLens.DiversitySnapshot:AboriginalPeoples,2010). 5 OrGGP(Collged'enseignementgnraletprofessionel)diploma 6 InformationfromtheCityofOttawa 7 SocialPlanningCouncilofOttawa(2010).DisabilityProfileoftheCityofOttawa:AProfileofPersonswithDisabilitiesin OttawaBasedonthe2006Census. 8 Crompton,Susan(2004).OffReserveAboriginalInternetUsers,CanadianSocialTrends.

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mainstreamCanadiansociety,usageamongAboriginalpeoplesissomewhat,butnotentirely, 9 related toage,levelofeducationandwhetherapersonusesacomputeratwork. Thoughrecentnationalsurveydataarelacking,localandregionalstatisticsleavenoquestion

regardingtheproclivityofAboriginalyouthforsocialmediaandtheincreasinginvolvementinsocial mediabymiddleagedAboriginalpeople: A2008doctoraldissertation 10 ontheinfluencesofsocialmediaontheInuktitutlanguagein Nunavik(NorthernQuebec)showedthatin2007over96percentoftheyoungpeopleused socialmedia 11 (64%stronglyagreedthattheydid,while32%somewhatagreed). TheprojectmanagerofNunavutBroadbandreportsthattheuseofsocialmediaisquitehigh amongstyoungInuitpeopleandincreasinglypopularamongolderInuitpeople.Facebookhas replacedBeboasthefavouritesite,andmanyuseMSNandSkype. A2007surveyofover1000FirstNationsusersofMyKNet,anorthwesternOntarionetworkof interlinkedhomepagesthathasservedasavehicleforsocialnetworkingsincethelate90s, revealedthat92percenthadtheirownhomepageandthatmanyupdateditoncetoseveral timesaday(36.6%)orseveraltimesaweek(21.3%).MyKNetcomprises25,000homepagesin aregionwithapopulationof45,000.Fortysixpercentofusersarebetween15and25yearsof age;17percentareover35. ThemanagerofaCommunityAccessProgram(CAP)inIqualuitindicatesthatCAPsitesin Nunavutareheavilyutilized,somuchsothatmanagementhastolimitindividualtime.Although Iqaluitisabout60percentInuit,themanagersaysthatCAPusageisabout95percentInuit, andthat,whiletrafficisyouthheavy,adultandsenioruseisontheincrease. NativeFacebook,whosecreatorsarebasedinWinnipeg,hasnearly37,000members ItappearsthatAboriginalinternetusersintheOttawaareaarejustaslikelyasanyonetouse socialmediaandthisistrueaswellfortherestofthecountry,apartfromremoteareaschallengedby insufficientbroadband. 12

ReportsfromIqaluitindicatethathuntersroutinelyusetheinternetforweatherreportsbeforetheysetout,forinstance. 10 Pasch,TimothyJ.(2008).InuktitutOnlineinNunavik:MixedMethodsWebBasedStrategiesforPreservingAboriginaland MinorityLanguages,Doctoraldissertation,UniversityofWashington,Seattle.ProquestDissertations.URL: <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=1674453291&Fmt=2&clientId=79356&RQT=309&VName=PQD>

12

TheCoordinatoroftheB.C.FirstNationsTechnologyCouncilreportsthatsocialmediaisenormouslypopularinremoteFirst Nationscommunitiesthathavsufficientbroadband.AseniorresearcherattheNationalResearchCouncil(NRC)providessimilar feedbackbasedonrecentvisitstotheFortSevernNation,NorthernOntario.ApaperonhowFortSevernFirstNation communitymembersareusingICT,includingFacebookandsocialmedia,isexpectedtobepublishedin2011andwillbe availableontheVideoComprojectwebsiteat<http://videocom.firstnation.ca>.

Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Benefitsofsocialmediause Fromthehomelesstotheestablishedandhighlyeducated,andfromurbancentrestoruraland

remoteareas,InuitandFirstNationspopulationshaveembracedsocialmedia.Theyareusingsocial mediatokeepintouchwithnearbyandfarflungfamilyandfriends,tofightaddiction,tosustain endangeredlanguagesandpractices,toadvanceenvironmentalstewardship,toshowcaseAboriginal artsandcraftsandtopromoteculturalidentityandpoliticaladvocacy.ThenamesoftheseCanadian basedFacebookpagessayitall:YukonRiverInterTribalWatershedCouncil(550members);Proud, BeautifulAboriginalWomen(9600members);StopViolenceAgainstAboriginalWomen(326members); FirstPeoplesHeritage,LanguageandCultureCouncil(1400members);B.C.FirstNationsArtists(1130 members). Aboriginaleldersandleadershavelongbeenconcernedaboutthepotentialofdigitalmediato undermineAboriginallanguagesandculture. 13 Ontheotherhand,ascanofAboriginalwebsitesand reportsfromintervieweessuggestthatthesecommunicationstechnologiesarealsobeingusedinthe fighttopreserveAboriginalculture,languageandidentity.Anassistantprofessorofmuseumstudiesat UniversityofTorontonotesthatmembersoftheHaidaNationintheir20stoearly40suseFacebookto socialize,promotecommunityevents,distributeimagesofartworkanddocumentinformalandformal familyandcommunityhistoryoftenviaoldfamilyphotos.Shecomments: I am also seeing a growing trend of people using Facebook as a means of communicating cultural knowledge i.e. using their status to inform people of what you should do when someone dies to show respect or using posts to elicit and discuss Haida vocabulary. There are young people making a very concerted effort to learn the Haida language while mothertonguespeakersarestillalivethesestudentsuseFacebookasapracticespace. ItissurprisingthattheApril2010,800pageUrbanAboriginalPeoplesStudyundertakenby

EnvironicsResearchgroupandtheChairofIndigenousStudiesatTrentUniversitydoesnotonce mentiontheInternetorsocialnetworking,thoughtheseareclearlyimportantforcesinthelivesofthe youngandmiddleaged,andintheworkofAboriginalorganizations Barrierstosocialmediause ThemainbarrierstosocialmediausebyAboriginalpeoplesareslowconnectivityandlackof

broadband.Othercontributingfactorsarepoverty;lowlevelsofeducation;andwhatoneinformant

13

Pasch,T.J.(2008).InuktitutOnlineinNunavik:MixedMethodsWebBasedStrategiesforPreservingAboriginalandMinority Languages.Doctoraldissertation,UniversityofWashington,Seattle.ProquestDissertations

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callsthesocialdeterminantsplayingoutinapersonslife.Sheexplains:Ifyourebarelyhangingon, comingoutofdrugsornotknowingwhereyournextmealiscomingfrom,youareintosurvivalrather thansocialmedia.ItappearsthatmanyelderlyAboriginalsarenotonline,butthebarrierstointernet usebythisspecificdemographicwerenotdiscoveredinthisresearch.

2.3UseofSocialMediabyAboriginalOrganizations
ThisresearchindicatesthatAboriginalorganizationsactivelyusesocialmediatoengage membersandthatindividualsuseittokeepintouchwithorganizations: TheCanadianAboriginalAIDSNetwork(CAAN)usedFacebookandTwitterstrategiesforthefirst timeinitsDecember2010AboriginalAIDSAwarenessWeekcampaign.Theorganizerswere excitedbytheresultsbutareconcernedaboutthecostgoodsocialmediacommunicationis labourintensiveandthereforeexpensive.Theorganizationhashiredacompanytoevaluate theeffectivenessofsocialmediainthiscampaign.ThereportwillbecompletedinFebruary 2011. InuitTungasuvvingat(IT),anOttawacounsellingandresourcecentre,hostsanactiveFacebook pageforitsmembers.Thepagepostsinformationaboutcomingevents,citesanInuktitutword ofthedayandaimstokeepeveryoneintouch.Anemploymentsupportworkerestimatesthat mostoftheyouthcomingthroughITsdoorsarecomputerliterateandusesocialmedia.Older peoplearemostlynotonline,althoughsometakecomputercoursesofferedbyIT. TheDreamCatchersYouthprogramoftheOttawaNativeFriendshipCentrehostsamembers onlyFacebookpage,thecoordinatornotingthatmostyouthareonFacebookandthisisaway tokeeptrackofhowtheyaredoing. SeveralinformantsmentionedthatduringthelastAssemblyofFirstNationsleadership conventionpeopleallacrossthecountryfollowedproceedingsminutebyminuteonTwitter, someofthemlearningofdevelopmentsaheadofdelegatesonthefloor! TheTruthandReconciliationCommissionofCanada,whichhasgarneredhugeAboriginal interest,hiredaconsultanttoworkthreedaysaweekonlineexclusivelyinsocialmedia.Infall 2010,whentheirnationalconferenceneededhelp,theconsultantwasabletoroundup200 volunteersthroughTwitterintwodays. TheNativeAboriginalHealthOrganization(NAHO)hasdevelopedaparticularlyeffectivesocial

mediapresence,withlinkstoFacebook,Twitter,YouTube,BloggerandSlideShare.Its92YouTube videoshavehadover18,000views.Theorganizationhasover600Twitterfollowersandrunsanumber ofactiveblogsthatengageyouthatrisk(SeeAppendixB1forfurtherdetails).

10

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DespitetheuptakeofsocialmediaamongAboriginalpeople,recentresearchsuggeststhatabout

halfofFirstNationscommunitiesacrossCanadahavenoaccesstoresidentialbroadband. 14 Inacountry asconnectedasCanada,adequatebroadbandisamajorcriterionforequityandinclusioninCanadian society.

3.PeoplewithDisabilities
3.1PeoplewithDisabilitiesinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot
In2006,thedisabilityrateinOttawawasabout18percentofthepopulation. 15 Overhalfofthe disabledpopulationisbetween20and64yearsofage;athirdisovertheageof65. 16 Ratesofdisability arewellknowntoincreasewithage;thecitycanthereforeexpectasteadyincreaseindisability beginningin2011astheoldermembersofthebabyboomergenerationturn65. Thesideeffectsofdisabilityarealsowellknown.2006Censusfiguresshowthatjustover31per

centofOttawasdisabledhaveauniversitydegree(asopposedto43%ofthegeneralpopulation);and 21percentliveonalowincome(asopposed15.2%ofthegeneralpopulation).In2006,44percentof workingageadultsinCanadarequiringaidsdidnothavetheirneedsfullymet. 17

3.2UseofSocialMediabyPeoplewithDisabilities
InformantsindicatethatWeb2.0applicationsofferenormouspossibilitiesforthedisabledwho maybemarginalizedbylackofmobility,vision,hearingorotherdisabilitythatmakesitdifficultforthem toparticipateinthecivic,social,culturalorworkrelatedactivitiesofmainstreamsociety.Theevidence isstrongthattheinternetandsocialmedia,withtheaidofassistivetechnologies,areimprovingthe abilityofmanydisabledpeopletoparticipatemorefullyintheirsociety.Membersofthedeaf community,forexample,aresaidtobehugeusersofsocialmediaandvideoblogging.TheDeafCanada ConferencethattookplaceinJune2010wassupportedbyalively636memberFacebookpage.Thereis evenaCanadianDeafNativeFacebookpage.A2009Canadawidesurveyofover700selfdescribed
14

ODonnell,S.,Molyneaux,H.,Gorman,E.,Milliken,M.,Chong,C.,Gibson,K.,Oakley,P.,Maitland,J.(2010).Informationand CommunicationTechnologiestoSupportHealthandWellnessinRemoteandRuralFirstNationsCommunities:Literature Review.Fredericton:NationalResearchCouncil. 15 SocialPlanningCouncilofOttawa(2010).DisabilityProfileoftheCityofOttawa.. 16 Thebreakdownincludes11.7%pain,11.5%mobility,11.1%agility,5%hearing,3.2%seeingand2.5%learning. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2009). Federal Disability Report: Advancing the Inclusion of People with Disabilities,2010.
17

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

disabledstudentswithameanageof30 18 revealedthattheyengageinsocialmedia12hoursaweekfor nonschoolrelatedactivitiesandsixhoursaweekforschoolrelatedactivitiesusing,onaverage, betweenoneandtwotypesofspecializedsoftware.ThemostpopularsitesareFacebook,YouTube, MSN/WindowsLiveMessengerandSkype. Benefitsofsocialmediause Informantsreportthatsocialmediaarealifelineforsomedisabledpeople.Socialnetworking

toolsbringtodisabledpeopletheobviousbenefitsofreducingthephysicalandgeographicalbarriers whichmaystandinthewayoftraditionalsocialnetworkingandinclusion.Thesetoolsalsohelp overcometheisolationandstigmaexperiencedbythosewithadisfigurementordistractingappearance. Inthestudyreferencedabove,74percentofrespondentsstronglyagreethattheyusesocialmediato stayconnectedtopeopletheyalreadyknow,andwelloverhalftherespondentsagreethatsocialmedia helpsthemfeellessisolated. Barrierstosocialmediause Twoofthefactorsthataffectratesofcomputeraccess,computerliteracyandconnectivity

amongthedisabledarethesameasthosethatimpactratesamongthefullyabledpopulationlow incomeandlowlevelsofeducation.AsoneintervieweeremarkedIfyourpersonalcircledoesnthave theknowledge,skillsandequipment,youwonteither.Disabilityisoneofthedeterminantsofa lowerstandardofliving;itisthereforereasonabletoconcludethatmanyindividualsdisadvantagedby disabilitywillbefurtherdisadvantagedbyexclusionfromthebenefitsofICTs. Otherbarriersarephysical,someofwhichcanbeovercomebyassistivetechnologiessuch

scanners,narratorsandenlargementorvoiceactivatedtechnologies.Forthoseconnectedtothe internet,thechallengeslieinkeepingupwithnewversionsofsoftwareandinnovationsintechnology. Expertspredictthatthingscouldgetworseforsomebeforetheygetbetter;innovationssuchasthe diminishingsizeoftechnologicaldevicesandtouchscreentechnologypresentnewproblemsforthose withcertaindisabilities.Itwillrequiretimeforthesetobeironedout.Inaddition,informantssaythat

18

PreliminaryFindingsonSocialMediaUseandAccessibility:ACanadianPerspective,2010conductedbyDawsonColleges AdaptechResearchNetworkandtheNationalEducationAssociationofDisabledStudents(NEADS)andpresentedattheCSUN InternationalTechnologyandPersonswithDisabilitiesConferenceinSanDiegoonMarch26,2010.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

oneofthechiefchallengesisthetimelagbetweenthereleaseofnewtoolsorversionsofsoftware programs,andtheiradaptationforthedisabled.

3.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingPeoplewithDisabilities
Thefacilitythatmanydisabledpeoplehavewithsocialmediaisnotreflectedinthe organizationsthatservethem.SomeOttawabasedorganizationsrepresentingdisabledpeoplehavea Facebookpage,usedmostlybystaffandotherprofessionals,butotherthantheuseofsignedvideosfor thedeaf,thisresearchfoundlittleeffectiveuseofsocialmediabyorganizationstoengagetheir constituents: TheOttawaHearingSocietyprovidescounselling,employmentandotherfrontlinedeliveryof servicestothedeaf.TheDirectorsaysthedeafareknowntobeheavyusersoftheinternetbut theorganizationhasnotconsideredusingsocialmedia. CitizenAdvocacyofOttawa,anorganizationthatmatchesvolunteerswithdisabledpeople connectsstaffandvolunteersthroughasomewhatinactiveFacebookpage.Staffsaythereisnot timetoexploittheuseofsocialmediawiththeirclientele. TheCanadianAssociationoftheDeaf(CAD),anadvocacyorganization,providesinformation thoroughstreamedsignlanguagevideos.IthostsaFacebookpageandhasaTwitteraccount butbothareinactive. TheDeafBlindCanadaFacebookpagehas194membersbutittooisinactive;thelatest discussionsgobackto2009. AbrightlightwithrespecttosocialmediauseinthedisabilityfieldistheCanadianAssociation ofSpeechLanguagePathologistsandAudiologists(CASLPA).Thisorganizationusessocialmedia extensively,forcommunicatingwithitsprofessionalmembersandalsoforconsumersthosewho haveacommunicationdisorderthemselvesorwhohaveachildorotherpersonintheirliveswithan associateddisorder.Inadditiontoitsconsumerfriendlywebsite, 19 CASLPAhostsaFacebookpage 20 withmorethan900fanswhichitiscurrentlyusingtoadvocateforuniversalhearingscreeningfor newborns.TheorganizationhasaTwitteraccount,followedbyover500professionalsandconsumers, todisseminatenews,articlesandinformationaboutorganizationrelatedevents.CASLPAsDirectorof Communicationsreportsthattheuseofsocialmedia,especiallybyconsumers,issteadilyincreasing.

19

www.speechandhearing.ca 20 www.tinyurl.com/caslpaonfacebook.ForCASLPAsOct.2010SlideSharepresentationonsocialmediausesee http://tinyurl.com/6cp2lex

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

TyzePersonalNetworksisanothernoteworthyinitiative.Tyzeprovidescaregivers,disabled

peopleandthechronicallyillwithsocialmediasoftwarethatallowsthemtobuildanonlinenetworkof supportandcare.Itsdirectorpointsoutthataspressureonthehealthsystemincreases,governments mustfindnew,interactivewaysofcollaboratingwiththecommunityofcarethatoftensurroundsa personwhoisdisabledorill.(Fordetails,seeAppendixB2). Andfinally,aCityofOttawavirtualtrainingpilotprojectdemonstratesthepotentialofinternet

basedworkandsocialmediaforincreasingopportunitiesinthejobmarketforpeoplewithdisabilities. Thistraininginitiativeprovidesopportunitiesforpeoplewithdisabilitiestoworkfromhomeinareas ideallysuitedtoanonlineenvironment.Jobsincludedatainput,editing,translation,transcriptionof digitaltapesandtakinginboundtelephonecallsforsalesordersorappointmentscheduling.Theproject wasextremelysuccessful,withparticipantssubsequentlymovingontopaidonlinework,andinsome cases,onsiteworkoutsidethehome.(Fordetails,seeAppendixB3). Socialmediacommunicationrequiresaninvestmentintimeandhumanresources.Themajority

oforganizationsadvocatingfor,orserving,thedisabledlackthetimeandmoneytostudyhowtheir constituentsusesocialmedia,andhavelittleinhouseknowledgetoexploititspotential.

4.TheHomeless

4.1TheHomelessinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot
Inits2010ReportCard,theAlliancetoEndHomelessnessinOttawa(ATEH)reportedthat7,445 individualshadstayedinanOttawaemergencyshelterin2009.Fortyeightpercentweresingleadult men,13percentweresingleadultwomenandover5percentwereyouth16andover.Therest comprisedchildrenunder16andfamilies.Theaveragelengthofashelterstaywas57days. Threeotherrecentstudies 21 fillinthedemographiccompositionofOttawashomeless.They

indicatethatAboriginalpeoplesareoverrepresentedrelativetotheirnumbers;andapproximately25% ofthesinglewomenand40%ofadultswithchildrenarelandedimmigrantsorrefugees. 22 Someare foreignstudents.Economicfactorsarecitedbymostasthereasonforbeinghomeless.Otherreasons

21

1)UniversityofOttawa,CarletonUniversity,SaintPaulUniversity,CityofOttawaHousingBranch,AlliancetoEnd HomelessnessinOttawa(2008).FromHomelesstoHome.2)Dinning,L.B.,Davis,C.(2008).CommunityActionPlanon Homelessness:20092014,3)Aubrey,T.etal,(2003)PanelStudyonPersonsWhoAreHomelessinOttawa:PhaseIResults. 22 Ina2007TorontostreethealthsurveydescribedintheebookHomelessness:WhatsinaWord?figures wereroughlythesame:36%werelandedimmigrants,and5%refugees.InVancouverimmigrantsaccountedfor18percent.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

includesubstanceabuse,familyconflictsinvolvingabuse,andphysicalormentalhealthproblems.. Researchshowsthatmaleadultsandyoutharelikelytobehomelessmuchlongerthantheirfemale counterpartswho,inturn,aremorelikelytousethehousingandotherservicesavailabletothem.Drop incentresarepopularwithallsinglehomelesspeople,particularlywithyouthofbothsexes.

4.2UseofSocialMediabytheHomeless
ItisnotsurprisingthatanyreferencetoInternetuseismissinginthereportscitedabove,given thediredailychallengesofthehomelessandthosethatservethem.Itissurprisingthatnopertinent Canadianacademicstudiesonthistopicwereunearthed,online 23 orotherwise,duringthecourseofthis research. 24 Nevertheless,anecdotalreportingindicatesthattheinternetandsocialmediaare extensivelyusedbythehomeless,especiallythoseunder30,andthisfindingresonateswiththoseof severalU.S.studiesonthetopic(seeLiteratureReview,AppendixB). IncollaborationwiththeAlliancetoEndHomelessnessinOttawa,theresearcherpostedtwo simplequestionsontheorganizationslistserv.Tenpeople 25 respondedtothesequestionsasfollows: 26
Figure1:ResponsestoaquestionpostedontheATEHlistserv(2010).
1.Dothehomelesspeopleyouknowusesocialmediaforentertainmentortogetinformation? No1Somedo4Lotsdo5 2.Doesyourorganizationusesocialmediatoreach/informpeoplewhoarehomeless? Yes4No6

Useofcellphones,theinternetandsocialmedia Informantsagreethatalmostallhomelesspeopleowncellphones(mostusingapayasyougo

system)andparticipateintextmessaging.Afewownlaptopsbutveryfewhavesmartphones.Thesame sourcesestimatethatmosthomelesspeopleunder30usetheinternetandsocialmedia,thatusage decreaseswithage,butthatmanyintheir30sand40sandafewinthe50plusgroupusetheinternet

23

ThisincludesthecomprehensiveresourcesofthewebsiteTheHomelessHub,aresearchandinformationcenterlaunchedin 2009byaYorkUniversityprofessor.<http://www.streamsofjustice.org/2008/05/homelesshub.html> 24 ThedirectoroftheResearchAllianceforCanadianHomelessness,HousingandHealth(REACH3)knowsofnoCanadian researchpertainingtotheuseoftheinternetandsocialmediabythehomeless.ThegroupincludessomeofCanadasleading academicresearchersandcommunityorganizationswithexpertiseonhomelessness. 25 Theorganizationsrepresentedbytheserespondentsinclude:CentretownCommunityHealthCentre,OttawaInnercity Ministries,ShepherdsofGoodHope,ShawenjagamikDropInCentre,CornerstoneShelterforWomen,TheSalvationArmy ShelterforMen,TheMissionShelterforMenandtheCityofOttawa. 26 TheonepersonthatrespondednoworkedfortheCityofOttawaandsowaslikelynotinfrequentcontactwiththe homeless.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

andsocialmedia.Atoneshelter,afrontlineworkerestimatedthat90percentofthewomenresidents useFacebook. Homelesspeopleusetheinternetinthesamewayothersdotoemail,socialize,sharephotos,

playgamesorlookforinformation.Thoseamongtheimmigrant/foreignstudentgroupareespecially likelytouseGoogleorsitessuchas<jobs.gc.ca>or<workopolis.ca>tolookforajob.Individualswhoare highlymotivated,includingimmigrantsandforeignstudents,usetheinternetforassistanceinhowto preparearsumandforhomeworkinEnglishorothercourses;thoseinalowerfunctioninggroup mayuseittolookuptopicsofinterestsuchasmentalillnessordomesticviolence.Indicationsare thatFacebookisoverwhelminglythesocialmediaofchoice.Noteveryoneusescomputers,especially olderadults,butoncetheyhaveacquiredtheskills,Facebookseemstobethenextstep. 27 YouTubeis verypopularbutinformantsdidnotmentionTwitter. Computeraccessandtraining Accordingtofrontlineworkers,some,butnotmany,homelesspeoplegotocoffeeshops,

communitycentresorthelibraryforinternetaccess.Sheltersordropincentresarethefavouredspot butnotallsheltersareopenduringtheday,andnotallofthosethatareopenofferconnected computeraccess.Othersarebendingoverbackwardstoprovideaccesstocomputersandopportunities tobecomecomputerliterate;forexample: TheMissionShelterforMen(wheretheaverageresidentageis44)hasan8computerlab whichisopenalldayinawirelessenvironment.TheMissionofferscoursesonbasiccomputer skillsandalsoanonlinelearningcentre.Currently27menareenrolledinschool,somein AlgonquinsACEprogramwhichhelpsthemattainamaturitycreditinonetofourmonths.The menarenotallowedtoaccesspornographyorFacebooksoasnottomonopolizelimited computertime. CornerstoneandSt.Joes,twowomenssheltersinOttawa,offercomputerclassesthrough iSisters 28 ,alargelyvolunteercomputertrainingorganization.iSistersongoingBasicComputer TrainingCourseincludeskeyboarding,basicinternetsurfing,emailandFacebookskills.
27

Thislocalobservationconcurswitha2009studyof100homelessyouthinLosAngelesandDenver,reportedinasessionfor the2009AmericanPublicHealthAssociation.Thestudyfoundthat92%oftheyouthreportedusingtechnologyweekly,and 41%daily.Socialnetworkingwasusedonaverage3.8daysperweekbymembersofthesetwogroupswhoconnectedprimarily withfriends(81%),family(62%),employers(21%)andserviceproviders(4%). <http://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Paper199105.html> 28 iSisters'programsenhanceemployabilityskillsdevelopment,withthegoalofinitiatinglongtermandhighimpactpositive changeformarginalizedwomen.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Participantsarealsotaughttofindpracticalinformation,dojobsearchesandcreateCVswith onlinesupport.Inspring2011iSisterswilladdacomponentonhowtobesafeonline. Onefrontlineworkernotesthatmalehomelessyouthmainlyusecomputersatyouthdropins,

friendsapartmentsorinternetcafs.Manyyouthwillpaytostayupallnightat24hourinternetcafs, someofwhichofferaflatrateof1012dollarstouseacomputerfrom11:00p.m.to7:00a.m.Howdo theyaffordthis?Somegetitbypanhandlingorothermeanslikedrugdealingandprostitution.Also, youcangetwhatsomecallastreetallowanceactuallyaPersonalNeedsAllowanceorPNA,reports theworker.Adults,ontheotherhand,mainlyusethelibrariesandcommunitycentresbecauseadult dropinsarelesslikelytoprovideaconnectiontotheinternet. Benefitsofinternetandsocialmediause Thenumberoneissueforhomelesspeopleisloneliness;manyhaveleftbehindthematrailof

lostordamagedrelationships.Facebookisseentohelpthehomelessregaincontactwithfamily membersandactuallyhelpthemrebuildrelationships.Ayouthworkerwrites:Ifrequentlyuse Facebookasameansofstayingintouchwithyouthwhoarehomeless.Theyareoftenwithoutaregular phoneoraddress,butwillfindawaytoupdatetheirFacebookstatus.ThiswayIcancontinueto supportthemwherevertheyareat.

Frontlineworkersandinstructorsbothconsiderthefactorsofempowermentandenhanced

selfesteemamongthemostimportantbenefitsofcomputertrainingcourses.AniSistersvolunteer notesthatthatabouthalfofthe30womenwithwhomsheworkedinthecomputerlabwerenew immigrantsorforeignstudentswhowereusingshelterswhiletheygottheirfeetinCanada.Thisgroupis highlymotivatedtolearnandmoveon;asdescribedabove,theinternetliteracyplaysakeypartin preparingforanindependentlifeinCanadiansociety.Canadianbornhomelesswomenalsoparticipated intheworkshopsbutinstillingconfidenceinthisgroupisagreaterchallenge. Inthe800pluspage2009ebookFindingHome:PolicyOptionsforAddressingHomelessnessin CanadawrittenbysomeofCanadasforemostexpertsonthetopicofhomelessness,theissueof internetaccessisnotmentioned.Clearly,researchershaveoverlookedtheroleoftheinternetasa sourceofessentialinformationandautonomyaswellasthepotentialofsocialmediaforpersonal growthastheydealwithotherchallengesfacingthehomeless.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Barrierstointernetandsocialmediause Anumberofinformantsthinkthatthemaindeterrentstointernetuseareaccess,andforolder

homelesspeople,lackofskillsandselfconfidence.Sheltercomputersmayonlybeavailableatcertain timesandtheyareinshortsupply;publiclibrarycomputersareoftenfullybooked;andinternetcaf accessisexpensive.Moreover,manyoftheolderhomelesshavenotbeenintheworkforceoratleast, notinpositionsthatrequirecomputerskills.Thelackofskillsisexacerbatedbytheprevailingsenseof lowselfesteeminthispopulation. Bothvolunteersandfrontlineworkerscitethevulnerabilityofhomelesspeoplevisvissocial

mediaasaconcern.Theyconsiderthehomelesstobemorevulnerablethanmost,andFacebookmay increasethisvulnerability.OnefrontlineyouthworkersaidhedoesnotlinkhisFacebookpagefromhis centreswebsiteandthathescreensthepeoplewhoareaddedtothecentresFacebookpagebecause weareservingavulnerablepopulationanddonotwanttogivetheyouthweareservingaccessto potentialthreats.Another,fromawomensshelter,saysmanagementisuneasyabouttheuseof FacebookbecausesomeresidentsareusingittofindJohns,locatedrugsorarrangemeetingplacesto buydrugs.Informantsfavouranapproachforthehomelessthatemphasizestrainingonhowtouse Facebooksafely,howtonotopenoneselfuptoanincreaseddegreeofrisk.

4.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingtheHomeless
Computersandconnectivityareexpensiveandsomeshelterbudgetsprecludecomputerlabs andtraining.Somehaveonlyrecentlyobtainedcomputersfortheirownadministrativework. Nevertheless,socialmediaisbeingusedbysomeshelters,andisbeingconsideredbyother organizationsservingthehomeless: Thepersonresponsibleforwebsitemanagementforacommunityresourcecentrewrites:As yetwe,asanagency,donothaveaFacebookpagenordowetweet,howeverthesearetools thatremainatopicofdiscussiononhowtoreachourclients. AcoordinatoratanAboriginalfriendshipcentresaystheydouseaFacebookaccounttoreach youthingeneralbutthattherearenoplanstouseTwitter. TheAlliancetoEndHomelessness(ATEH)usesbothFacebookandTwittertocommunicatewith partnerorganizations.ACarletonUniversityprofessorwhoisactivelocallyonhomelessissues gavesocialmediaworkshopslastspringtostaffattheATEHandattheCoalitionofCommunity HealthCentres.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

HomelessNationtakesaproactiveapproachtosocialmediaforthehomeless.Thisorganization providesCanadashomelesspopulationwithcomputertraining,accesstotheInternetanda collective,onlinevoicethroughawebsiteandsocialmedia.Theorganizersplacecomputersand outreachworkersinsheltersanddropincentresinVictoria,Vancouver,MontrealandSt.Johns Newfoundland. 29 Thesitehas4904signedinusers. Althoughinternetaccessmaynotcomebeforefoodandabed,thereisagrowing

acknowledgementintheliteraturethatconnectivityisanecessityandaright.Inaconnectedsociety,a lackofcomputeraccessandskillsfurtherisolatesthehomelessfrommainstreamsociety.Housingand jobsareadvertisedonline;rsumsarecreatedandsentonline;coursesandworkshopsareoffered online;andonessocialcapitalispartlybuiltandsupportedonline.Thoughthereisnooverallmunicipal policyinOttawatoprovidethehomelesswithcomputerandinternetaccess,sheltermanagersclearly recognizetheimportanceofcomputerliteracyandaccessforinclusioninsociety.

5.RecentImmigrants
5.1RecentImmigrantsinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot
TheCityofOttawahostsmorethan30,000immigrantswhohavelivedinCanadaforfiveyears orless. 30 OttawareceivesthehighestshareofuniversityeducatedimmigrantsinCanadaandbetween 2003and2006receivedthesecondhighestnumberofrefugees.Thelargestsourcecountriesfor immigrantstoOttawaareChina(13.1%),India(5.4%)andthePhilippines(4.5%).Almostaquarterof newimmigrantsareinthe3040agebracket. AlthoughthepercentageofuniversitygraduatesamongimmigrantstoOttawaisdoublethatof

Canadians,themedianemploymentincomeofrecentimmigrantsworkingfulltimein2005was34per centlowerthanthatofthegeneralpopulation. 31 TheSocialPlanningCouncilofOttawaisespecially concernedabouttheintegrationofrecentlyimmigratedwomen,whoareinthelowestmedian

29

TheVancouvercoordinatorrunsworkshopstwiceaweekoutoftwosocialservicescentresinVancouversDowntown Eastside.Theseworkshopseachget,onaverage,about25participantsperweek. 30 Accordingtothe2006Census29,650peopleimmigratedtoOttawabetween2001and2006.TheCityofOttawareport,Faces ofOttawa:ASnapshotofImmigrantLabourMarketIntegrationHighlights(2007)predictsacontinuinggrowthof6000to8000 newimmigrantsayear. 31 SocialPlanningCouncilofOttawa(2009)Immigrants'EconomicIntegration:SuccessesandChallenges.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

employmentincomeranges,andseniorimmigrants,whoseincomesandlackofofficiallanguageskills makethemespeciallypronetoexclusion.

5.2UseoftheInternetandSocialMediabyRecentImmigrants
Nationwide,anumberofstudiesreporthigheronlinesurfingandcommunicationratesfor recentimmigrantsthanforthoseborninCanada. 32 Recentimmigrants,especiallyInternationally TrainedProfessionals(ITPs),areatechsavvygroup;andtheyarealsomorelikelythanCanadiansto participateinsocialnetworkingandcontributecontenttowikisandblogs. 33 Amongcausalfactorsare theirrelativelyhighlevelsofeducation, 34 thehighdegreeofsocialmediauseinsourcecountriesand thehighmotivationofnewimmigrantstocommunicatewithpeoplefromtheirhomelandinan inexpensiveway. 35 ImmigrantsuseoftheinternetforleisureislowerthanthatofCanadians,but considerablyhigherforsearchesrelatingtojobsorCanadiangovernmentinformation. 36 Theuseofsocialmediabythispopulationhasincreasedgreatlysince2008,intheopinionof

thoseassistingimmigrantstointegrateintotheCanadiansocialsceneandlabourforce.Thismaybedue tothegreaternumberofimmigrantscomingfromurbanChinaandIndia,wheretheuseofmobile technologyandsmartphonesisconsiderablyhigherthanitisinCanada. 37 Manynewimmigrantsdonot useimmigrantservingagencies.Socialmediainitiativesappeartobesupportingsomeofthesepeople, providinganinformalnetworkforinformation,problemsolvingandmentoring.Theactivityon multilingualonlineportalsishighandgrowing.ThenumberofmembersonLoonLounge,anonlinesocial networkingimmigrationsite,forinstance,expandedfrom19,000tonearly59,000between2008and 2010.Someofthesesiteshavecounsellorsgivingadvice,butmostfeaturenewimmigrantstalkingto othernewimmigrants,orneworwouldbeimmigrantstalkingtoCanadiancitizens.Thoseinterviewed onthistopicestimatethat95percentofrecentimmigrantsuseemailand3040percentuseFacebook; manyfeweruserTwitter.LinkedInispopularwithprofessionalsonly. Informantsstressthatmostimmigrants,evenrefugees,haveacomputerathome.Amobile

phoneandacomputerwithawebcamareoftenamongafamilysfirstpurchases,evenbeforea

32

Veenhof2006b;OECDAdultLiteracyandSkillsSurvey,2006;CanadianInternetUseSurvey,2007. 33 Zamira,CharlesandFletcher,Fred,(2008)CanadaOnline!CanadianInternetProjectandForresterResearch,2010. Nevertheless,Zamira&FletchernotethatimmigrantstoCanadapriorto1997useITCslessthanthoseborninCanada. 34 51%offemaleand52%ofmalesimmigratingtoCanadabetween2001and2006hadauniversityeducation(2006Census). 35 Schellenberg,G.(2004).ImmigrantsinCanadasCensus,MetropolitanAreas.Ottawa:StatisticsCanada.Catalogue,No.89 613MIE. 36 StatisticsCanada,2007. 37 SeeForresterladderhttp://www.forrester.com/empowered/tool_consumer.html

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

television,sothatthefamilycancommunicatewiththosebackhomeorfindcomfortinthediasporic onlinenetwork.Oneserviceprovidernotesthatthosewhocomefromdifficultbackgroundsarethrilled withtheavailabilityandreliabilityofonlinecommunicationandanxioustotakeadvantageofit.An informantfromaChinesecommunitycentreinOttawanotesthatmostworkingage,uneducatednew Chineseimmigrantsareonline;infact,themajorityofthoseworkingeveninlowpayingrestaurantjobs havesmartphones,consideredanindispensableandcoolstatussymbol.Nevertheless,informants estimatethatabout10percentofpoorlyeducatedimmigrants,especiallyamongthefamilyand refugeecategories,lackbasiccomputerskills.Asaresult,thisgroup,alreadymarginalizedbylowlevels oflanguagefacility,acculturationandincome,isfurtherexcludedfrommainstreamCanadiansociety. Benefitsofsocialmediause Thebenefitsofsocialmediausearewelldocumentedintheliterature(seeLiteratureReview,

AppendixC)andinthecasestudiesofthisreport(seeAppendixB4andB5).Email,Skypeandother socialmediaallownewimmigrantstocommunicatewithfamilyandfriends,andgetadvice anonymouslyandasynchronously.Socialmediacancushiontheemotionalandpsychologicalstressof theinitialhardshipsandcultureshockinanalienenvironment.Informantsnotethatoftentheonly sparetimenewimmigrantshaveislateatnight;insuchcasessocialmediawebsitesandgovernment sitessuchasWorkinginCanada38 provideaconvenientwaytosearchforinformation,askquestions, comparenoteswithothersandgetsupport. Barrierstointernetandsocialmediause Themainbarrierstointernetuserelatetoofficiallanguageskills,computeraccessand

computerliteracy.Serviceprovidersreportthatsomeimmigrants,especiallyfromtherefugeeorfamily categories,havepoortonoknowledgeofanofficiallanguageandnocomputerskills.Thelanguage barrierfurtherpreventsthemfromgainingnewcomputerskills;informantsunderlinetheimportanceof providingcomputerclassesinlanguagesotherthanEnglishandFrench. Womenhavethegreatestdifficulty;transportationchallengesandfamilyresponsibilitiesoften

hampertheirabilitytoaccesscomputersinthecommunity;insomeinstances,womenarenotallowed tousethehomecomputer.Formenandwomen,itmaybedifficulttofindthetimetoattendcomputer literacycourses,especiallyifthecoursesaresomedistanceaway.Theymaybeworkingshifts,working

38

WorkinginCanadaisawebsiteandwebtooltoassistrecentimmigrantsintheirjobseekingefforts.Itisjointly managedbyHRSDCandCitizenshipandImmigrationCanada.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

atseveraljobsand/orhavingtolookafterchildren.Itappears,however,thatalackofacculturationand languageskillsdoesnotstoptheyoung.ACatholicImmigrationCentreyouthcoordinatorcitesarecent exampleofBhutaneseyoungpeoplewhoarrivedinJunespeakingnoEnglishandwhowereupon FacebookinSeptember.

Socialnetworkingpresentsitsownchallenges.Informantsreportthatsomeimmigrantsfeel

reluctanttojumpin,especiallyiftheyarenotyetfluentinEnglish;othershaveprivacyconcernsand arereticenttoputpersonalinformationonline.Computerinstructorsnotethatwomenwhoare refugeesorwhohavesufferedtrauma,areafraidofFacebook;theythinkaFacebookprofilewillenable peopletoknowwheretheyare.CounsellorsrecommendLinkedInforprofessionalandothereducated immigrants,butnetworkingcanbedifficultforthosewholackCanadianpeerstolinkto.Many employersarenowusingTwittertoadvertisejobs,andsosomecounsellorsarebeginningtoexplorethe useofTwitteraswell.ButTwitterrequiresmoretechnologicalsavvyanditistimeconsuming. CounsellorsnotethattotakethetimetouseatoolsuchasTwitter,busy,newlyarrivedimmigrants havetoseethevalueinit. 39 Computercoursesforimmigrants Wheretimeandtransportationallow,recentimmigrantsandrefugeeswhoarenotcomputer

literatearetakingadvantageofcomputeraccessandskillsdevelopmentopportunities. AcounselloratOttawasImmigrantWomensServicesnotesthatthereisalwaysawaitinglist fortheir8weekcomputercoursesandthatthenumberofgraduateshasmorethantripled since2008.Typically,coursecontentincludesMSWord,Excel,PowerPoint,email,howtomake anattachment,howtofindinformation,safesurfing,desktopmanagementandflickr. TheLibrarySettlementPartnershipprogramattheOttawaPublicLibraryofferseverythingfrom practicaladvicetoEnglishconversation,childrensandadulthomeworkandcomputercourses. Theorganizersgetmanyrequestsforbasiccomputertraining.InNovember2010,777refugees andimmigrantstookadvantageofthisprogramwhichisoneofteninthecity.Thereare11 suchprogramsthroughoutOntario. ThemainbranchoftheOttawaPublicLibraryoffersregularcomputercoursesforadults,for seniors,andforChineseseniorsinMandarin.Thereareoftenwaitinglistsforthesecourses.
39

TwitterhasalsonotyetcaughtonamongthegeneralCanadianpopulationinthewaythatFacebookhas. Accordingtothe2010IpsosCanadianinter@activeReidReport,though86%ofCanadianswithonlinenetworking profilesareawareofTwitter,only10%haveaTwitterprofileand5%activelyuseit.

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Counsellorsandinstructorsbelievesuchcomputerclassesreachfarbeyondthegoalof

improvingcomputerskills.Participantsmeetothers,cometounderstandwhattheirkidsaredoing onlineandgainpersonalconfidencethoughthemasteryofskillsthatappeartobecommoncurrencyin Canadiansociety.Hence,theseskillsfostersocialnetworkbuildingandthebeginningsofsocialcapital andinclusioninsociety.

5.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingRecentImmigrants
Intheopinionofonesettlementexpert,agenciesarefailingtotakethebuildyourspaceand bringpeopletoitconcepttoonlinecommunicationandsoarefallingbehindthepeopletheyserve. Twofactorshelpaccountforthegapbetweentheuseofsocialmediabynewimmigrantsandthe agenciesthatservethemfundingstructuresandaccountability.Federallyfundedprogramsrequire precisetracking.Thequestionis:Howdoesanagencybuildinawayoftrackingandmeasuringsocial mediausebytheirclientelesothattheagencycanbeaccountabletofunders?Mostagenciestrack everythingtheycan,eventelephoneconversations.Ifimmigrantservingorganizationscannotcount socialmediareachaslegitimate,theyarelesslikelytoinvestresourcesinit.AconsultantnotesWith socialmedia,youcantrackatonofinformation,butyoudontnecessarilyknowwhoisaccessingwhat online.Weneedtogetfundersheadsarounddifferentlevelsofclients. Otherreasonsfortheonlineservicelagare:the(accordingtosome,unfounded)fearthatsocial

mediamaymakemuchagencyworkredundant;andthewellfoundedconcernthatcertainimmigrants cannotbereachedthroughsocialmedia.Anumberoftheproonlineinformantsbelievethatfaceto facecounsellor/clientinteractionisstillimportant.Theynotethatevenwhenimmigrantshaveobtained alotofinformationonline,theystillliketomeetwithacounsellortoconfirmthatonlineinformationis true.However,theycontendthatmuchofwhatcounsellorsusedtodo,suchashelpwithrsumsor SINcards,cannowbedoneonline,freeingupcounsellorstofocusonimmigrantsindividualchallenges. Afurtherbarriertosocialmediausebyimmigrantservingagenciesisgenerational.Asyounger

staffcomeintoagencies,theirexpectationsforsocialmediausearehigh.However,mostagencieshave nopoliciescoveringsuchuseandmayevenbansocialmediause.Theirreticenceisnotwithout grounds.Thereareethicalconsiderations:Wheredoesonedrawthelinebetweensupportingclients andbefriendingthemonFacebook,forinstance?Guidelinesarerequiredandthisdemandsthat managersunderstandtheopportunitiesandtherisksofsocialmediause.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

ManyOttawaagenciesandcentresservingimmigrantshaveyettoincorporatesocialmediainto

theirwork;forexample: AnindividualworkingonanHRSDCfundedCareersFocusprojectforOttawaCommunity ImmigrantServicesOrganization(OCISO)recentlyspoketofivedirectorsfromcommunity centresabouthowtheyreachouttoimmigrants.Noneisusingsocialmedia. TheCoalitionofNewCanadiansforArtsandCulture(CNCAC)communicateswithitsmembers throughanebulletinbutdoesnotengageitsclientelethroughsocialmedia.TheCNCAChas recentlyaddedatechnologysavvypersontoitsboardandplanstolookintohowsocialmedia canbeusedforbothfundraisingandoutreach. TheCatholicImmigrationCentre(CIC), 40 Ottawaslargestimmigrantservingagency,doesnot usesocialmediatoattractnewcomerstoitswebsite. 41 IthasusedFacebookandTwitterto announcespecialeventsbutwithoutmuchimpact.CICsYouthProgram,onthecontrary,makes extensiveuseofTwitterandFacebooktoengageits150newarrivals,whorespondonlineina mixofmanylanguages. Thereareneverthelesspromisingsocialmediainitiativesamongimmigrantservinggroupsand

agencies.OnesuchprojectisNewBridger,aninternetbasedsocialnetwork,createdbyChinese immigrantsforChineseimmigrants,whosemembershiphadgrownin2009to2,200people. NewBridgersfoundersmaintainthatrecentimmigrantsandnewCanadianshaveanimportantroleto playinassistingnewcomerstoCanada,andthatgovernmentsshouldsupportsuchinitiativeswith financialassistance.(FordetailsseeAppendixB4). AninitiativeoftheTorontoimmigrantservingagencySkillsforChangepilotedaclosedsocial

networktwoyearsagodesignedtoencourageinformationsharingbetweencounsellorsandrecent professionalimmigrantsandamongprofessionalimmigrants.Theprojectgainedmomentumand membersthroughagencypromotionandwordofmouthanddevelopedinitssecondyearintoa supportiveinformationandstrategysharingcommunity.ThecoordinatorsmaintainthatGoogleand otherprogramanalyticsmakeitpossibleforagenciestoassesstheeffectivenessandreachofmany onlinecounsellingactivities.Theybelievethatonlinecounsellingisthewayofthefuture.(Fordetails, seeAppendixB5.)

40

Anondenominationalimmigrantservicescentre. 41 TheCICdealswithallclassesofimmigrants,buttheeconomicclasstendstousetheservicesofWorldSkillsoroneofthe specialprofessionalservicesfordoctorsorlawyers,whilethegreaterportionofCICsclientelearerefugees.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Otherinformantsfromthissectoragree.Eventhosenotcurrentlyusingsocialmediaintheir

dailyworkbelievethattheuseofsocialmediatoolswillgrow,bothforservicedeliverytorecent immigrantsandforcommunicatingwithMPsandpolicymakers.

6.Seniors
6.1SeniorsinOttawa:ADemographicSnapshot
Ofthe100,870seniorslivinginOttawa,welloverhalfare6575yearsofage;35percentfallinto

the7585agecategory;andnearly10percentareaged95andolder.Over30percentofOttawa seniorsareimmigrants,themajorityintheyoungerseniorcategory.Overall,thepopulationofseniors inOttawaisexpectedtodoubleinthenext20years. 42 Languageisanimportantfactorindiscussionsaboutseniorsinclusion.Eighteenpercentof

recentseniorimmigrants(20012006)and16to19percentofseniorswhoimmigratedbetween1991 and2001,spokeneitherEnglishnorFrenchwhentheyarrived,underscoringthelikelihoodoftheir exclusionfromsomesocialservicesandprograms.Accordingtostudiesandexperts,atleast10percent ofallOttawacitizensover65arevulnerableandsociallyisolated. 43

6.2UseoftheInternetandSocialMediabySeniors
InCanada Nationwide,seniorsinternetusequadrupledbetween2000and2007.Thisgrowththe greatestofanyagegroupwasassignificantforthose75andoverasitwasforthe6574agegroup. 44 By2009,about65percentofindividuals65yearsandolderwereusingtheinternet, 45 emailbeingthe topactivity(90%)followedbytravelinformation(59%)androadandweatherreports(56%).Asfor socialnetworking,CanadaOnline!reportedin2008thatasmanyasoneinfivepeopleover60had

42

SocialPlanningCouncilofOttawa(2009).ImmigrantsEconomicIntegration:SuccessesandChallenges. 43 SocialDataResearch(2005).SuccessfulAgingOttawa. 44 CanadianSocialTrends,StatisticsCanadaCatalogueno.11008 45 StatisticsCanada(2009).Internetusebyindividuals,byselectedfrequencyofuseandage.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

visitedasocialmediasite. 46 Between2007and2010thenumberofCanadianseniors(65+)contributing tocontentonlinedoubled. 47 Facebookswebsiteshowsthat3.5percentofCanadas16,877,320Facebookusersare65years ofageandolder 48 .ThisputsFacebookusebyCanadianseniorsjustbelowthatoftheU.S.(3.8%)and aheadofNewZealand(3.2%),Australia(2.7%)andtheUnitedKingdom(2.6%).A2009surveyrevealed thateightpercentofCanadianseniorspostcontentand16percentcommentinblogs. 49 Allindications arethatasthebabyboomergenerationagesinCanada,theamountandvarietyofinternetuseswill increaseandextendfurtherintothelaterstagesoflife. InOttawa In2005, 50 morethanhalfofmaleseniorsandoverathirdoffemaleseniorsusedtheinternet andemail.Thetablebelowshowsabreakdownbyagecategory.
Figure2PercentageofOttawaSeniorsWhoUsetheInternetandEmail(2005) PercentofOttawarespondentswho: Ages6574 Ages7584 UsetheInternetforinformation Useemailtocommunicate 54% 55% 30% 35% Ages85+ 12% 20%

Informationgleanedfromthedirectorsofassistedlivingseniorsresidencesconfirmsthatmost

olderseniorsdonotusetheinternet.Directorsofseniordropincentresseeagrowthinemailuseand theyalsonoteitsbenefitforenhancingaseniorssocialnetwork.Theirestimatesofseniors involvementwithICTs,however,donotmeasureuptothesurveystatistics: AtOttawasdowntownGoodCompanionsSeniorsCentre,about30percentof1200registered seniorshaveprovidedemailaddresses.Thedirectorisnoticinganincreaseinthenumberof seniorstakingadvantageofthecentresfourconnectedcomputers. TheDirectorGeneraloftheCentredeServicesGuiguesandthreeoftheCentrescounsellors reportthatfewofthe250dropinmembershaveavailedthemselvesofthecomputercourses offeredbytheCentre. AttheGlebeAbbottsfordHouse,about17percentofthedropincrowdreceivescommuniqus fromtheHousebyemail.TheDirectorofCommunityProgramsnotesthereisafairtakeupin
46

Zamaria,Charles,Fletcher,Fred(2008).CanadaOnline!TheInternet,MediaandEmergingTechnologies:UsesAttitudes, TrendsandInternationalComparisons. 47 Veenhof,B.etal(2008).HowCanadiansUsetheInternetAffectsSocialLifeandCivicParticipation,ConnectedSeniors, StatisticsCanada. 48 RetrievedfromtheinternetJanuary1,2011athttp://www.checkfacebook.com/ 49 ForresterResearch,2009. 50 SocialDataResearch(2005).SuccessfulAgingOttawa.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

theCentresofferofoneononecomputertutorialsandthatmembersarerequestingtobe taughtaboutFacebook. TheProgramCoordinatorfortheseniorsprogramattheOttawaChineseCommunityService CentrereportsthatasmallpercentageofChineseimmigrantsovertheageof50areusingsocial media.Interestincomputersis,however,highandtheresalwaysawaitinglistfortheseniors computerclasses. TheOttawaPublicLibrary(OPL)alsohasawaitinglistforitscoursesofferedinEnglishandin

Mandarinforseniors.TheOPLoffersacourseforseniorsinsocialmedia,buttheinstructorfeelsthat participationisdrivenbycuriosityandthatonceseniorsunderstandFacebookandTwitter,theyappear tofeelnocompunctiontojoinin. Benefitsofinternetandsocialmediabyseniors InformantsopinionsontheimpactofICTsonseniorssocialcapitalareconsistentwiththe

literaturefindings.Socialmediauseamongtheelderlyisseentoincreasecontactwithfamily,ease loneliness,lowerratesofdepressionandstrengthenrelationships,resultinginoverallenhancedwell being.CommunicationandphotosharingthroughemailandFacebookhelptokeepsocialnetworks strongandsupportive.Onlinesocialnetworkingisunlikelytoresultinnewacquaintanceshowever;for theveryisolated,itisnotapathwaytoareallifesocialnetwork.51 Barrierstointernetandsocialmediausebyseniors Feedbackastowhichseniorscommunicateviatheinternetechoesotherresearchfindings:

Internetuseishigheramongwelloffseniorsandamongthosewhosefamilieshavehelpedthemtackle thetechnology.Researchaffirmsthatpoverty,lowlevelsofeducation,lowcomputerliteracyandlackof familysupportactasbarrierstotheuptakeofonlinecommunicationbyseniors.Concernsaboutprivacy arehighamongseniors;only27percentareunconcernedabouttheissue. 52 However,Statistics Canadadatashowthatprivacyconcernsamongstthose65andolderdeclinedbyfourpercentagepoints between2005and2009,whileonlydroppinghalfapercentagepointintheoverallcomputerusing

51

Veenhof,B.etal(2008).HowCanadiansUseoftheInternetAffectsSocialLifeandCivicParticipation.

52

Onaverage,24percentofCanadiansarenotatallconcernedaboutprivacy.A2010IsposReidstudyfound that48%ofCanadianshaveprivacyconcernedwithregardtosocialnetworkingand80%havesomeconcerns aboutonlinesecurity.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

population. 53 Thissuggeststhatolderpeoplearefeelingmorerelaxedaboutparticipatinganddivulging certaininformationonline. Informantsthinkolderseniorsdonotusecomputersforanumberofreasons:poorhealth;

failingmentalfaculties;lackofmeanstoinvestinacomputerandconnectivity;andlackofmobilityto accessconnectivityinthecommunity.Otherbarriersnotalludedtobytheinformantsinthisstudy,but stronglyidentifiedinsocialresearch,arecognitivedecline,physicaldecline(especiallyeyesightandfine motorfunction)andanxietyabouttechnologyoraboutlearninganewskill.Thestudiesmaintainthat thelattertwocanbelargelyovercomebybetterdesignedwebsites,assistivetechnologyandtraining gearedspeciallyfortheelderly(seeLiteratureReview,AppendixD5.) TheissueofinternetinteractivityanditsimpactontheinclusionofseniorsinCanadiansociety

appearstobeignoredinimportantresearchondepressionandotherissuesamongtheelderly.For instance,theChiefPublicHealthOfficers2010ReportontheStateofPublicHealthinCanada,Growing OlderAddingYearstoLife,doesnotmentioninternetcommunicationamongtheelderlydespitethe dozensofstudiesconcludingthatinteractivedigitalcommunicationhasapositiveimpactonhealthand generalwellbeing.

6.3UseofSocialMediabyOrganizationsServingSeniors
Noneofthefiveseniorresidencessurveyedforthisassignmentusessocialmediatoinformand engagetheirclientele.AscanofseniorservingCanadianwebsitesrevealslittleevidenceofsocialmedia connections.Someseniorservingcommunityorganizationsdohaveplanstousesocialmediaasoneof theircommunicationstools,however.TheGoodCompanionsSeniorsCentreintendstosetupa Facebookpageinthenearfuture,andtheExecutiveDirectoroftheCouncilonAgeing,whoestimates that90%ofyoungseniorsareonline,sayshisorganizationwillsoonberedoingitswebsitetomakeit moreinteractive.Inthefaceofrecentcuts,heisbeginningtowonderifsocialmediawouldbethe smarterwaytogoindeliveringservicesandmakingOttawamoreagefriendly.Buthequestions:Will itbetakenup? Commonwisdomsaysthatthatitwill,especiallyinthemediumtolongtermasboomersbegin

tobeseniorsin2011.Twofactorswillincreasetheratesofsocialmediauseamongthecoming generationofseniors:theupcominggroupwillbefarmorecomputerliteratethanitspredecessor;and thesheernumberofboomerswillswelltheseniorranksandboosttherateofsocialmediauseasthis

53

StatisticsCanada(2010)Internetusebyindividuals,byInternetprivacyconcernandage.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

modeofcommunicationevolves.Intheshorttomediumterm,however,policiesmustcontinuetotake intoaccountolderseniorswhoarenotonline.

7.Conclusion
Thisstudyhasfocussedontheuseofsocialmediabypopulationsconsideredtobevulnerable toexclusionfrommainstreamCanadiansocietynamelyAboriginalpeoples,peoplewithdisabilities, thehomeless,recentimmigrantsandseniors.Thestudyhasshownthatwithinthesetargetgroups, manypeopleareusingtheinternetandsocialmediatogoodadvantage.Othershavehadless opportunitytodevelopthesocialcapitalthatcouldenablethemtobenefitfromthesocial, employment,educationalandeconomicopportunitiesavailableintheircommunitiesanditisthese samepeoplewhoarealsoexcludedfromtheonlineworld. Astherearesignificantdifferenceswithintheranksofeachgroup,itisdifficulttogeneralize

acrossthem.Thereare,however,anumberoffindingsthatareconsistentacrossallormostofthe populationsunderstudy. First,thecriteriathatappeartoseparatethedigitalhavesfromthehavenotsarepoverty,

lowlevelsofeducationandbroadband. Second,manyagenciesandinstitutionshavefallenbehindthepeopletheyserveintheirmodes

ofcommunication.Themajorityofadvocacyandserviceorganizationsservingvulnerablepopulations areoverstretchedandunderfunded.Mostareonlyvaguelyawarethatsocialmediapresentsan opportunitytoreachmorepeople,moreoftenandtobringnewdynamicsofgroupsharingand collaborationintoanorganizationsoutreachandawarenessstrategies.Directorsofserviceand advocacyorganizations,manyofwhomareover50yearsofage,oftendonothavetheknowledgeor timetoassesshowtheirorganizationmightbebestservedbysocialmedia,tocreateprotocolsforsocial mediause,andtobegintoexperimentwiththenewmediaforms.Nordotheyhavethefundstohirean experttodothejobforthem. Third,socialmediauseisbeingdrivenbythecoolfactor,particularlyamongsttheyoung.

Aboriginal,immigrantandhomelessyoutharedefyingincome/education/connectivitypredictorsand findingawaytoparticipateinsocialmedia.CellphoneandtextingcapabilitiesandaFacebookprofile areseenasstatussymbols.Tobewithoutthemistobeexcludedfromonessociety.Amongsome groupstheiPhonehasbecometherequiredsymbol.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Fourth,findingsfromthisstudy,stronglybackedbyresearchliterature,indicatethat predictions,soprevalentattheturnofthecentury,thatimmersionintheonlineworldcouldresultin reallifeisolation,havebeenalmostentirelyputtorest. 54 Allindicationsarethatparticipationinsocial mediaenhancesexistingrelationships,opensdoorstoinformation,diminishesfeelingsofisolationand, ifanything,fosterscommunityengagement. Finally,theissueofinternetinteractivityanditsimpactoninclusivenessinsocietyappearstobe

largelyignoredinimportantCanadianresearchandpublicationsfocusingonvulnerablepopulations. TheroleofsocialmediaamongvulnerablegroupsinCanadaremainslargelyunexplored. Thisstudyhasrevealedthatempiricalevidenceoftheimpactofsocialmediaonvulnerable

populationsisscant;andthatthesocialmediapracticesofcommunityorganizationsandgovernments haveyettobeformallyevaluated.ThestudyunderscoresthedearthofCanadianacademicresearchand comparabledatainthisfield. Thestudysuggeststhatgovernmentcouldexertaninfluencetowardslevellingtheplayingfield

forallCanadiansvisvistheinternetandsocialmedia.Governmentshouldconsiderthefollowing action: Encourageresearcherstoturntheirattentiontoindepthqualitativeandquantitativeresearch intotheimpactofthecurrentcommunicationsrevolutiononthelivesandsocialcapitalofeach ofthevulnerablepopulationssoastoinformgovernmentpoliciesandprogramsforinclusion. Acceleratetheeffectiveandefficientuseofsocialmediabyadvocacyandserviceorganizations byprovidingincentivesfororganizationstoattracttherequiredexpertiseinsocialmedia,andby puttingintoplacenewfundingframeworksformeasuringorganizationalreachand effectivenessusingsocialmedia. Supportorganizationsinanationwideproactivecampaigntomakecomputeraccess,computer trainingandinternetliteracyavailabletoallcitizens. Ifstepsarenottaken,exclusionfrominteractivedigitaltechnologywillfurthercompoundthe

inequalitiesthatthemostvulnerableamongvulnerablepopulationsalreadyexperience.Ofparticular urgencyistheissueofprovidingadequatebroadbandtoeveryoneinCanada,includingoffandon reserveFirstNationspeoplesinremotenorthernareas,halfofwhomcannotaccesstheinternetfrom theirhomecommunities.

54

Veenhof,B.,Wellman,B.,Quell,C.,andHogan,B.,(2008).HowCanadiansUseoftheInternetAffectsSocial LifeandCivicParticipation.Thisoneofmanystudiesthatdismissesthenotionofinternetuseworking againstofflinesocialengagement.

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Tenyearsago,therewereconcernsaboutthesocialramificationsofthedigitaldivide.Today

thereisnodoubtthatthosewhocannotaccessandjudiciouslyusetheinformationandcommunication potentialoftheinternetareexcludedfromthefastpaced,webbasedworkingsofmainstream Canadiansociety.

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Appendices

AppendixACaseStudiesVulnerablePopulations AppendixBUseofSocialMediabyFederal,ProvincialandMunicipal Governments AppendixCLiteratureReview

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

AppendixA

CaseStudiesOrganizationsServingVulnerablePopulations
1.NationalAboriginalHealthOrganization,Ottawa 2.TyzePersonalNetworks,Vancouver 3.VirtualTrainingPilotProject(20092011),EnhancedEmploymentServices,City ofOttawa 4.Newbridger,Toronto 5.SkillsforChange

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

AppendixA1
NationalAboriginalHealthOrganization(NAHO)
TheNativeAboriginalHealthOrganization(NAHO) 55 isanOttawabasedorganizationfundedbythe federalgovernmentwhosecommunityconsistspredominantlyofwomenhealthcareproviders,especially frontlineworkers.Theorganizationisalsomandatedtoreachyoungpeopleandinteresttheminhealth careers. TheNAHOwebsitehasdevelopedagoodsocialmediapresence,withlinkstoFacebook,Twitter, YouTube,BloggerandSlideShare.Its92YouTubevideoshavehadover18,000viewswhileits76 presentationshavehadmorethan28,000views.Theorganizations600Twitterfollowersrangefrom individualstopoliticians,journalistsandAboriginalorganizations. NAHOsHealthNewsblog,whichhasover500followers,embedslinkstoitemsofinterestfromthe internet,usingbit.li 56 toshortenURLssothattheycanbequicklysharedandretweetedonTwitter.A furtheradvantageofusingbit.liisthatittracksthenumberofusersandwheretheycomefrom.Oneof NAHOsyouthprogramsisTheHonourLifeNetwork(HLN)project,aimedatpreventingsuicideamongst theatriskyouthpopulation.LHNhostsanumberofinteractiveblogsforyouthandyouthworkers.When theprogramwasfirstintroduced,NAHOgaveparticipantsfreereinontheirblogs.Nowitsupervisesthe blogsonitssite,andremovesanyirrelevantorinappropriatecomments.NAHOhasheldvideocontests foryouthwithprizesforthewinners.ThewinningvideosarepostedonYouTube,whichisverypopularin theNorthandabigpartofNAHOsyouthstrategy. AnotherofNAHOsprogramsistheNationalAboriginalRoleModelProgram(NARMP).TheNARMPhasa blogandhostsacontesteachyear,choosingabout12contestantsfrom80100applicants.Whenrole modelsarechosen,theblogwilllinktocommunitynewspaperprofilesofthewinnersandtothewinners Facebookpages.Oneoftherolemodels,asinger,hasstartedherownblogwhichnowboastsover4800 friends. Socialmediaonlyworksifitispartofalargercommunicationsstrategy.NAHOadvises:Ifyouregoingto usesocialmediayouhavetostayontopofthings,buildinflexibilityanddontplantoomuch.Bythetime youvecompletedyourplansandtheyvebeenapprovedatalllevelsyourplanmaybeobsolete.NAHO believesthatanorganizationhastoprovidetrainingandprofessionalguidelinesfortheuseofsocial media,andthentrustthepeopleinchargeofit.Employees,inturn,mustbehaveresponsiblyand professionallyonline.ThecoordinatorsatNAHOhavebothpersonalandprofessionalFacebookaccounts andtheyarecarefulnottomixthetwo.Inturn,theytraintheiryouthrolemodelsandotherstothink abouttheirvirtualfootprints.

55

NAHOincorporatesInuitTuttarvingat,theMtisCentreandtheFirstNationsCentre,eachofwhichhasitsownwebsiteand ownsocialmediavenues. 56 bit.liisawebsitewhereURLscanbeshortenedsothatmessageswithlinksfiteasilyintoTwitters140characterlimit.

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AppendixA2
TyzePersonalNetworks TyzePersonalNetworks(<http://www.tyze.com>)isaVancouverbasedorganizationthatprovidessocial networkingsoftwareforcaregiversofthedisabledaswellasshutinswithdisabilitiesorillnesses.The softwareenablestheseuserstocommunicatewithothersinasafe,privateonlinesocialnetworking environment.Itspurposeistomitigatetheisolationthatoftenaccompaniescaregivinganddisability. Thesiteisbasedonthepremisethatawholesocialnetworkoffamily,friendsandneighboursisinvolved incare.WhenmemberssignonwithTyze,aconnectorhelpsthemdecidewhotheywouldliketoinclude intheirnetwork,forsocial,practicalorprofessionalsupport.TheadvantageofTyseoverFacebookisease ofuse,theprivacyofasecuredonlineenvironmentandtheavailabilityoftailoredtoolssuchasspecial calendarsforappointmentscheduling.Tyzeworkswith2530familycareorganizationsandhasaround 1,500users.TheExecutiveDirectorbelievesthattheinternetcanchangethelivesofthedisabled.Sheis alsoconvincedthat,inthefaceofahugehumanresourcescrunch,thehealthsystemwillhavetochange itsonewaymodeofcommunicationandcollaboratewiththoseinthecommunity,whoprovide85per centofcare.

AppendixA3
VirtualTrainingPilotProject(20092011),EnhancedEmploymentServices,CityofOttawa WorkingwiththeAcademyofRemoteEmployment,theCityofOttawasVirtualTrainingPilotProject teachesdisabledpeopletoworkfromhomeinareasideallysuitedtoanonlineenvironment.Jobsinclude datainput,editing,translation,transcriptionofdigitaltapesandtakinginboundtelephonecallsforsales ordersorforappointmentscheduling.Theprogramprovidesathomesoftwaretotheparticipantswho loginfromadistanceforrealtimeclasses.Theprogramsgoalistotrainpeopleinhighdemandareas andgetthemworking,initiallyinunpaidplacements.Employersandemployeesrateeachotheronline; andPayPalactsasthepayrollintermediarytoprotectbothsidesfromshadydealings. Whenthefirstcourseended,participantswantedtokeepintouchthroughsocialnetworking.The managerseesahugeroleforsocialmediainhelpingtokeepthedisabledconnectedwithothersinthe workingworld.Shenotesthatworkingfromhomeandbeingabletocommunicatewithothersisahuge boosttoselfesteem.Followingthefirstcourse,manyparticipantscontinuedworkingonlineandafew actuallywentoutandgotjobsintheofflineworkplace.

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

TheVirtualTrainingprogramisoneofthreeOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramprojectsbuttheonlyone thathashadsuchremarkablesuccess. 57 Theupcominginformationsessionsforfutureintakearefull,the projecthaswaitinglistsandorganizershavehadtostopreferralsfromOntarioWorks.Themanagersays ofonlineworkforthedisabled:Thefieldisheretostay.

AppendixA4
Newbridger,Toronto TheRoleofInternetbasedSocialSupportNetworksinImmigrantSettlement:ACERISseminarslide presentationattheOntarioMetropolisCentre,Toronto 58 ThisonlinePowerPointpresentationdocumentsthefindingsofa2009surveyonNewBridger,aninternet basedsocialnetworkwhichwascreatedbyChineseimmigrantsforChineseimmigrantsin2005andhas growntoamembershipof2,200people.Theresearchersaskedwhattermsmemberswoulduseto describetheNewBridgersite,tofindoutwhetherthenetworkincreasedimmigrantssocialcapital. Ninetyninepercentconsidereditconvenientandfriendly;and91percentsaiditprovideduseful information.Accordingtotherespondents,thewaysinwhichthesitewasmosthelpfulwasin friendship;information;andbelonging.Thepresentersnotethatsocialsupportincreasesasthesizeof anonlinesocialnetworkgrows,andthatsocialnetworkshavetheaddedadvantageofanonymityand asynchrony,whichsuitsthebusylifeofnewimmigrantstryingtostayafloat.Thepresentersmaintainthat immigrantsareoftenseenasthosewhohaveneedstobemetatthecostoftaxpayers;theirpotentialrole asaplayerinprovidingsettlementserviceisrarelyexamined.Thepresenterspointoutthatmanyother immigrantgroupscouldsetupsuchasitewithoutalargefinancialinvestmentandthatgovernments shouldrecognizethecontributionsofsuchinformalsocialsupportnetworksandprovidefinancial assistance.

AppendixA5
SkillsforChange.Toronto InthelastfewyearsSkillsforChangehasbeenworkingexclusivelywithrecentprofessionalimmigrants,a verytechsavvygroup,fluentinmostaspectsofonlineinformationretrievalandsocialmedia communication.Initssecondyear,thediscussionforumbegantogainparticipantsandmomentum

57

Theothertwoinvolvedmatchingemployerswithdisabledemployeesandprovidingfinancialincentivestopotentialemployers ofthedisabled. 58 ByJulieZiaopingLin,RyersonUniversity;ShuguangWang,ProfessorofGeography,RyersonUniversity;JamesWang, ModeratorofNewbridger.CerisSeminarPresentation,January15,2010. http://ceris.metropolis.net/events/seminars/2010/20100115WangLinWangSemPres.pdf

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

Twoyearsago,SkillsforChangepilotedaclosedsocialnetworkusingNing, 59 reservedexclusivelyfor newcomerprofessionalclients.Theyhostedadiscussionareaforeveryoneaswellassubgroupsfor variousprofessionsandpostedvideosonsuchtopicsasinterviewingskillsorspecificprofessionsin Canada.Inthefirstyear,itwasamoderatesuccesswithabout30percentofsignupsactivelyengaged andmanylistenersorprowlers.Promotionwasthroughflyerstoagenciesandbywordofmouth.Slowly butsteadilythisonlinenetworkgrewtoabout250participantswhoweremostlybetweentheirmid thirtiesandearlyforties.EachparticipanthadtofillinaNewcomerProfileatWork(NPW)formand discussionsweresteeredtowardsworklifeissues.Participantswerenotresistanttogivingoutpersonal informationbecauseitwasaclosedsystem;andtheywerenotaskedforaddressesortelephone numbers.Inanatmosphereofsupportandallbeinginittogether,participantssharedchallengesand successstories.Somesubsequentlysoughtoutlocalinterestgroupsthrough<meetup.com> 60 toextend theirsocialnetworkingoffline. SkillsforChangehadplanstoextendonlineservicedeliverytoothercategoriesofimmigrantsbutithas recentlyjoinedtheEmploymentOntarioProgramandwithabroaderclientbasetheorganizationfacesa lowerlevelofinternetknowledgeandcomfort.Nevertheless,theProgramAssistantsaysthatSkillsfor Changeisheadingtowardsonlineservicedelivery.Hecontendsthatonlineserviceprovisionis,if anything,moreaccountablethanotherapproaches.ThebackendanalyticscapabilitiesofGoogleand otherprogramsmeansthatserviceproviderscanknowwhousesthesite,howmanypeopleviewposted videos,howmanyparticipateorlurkinwhichdiscussiongroupsandwhattopicsareofmostinterest.

59

Ningallowsuserstocreatetheirownsocialnetworkplatform. 60 Awebsiteinwhichparticipantsplugintheirpostalcodewhichtriggersanarrayoflocalprofessional,recreationalorcommon interestgroupstojoin.

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AppendixB

UseofSocialMediabyFederal,ProvincialandMunicipalGovernments
1.UseofSocialMediaGovernmentofCanada 2.UseofSocialMediaGovernmentofOntario 3.UseofSocialMediaCityofOttawa

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Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion

1.UseofSocialMediaGovernmentofCanada
Inthelastfewyearsthefederalgovernmenthasbeguntoexperimentwithsocialmediaasatool

forcommunicationandcommunityengagement.AsofNovember2010,fourblogs,33Facebookpages, and74Twitteraccountswerebeingmanagedbydepartments,institutes,commissionsandagenciesof thefederalgovernment.FiftythreeofthesealsopostedvideosonYouTube. 61 In2008thegovernmentsetupaninternalpilotprojecttoexploreanddevelopthegovernments useofsocialmedia.SituatedintheCommunicationsCommunityOffice(CCO) 62 ,theprojectinvolvedover 150communicationsofficersrepresenting36departmentsandagencies.Thisgroupestablished GCPEDIA,aninternalwikiplatformforinternalknowledgesharingandcollaboration.Eachmemberof theCCOispartofalargercommunityofpracticeandthewikiisafocalpointforagreatdealofsupport andcooperation.Itnowhasover20,000activeuserswithingovernment;aswell,anadditional40,000to 60,000civilservantsuseittoreferencedocuments.TheGovernmentofCanadaisusingGCPEDIAasa testinggroundforsocialmediauseandtofurtherinternalandhorizontalcommunication.Thewikiis perceivedasaneasierchallengethanimplementingsocialmediaexternally,asitpresentsmuchlessofan informationmanagementrisk. Atthepresenttime,thedegreeofexperimentationanduseofsocialmediaacrossandalsowithin

governmentdepartmentsisuneven.Mostdepartmentsuseconsultantstoassistinstrategizingand implementingsocialmediainitiatives,andaregraduallydevelopingpolicyforsocialmediause.Though departmentsaretrackingusersthroughwebanalytics,todatenonehasconductedaformalsurveyonthe impactandeffectivenessofasocialmediacampaign.CCOsSocialMediaMeasurementTaskForceis workingtocreateaframeworkthatgovernmentinstitutionscanusetoevaluatetheirsocialmedia initiatives.63 BenefitsandChallengesofGovernment2.0 Socialmediaallowsgovernmentstotailorinformationforanagegrouporothersectorofsociety,

andtoregionalizegovernmentmessaging.Itprovideseffectivetoolsforbringingcitizenstowellcrafted, officialWeb1.0sourcesofinformationandkeepsgovernmentabreastofpublicopinion.Themain

61Forabreakdownofthissocialmediaactivity,seehttp://www.gcpedia.gc.ca/wiki/GC_Web_2.0_in_Action__Web_2.0_ 62 Establishedin2002,theCommunicationsCommunityOffice(CCO)servesthecommunicationscommunitywithinthefederal government.TheCCOworkswith37departmentsandcentralagenciestoidentifyandshareexistingtoolsandpracticesthat meettheneedsofthecommunicationscommunityintheInformationServices(IS)category. 63 http://www.gcpedia.gc.ca/wiki/Best_Practices_and_Training_/

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challengesforgovernmentarehumanresources,procedures,riskandsecurity.FacebookandTwittermay befree,butemployeestimeisnot.Beingpartoftheconversationonlinerequirestimetolisten, interact,respond,motivate,monitorareasofinterest,influenceconversationsandprovidetimelyand oftencorrectiveinterventionsongovernmentandothersites.Managersfeeltheeffectiveimplementation ofsocialmediarequirestrainedstaffandclearguidelines.Somesaythatgovernmentemployeeswill mostlyselftrain,butthattheinternalculturechangerequiredforgovernmenttoworkmoreopenlyisa greaterchallenge.Proceduresisamajorissue;thereisatensionbetweenthetraditionalcontrolled governmentcultureandtheflexible,responsive,justintimesocialmediaculture.Itisimportanttohave knowledgeablecivilservantsonline,buttheprocedureofhavingprogrammessagesvettedby communicationsdepartmentsiscumbersomeandcanbogdownsocialmediacommunication.Thejuryis outonthis,butthemajorityofinformantssaythatcommunicationswillcontinuetobethegatekeepers. Theyalsoacknowledgethatprogramexpertsmustbecomemoreinvolved,andresponsibilityforsocial mediamustbemorewidelydistributed. Todatethefederalgovernmenthasmadelittleuseofsocialmediadesignedspecificallytoengage

vulnerablepopulations,otherthantoprovidewebsitedesignfeaturesandassistivetechnologiesforthe disabled,andtousesocialmediawithinthesuccessfulWorkinginCanadaportalfornewimmigrants.This willlikelychangewhenvariousdepartmentshaveabetterhandleonhowtheycanbestparticipatein,and capitalizeon,thesocialmediaonlineculture. InformantsnoteanumberofsuccessfulgovernmentWeb2.0initiatives,asdidtheauthorofa newreportreleasedbyTransportCanadainDecember2010.64 Includedintheseexamplesarethe followingwebsites:thePublicHealthAgencyofCanadaduringtheH1N1flupandemic;VeteransAffairs CanadaRemembersawarenesscampaign;PublicSafetyCanadasEmergencyPreparednessWeek; HRSDCsWorkinginCanadasite,especiallyforitsYouTubepresence;andNationalDefencesYouTube CanadianArmyNews.Severalnondepartmentalinitiativeswerealsonoted:thePrivacyCommissionfor itsblogandTwitteractivity 65 ;andLibraryandArchivesCanadaforitsuseofFlickrtopostarchival pictures.Thisreportprofilestheeffortsoftwodepartmentsbelow;descriptionsofalltheseinitiativesand others,includinglessonslearnedcanbefoundonGCPEDIAandintheTransportCanadareport. 66

64

Web2.0UsesintheFederalGovernment,a55pageenvironmentalscanofthegovernmentsuseofWeb2.0applications.The report,commissionedbytheCorporateSecretariatofTransportCanada,includes:alookattheconcernsarisingfromgovernment useofsocialmediaincludingpolicyrequirementsandsecurityissues:somebestpracticeswithinthefederalgovernment,andkey questionsthatshouldbeaskedbeforeadepartmentjoinstheWeb2.0world. 65 Citedbythereportandmostinformants 66 <http://www.gcpedia.gc.ca/wiki/Transport_Canada/Corporate_Secretariat/Web_2.0_Uses_in_the_Federal_Government>.

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CASESTUDIES
A)PublicHealthAgencyofCanada WithinthePublicHealthAgencyofCanada(PHAC),socialmediatookoffduringtheH1N1fluepidemic inthewinterof2009.Withrumoursabounding,theAgencyfeltitimportanttolistentowhatCanadians weresaying:correctmisleadinginformationanddirectindividualstouptodate,accuratePHACwebsite information.TheAgencysetupaFacebookpageandTwitterandYouTubeaccountsandprovideda widgetforreceivingRSSfeeds.DuringtheH1N1period,over55,000peoplewerereferredfromthe AgencysFacebookpagetoitswebsite.Webanalyticsprovidedusefultrackinginformationbutthe AgencysSeniorCommunicationsExecutivestressesthatnumbersarelessimportantthantheripple effectofsocialmediasreach.PHACsFacebookfollowerswere70percentwomen,mostly2540yearsof agewithapostsecondaryeducation.TheCommunicationsExecutivenotesthatifyoureachthese women,whomhereferstoasthechiefpublichealthofficersofthehousehold,theimpactishuge. Initsupcomingcampaignonobesityaimedatyoungpeople,PHACplanstodrawCanadianstoitsonline informationthoughTwitter.Inpreparationforthemobilerevolution,thedepartmentisdevelopinga strategytomakesomeofPHACsmorepopularpagesmobilefriendly.Itisalsosettingupsocialmedia monitoringcontractsusingmonitoringsoftwareforwhichthedepartmentsuppliestheparameters. Futurestrategieswillrequiretheinvolvementofthewholeagencyonthepremisethatprogrampeople shoulddothemonitoringandsubsequentlydrawitemsandissuestotheattentionofcommunications personnel. B)VeteransAffairsCanada VeteransAffairsCanada(VAC)hasusedFacebookextensivelyforthelasttwoyearsasthefocalpointof itsCanadaRememberscampaign.VACCommunicationsfeltCanadaRememberswasanexcellentfitfor asocialmediacampaignalowrisktopic,withaspecifictimefocus,aimedatthegeneralpublic.VACs budgetwaslimited;Facebookwasfree;andithadmaturedtoapointwhereitwasconnectingwitha widespectrumoftheCanadianpopulation.Thetimeframealsosuitedasocialmediacampaign8weeks tobuildmomentumtowardsNovember11th.Moreover,thiswasanidealtwowayproject,demandingthe activecollaborationofCanadians.VACCommunicationsputthechallengeoutHowwillyou remember?andtooktheapproachoffacilitatingratherthanorchestratingthepublicsparticipation. Communicationsusedtraditionaladvertisingcampaignitemssuchasposters,aTVvignetteandanemail blasttosignpostthepublictothewellestablishedplatformsofFacebookandTwitter.Only13percentof theprojectsoverallmediabuywenttoonlineactivity,butin2009theirYouTubevideoshadover50,000 views,andbetweenNovemberandAprilFacebookfansgrewfromover17,000to183,525.ByNovember 2010thenumberoffanshadrisento450,000andaniPhoneapplicationforaccessingthesitesratedin thetop25forsocialnetworkingattheAppleStore.PCOguidelinesrecommendoneFacebookaccountper department,butVACmanagersfeelitwouldbeamistaketomixthefunctionalsideofwhatthe departmentdoes(veteransservices)withtheannualremembrancecampaign.

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2.UseofSocialMediaGovernmentofOntario
TheGovernmentofOntarioappearstousesocialmedialessthanthefederalgovernment.Afew OntarioMinistrywebsiteshavesocialmedialinks,namely:theMinistryofAboriginalAffairsandthe MinistryofChildrenandYouthandin2009thegovernmentlaunchedCareersIsland,anawardwinning recruitmenttool 67 constructedtoshowcasetherangeofjobsavailableintheOntarioPublicService throughSecondLifeprogramming.Earlyin2010,theOntarioProvincialPoliceForcejoinedthesocial mediamovement.TheOntarioMinistryofCommunityandSocialServicesmakesextensiveuseof streamed,captionedandsignedvideoandin2010launchedAccessOn,aYouTubeinitiativeofthe OutreachandComplianceBranch 68 topromotetheOntarioAccessibilityDirectoratesnewCustomer ServicestandardstoOntariobusinesses.Recently,theDirectorateconductedasurveyof300small businesspeople.ThefindingsrevealedthathalfofOntariossmallbusinesspeoplewouldprefertoget informationinaWebinarthaninaliveworkshop.

3.UseofSocialMediaMunicipalityofOttawa
CityofOttawa TheCityofOttawadoesnotyethaveanoverarchingplantousesocialmedia,butthereisalotof interest.SeveralinformantspredictedthatintwoyearstimetheCitywillhaveaddedsocialmediatoits communicationsandcommunityengagementstrategies.TheCommunityandSocialServicesCentresfor instance,plantouseFacebookfortheirYoungMumsprogram.Aswell,theCityhasrecentlycompleted thefirstphaseofaverysuccessfultrainingprogramdesignedtoallowpeoplewithdisabilitiestowork fromhomeonline.(SeeAppendixB3fordetails).Currently,mostactivityappearstobeconcentratedin thedepartmentofpublichealthwhichgotinvolvedinsocialmediaduringthe2009H1N1epidemic.Public Healthhas4000TwitterfollowersandinOctoberthedepartmentaddedaFacebookcomponent.One informantsaidthatstaffisbeginningtocomeonboardwithregardtousingsocialmediabutthatthe rapidcasualnatureofsocialmediaisatoddswithhowtheCityisusedtodoingbusiness.Another informantagreedthattheyweremovinginthedirectionofsocialmediabutthattheyhadtoworkout

67

http://slurl.com/secondlife/OPS%20Careers/122/129/27/?img=http%3A//modernepromotions.com/OPS/DiscoverOPSad512d.jp g&title=Teleport%20to%20OPS%20Careers 68 TheDirectorofPolicyResearchandAnalysisfortheOntarioMinistryofCommunityandSocialServicesknewofnoplansinthe ministry to incorporate social media into the ministrys overall communication plan. He says that his ministry is still piloting an Online Application program for Ontario Disability Support Program and Social Assistance. A survey found that 95% of those who availedthemselvesoftheonlineprogramwoulddoitagain.

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security,budget,andaccessibilityissues,aswellasinternaltrainingandawareness.(Foracasestudyofa CityofOttawavirtualproject,seeAppendixB3.)

OttawaPublicLibrary MembersofallthevulnerablepopulationsstudiedinthisresearchusetheOttawaPublicLibrary (OPL),buttheOPLhasnostatisticsandnosocialmediastrategytodrawthemintothelibrary.TheOPL hostsapopularblog,butitsFacebookandTwitteractivityisminimal.Thelibraryisneverthelessan importantlocaleforcomputeraccessall33branchesofferupto2hoursofcomputertimeperperson perday.Librarianssaythatamongtheregularclienteletherearealwayssomehomelessindividuals,and usuallynewimmigrantsoftheeconomiccategorywhomaybringtheirowncomputerstothewireless environmentorconsultwiththeBusinessLibrarian.Asmentionedinsection5.2ofthereport,theOPL offerscomputercoursesforseniors,someofwhichareintheMandarinlanguage.TheOPLalso participatesintheprovincialLibrarySettlementPartnership(LSP),athreewaypartnershipbetweenthe OPL,CitizenshipandImmigrationCanadaandvarioussettlementagenciesinOttawa.TheLSPoffers referralandotherprogramstohelpimmigrantsadjusttolifeinCanada.Oneoftheopportunitiesoffered isabasiccomputercourse.

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AppendixC
LiteratureReview

1.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandAboriginalPeoples 2.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandPeoplewithDisabilities 3.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandHomelessPeople 4.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandRecentImmigrants 5.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandSeniors

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AppendixC1 1.Bibliography:TheInternet,SocialMediaandAboriginalPeoples
Alexander,C.J.,Daborn,G.,Houston,J.,Tootoo,V.(2009).InuitCyberspace:TheStruggleforAccessfor InuitQaujimajatuqangit.JournalofCanadianStudies,Vol.43(2). Bell,B.,Budka,P.,&Fiser,A.(2007)."WeWereOntheOutsideLookingIn:MyKnet.org:AFirstNations OnlineSocialNetworkinNorthernOntario.Paperpresentedatthe5thCRACINWorkshop,Concordia University,Montreal,Canada,June20222007. Budka,P.,Bell,B.,&Fiser,A.(2009).MyKnet.org:HowNorthernOntario'sFirstNationcommunities madethemselvesathomeontheWorldWideWeb.TheJournalofCommunityInformatics,5(2), Online:http://cijournal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/568/450 Budka,P.February2008.ReportontheMyKnet.orgOnlineSurvey. Crompton,S,(2004).OffreserveAboriginalInternetUsers.CanadianSocialTrends,StatisticsCanada No.11008. Mignone,J.andHenley,H.(2009).ImpactofInformationandCommunicationTechnologyonSocial CapitalinAboriginalCommunitiesinCanada.JournalofInformation,InformationTechnologyand Organizations,Vol.4. Mignone,J.andHenley,H.(2009).ImplementationandCommunicationTechnologyinAboriginal Communities:ASocialCapitalPerspective.TheJournalofCommunityInformatics,Vol5(2). Pasch,T.J.(2008).InuktitutOnlineinNunavik:MixedMethodsWebBasedStrategiesforPreserving AboriginalandMinorityLanguages.Doctoraldissertation,UniversityofWashington,Seattle.Proquest Dissertations.URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=1674453291&Fmt=2&clientId=79356&RQT=309&VName=PQD Perley,S.(2008).RepresentationandParticipationofFirstNationsWomeninOnlineVideos.The JournalofCommunityInformatics,Vol.5(2).

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1.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandAboriginalPeoples
Thereappearstobeonlyoneacademicresearchconductedsince2008thatspecifically

examinestheuseofsocialmedia(e.g.,Facebook,Twitter,blogging,YouTube)byInuit,FirstNationsand Mtispeoplesandtheimpactthismaybehavingonsocialinclusion. 69 Thisissurprising,inlightof consistentanecdotalreportsofhighsocialmediauseamongyoungandsomemiddleagedAboriginals. Nocurrentnationalsurveydataareavailableonthistopic.ThelatestStatisticsCanadareport 70 on Aboriginaluseoftheinternetwasreleasedin2004andbasedoninformationgatheredbetween2000 and2002. 71

TheStatisticsCanadastudy(Compton,2004)neverthelessoffersinsightsintotherelationship

betweenICTsandsocialinclusionforAboriginalpeoples.ThoughbarrierstoICTuptakecostandlack ofaccess,skillsandtrainingarerelevanttothispopulation,Comptonnotedthatoffreserve AboriginalswerejustaslikelytobeinternetusersasnonAboriginalCanadians.Shealsonotedthat Aboriginalusers,comparedtononusers,werebettereducated,hadhigherlevelsofincomeand educationandlivedinurbanareas.ComptonseesaseconddigitaldividenotbetweenAboriginals andnonAboriginalsbutbetweenurbanAboriginalsandthoselivinginruralandnorthernareas.She pointedtothelackofbroadbandandICTaccessibilityinruralareas,anissuethatcontinuestochallenge manyremoteandnorthernAboriginalcommunitiestoday. ThepapersincludedinthisreviewdescribetheimpactofICTprojectsonAboriginal

communities.Severaloftheseprojectswereearlyprecursorsofsocialmedia,andcontinuetoservethis function.OthersexaminetheimpactofICTsonsocialcapital. Twopapers(Budkaetal,2009andBelletal,2007)relatetheremarkablestoryofMyKNet.org,

anonlinesocialenvironmentdescribedinthisliteratureasacomputerizationmovementthatbeganin 1996innorthwesternOntario.Thisprojectwasgrassrootsandcommunitydriven.Itwasledbylocal leadersintentonadaptingtechnologytocommunityneeds.Theprojectwas,andcontinuestobe, orientedtowardspublicgood,suchastelemedicineandelearning,andtowardspersonalsocial networking.Sincethelate90sandusingdialup,MyKNet.orguserscreatedandlinkedpersonalprofiles ontheirownwebpagesandsharedprofiles,messages,jokesandstories.

69

AresearchpaperabouthowFortSevernFirstNationcommunitymembersareusingICT,includingFacebookandsocial

media,isinpreparationbytheVideoComresearchproject,andisexpectedtobepublishedin2011andavailableonthe publicationsectionoftheVideoComprojectwebsitehttp://videocom.firstnation.ca 70 OffreserveAboriginalInternetUsersbySusanCrompton,StatisticsCanada,Winter2004. 71 Crompton,Susan(2004),OffreserveAboriginalInternetUsers.CanadianSocialTrends,StatisticsCanadaNo.11008.

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BelletalnotethatwhileMyKNet.orgdoesnotvisuallyresemblesocialnetworkingsites,itis

neverthelessanetworkofinterlinkedhomepagesandissimilarinsomefunctionsandusestosocial networkingsites. 72 Userspostphotos,createandupdateblogsandmaintainactivelinkstoalarge numberofotherpersonalsites.Locallycontrolledanddeveloped,thesitesareusedtomaintaintiesin thecommunityandretainlinkswiththosewhohaveleft.Theauthorshighlightthegreatdistancesthat separatefamiliesandcontendMyKNet.orgnotonlystrengthensfamilialtiesandotherinterpersonal connectionsbutalsofacilitatesintercommunitycommunicationandcivicaction. In2007,aresearcher(Budka,2008)conductedasurveyofmorethanathousandMyKNet

users,whichrevealedthatsubscribersconsideredMyKNet.orgtobetheirmostimportant communicationmedium,overtelephone,televisionandcommunityradio.Although73.5percentof respondentshadanemailaddresswithanotherproviderand47percenthadaprofileonBebo,Pizco, MySpaceorFacebook,morethan92percenthadretainedtheirownMyKnet.orghomepagewhichthey updatedoncetoseveraltimesaday(36.6%)orseveraltimesaweek(21.3%).Nearlythreequartersof respondentsdidthisfromahomecomputer.Morethan46percentofuserswerebetween15and25 yearsofageand17percentwereover35.ThestudyillustratestheproclivityofsomeFirstNations peopleforthiskindofconnectivity,bandwidthcapacitynotwithstanding. Twootherrecentstudiesbythesameauthors(MingoneandHenley,2009)examinetheimpact

ofICTsinAboriginalcommunities.Inone,theauthorsexploretheeducational,economicdevelopment, health,culturalcontinuity,governanceandsocializingopportunitiessupportedbytechnologynetworks infiveAboriginalcommunitiessituatedfromBritishColumbiatoNunavut.Theyalsocapturethe drawbacksthemarginalizationofthosewhocannotaffordequipmentandservice,andtheinabilityof smallcommunitiestoattractinfrastructureproviders.Theauthorsofferarangeofsolutions, underscoringconnectivityasabasicinfrastructure,andtechnicalandskillstraininginITasessentialfor bridgingthedigitaldivide.Inthesecondstudy,drawingfromexperiencesinthesamecommunities,the authorsusethenotionofsocialcapitalinassessingtheimpactofICTsandconcludethatICTsarea powerfulcatalystforbondingwithingrouprelations,forbridgingthroughintercommunitytiesandfor linkingwithformalinstitutions.Amongotherfactorstheymention:theroleofICTsinpreserving language,cultureandvalues;thehumaninvestmentinthetrainingofincommunityICTproviders;the facilitationofcollectiveactionpreviouslyimpossibleinremotecommunities;andtheinvolvementof communitymembersindeveloping,implementingandsustainingICTnetworks.Theauthorsmaintain
72

Theauthorsnotethatthisisinanareaofapproximately45,000FirstNationspeoplesin49FirstNations communitiesspreadoveranareathesizeofFrance.In2007therewere25,000registeredusers.

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thatICTinfrastructureisarightandthatruralandremotecommunitieslackingproperbandwidthare preciselythecommunitiesthatstandtobenefitmostfromICTinfrastructure. Onlyoneresearchinitiative(Pasch,2008)wasuncoveredthattouchesdirectlyonAboriginaluse

ofwhatisreferredtotodayassocialmediaadoctoraldissertationthatexplorestheimpactofsocial mediaonindigenouslanguageinthenorthernQuebeccommunityofInukjuaq.Thethesisinvestigates InuitlanguagepreferencesontheEnglishinterfacesocialnetworkingsiteBebo,andexaminesthe divergentattitudesofyouthandelderstowardthelinguisticconsequencesofsuchapowerfulonline influence.ThepaperproposesaseriesofdigitalrecommendationsforempoweringtheInuktitut language,includingblendingsocialnetworkswithembedded,culturallyspecifictechnologicalsolutions suchasInuktitutdictionariesandtranslationplugins. Anotherstudy(Alexanderetal,2009)examinestherelationshipbetweenInternetbasednew

mediatechnologiesacommunityInuktitut/EnglishwebsitecalledNanisiniqInuitQaujimajatuqangit andthepreservationandadvancementofInuitknowledge.Theauthorsassertthatgivingvoicetothe Inuitviatheinternetresultedinnewpatternsofengagementbetweeneldersandyouthandamong communities. Andlastly,arecentstudy(Perley,2008)providesacriticalanalysisoftherepresentationand

participationofFirstNationswomeninonlinevideos.Theauthoranalyzesthreevideoscreatedby AboriginalwomenthathavebeenstreamedonYouTubeandtwoFirstNationwebsites.Perleynotes thatasitbecomesincreasinglyeasytocreateanduploadvideos,therearenewopportunitiesforFirst Nationwomentorepresenttheirperspectives,tochallengemainstreamrepresentationsofFirstNations peoplesandissues,andtopromotesocialchange. Thisliteraturereview,alongwithanecdotalresearch,paintsapictureofAboriginalpeople

(especiallytheyoungwhocomprisehalfthepopulation)ashavinganappetiteandaptitudeforsocial media.Thereisaclearneedforresearchthatexaminestheimpactof,andpotentialfor,todayssocial mediatoolswithrespecttoAboriginalidentity,socialandfamilialrelationships,healthandlifestyle issues,culturalpreservation,andselfdetermination,aswellastheirsocial,economicandpolitical inclusioninCanadiansociety.

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AppendixC2 2. BibliographyTheInternet,SocialMediaandPeoplewithDisabilities
Cahill,M.,Hollier,S.(2009).SocialMediaAccessibilityReview.MediaAccessAustralia. Dobransky,K.,Hargittai,E.(2006).TheDisabilityDivideinInternetAccessandUse.Information, Communication&Society,Vol.9(3). Fox,S.,Purcell,K.(2010).ChronicDiseaseandtheInternet.PewInternet&AmericanLifeProject. Fox,S.(2011).Americanslivingwithdisabilityandtheirtechnologyprofile.PewInternet&AmericanLife Project. Guo,B.,Bricout,J.C.,Huang,J.(2005).Acommonopenspaceoradigitaldivide?Asocialmodel perspectiveontheonlinedisabilitycommunityinChina.DisabilityandSociety20(1). Hollier,S.E.(2007).TheDisabilityDivide:AStudyintotheImpactofComputingandInternetrelated TechnologiesonPeopleWhoAreBlindorVisionImpaired.GLADNETCollection.Paper340. Jaeger,P.T.,Xie,B.(2009).DevelopingOnlineCommunityAccessibilityGuidelinesforPersonswith DisabilitiesandOlderAdults.JournalofDisabilityPolicyStudies,Vol.20(55). Kreps,D.(2008).HowtheWebContinuestoFailPeoplewithDisabilities.ResearchPaperpresentedat ALTC2008,Leeds. Mann,W.C.,Belchoir,P.,Tomita,M.R.,Kemp,B.J.(2005)Computerusebymiddleagedandolder adultswithdisabilities.TechnologyandDisability,Vol17. Seymour,W.andLupton,D.(2004).Holdingthelineonline:exploringwiredrelationshipsforpeople withdisabilities.DisabilityandSociety,Vol.19(4). Seymour,W.,Mackinnon,A.(2004).ICTsanddisability:exploringthehumandimensionsof technologicalengagement.InternationalConferenceICTs&Inequalities:thedigitaldivides,Paris, November2004. Stienstra,D.(2005).EngagingCitizenswithDisabilitiesineDemocracy.DisabilitiesStudiesQuarterly, Vol.25(2). Third,A.,Richardson,I.(2009).AnalysingtheImpactsofSocialNetworkingforYoungPeopleLivingwith ChronicIllness,aSeriousConditionoraDisability:AnEvaluationoftheLivewireOnlineCommunity. MurdochUniversity. Vaughn,J.R.(2006)OvertheHorizon:PotentialImpactofEmergingTrendsinInformationand CommunicationTechnologyonDisabilityandPractice.NationalCouncilonDisability.

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2.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandPeoplewithDisabilities
Studiesondisability,ICTsandthedigitaldividewereabundantintheninetiesandintheearly

partofthelastdecade.However,thetrendappearstohavepassed.Researchpublishedinthisareain thelastfiveyearsisscantandthatwhichisavailabledoesnotaddresstheimpactofthenewgeneration ofsocialnetworkingtoolsorthelatestnewassistivetechnologiesonthelivesofthedisabled. 73 Forthis reasontheresearcherhasoptedtoincludesomearticlespublishedearlierthan2008andtoinclude studiesontheinvolvementofdisabledpeoplesinemailandearliergenerationsofonlinecommunities. Thereadershouldbearinmind,however,thatintheworldofdigitalcommunication,fiveorsixyearsis alongtime.

Interactiveinternetbasedcommunicationhasthepotentialtoremovemanyofthebarriersthat

disabledpeoplefacebarrierstoeducation,employment,healthinformation,independentliving, travel,entertainmentandsocialinteraction.Thestudyfindingsinthisreviewsuggestthattheinternet significantlyreducessocialbarriersinthephysicalandsocialenvironmentfordisabledpeople(Guoetal 2005). ICTsareviewedastoolsthatallowpeoplewithdisabilitiestoescapetheisolationandstigma thatsometimesaccompanytheirdisabilitiesandtoparticipateinthesocialandciviclifeoftheirsociety (Dobranski&Hargittai2006,Jaeger&Xie2009,Guoetal).ICTshavebeenproventohelpdisabled peoplebuildsupportnetworksandengageindiscussioninasynchronousonlineenvironmentsthat permitslowerresponsetimes(JaegerandXie).ICTshavealsobeenshowntoimprovehealthoutcomes andhealthrelatedqualityoflifefordisabledpeoplewhousetheinternettoobtainmoreandbetter information(Dobranski&Hargittai).SeymourandLupton(2004)findthatselfhelpgroupsarethe preferredonlinedestinationofpeoplewithdisabilities,allowingthemtointeractwithotherstoa degreethatmaynotbepossibleoffline.Anotherpositiveoutcomeisthatcomputersandrelated competenciesattractsocialvalueandenhanceselfesteem(SeymourandMacKinnon,2004).Inastudy conductedinChina,Guoetalfoundthat54percentofrespondentsfeltthattherewasless discriminationtowardsdisabledpeopleontheWeb,while35percentwereuncertainandonly10.6per centdisagreed.Theseresearchersalsofoundthattheuseoftheinternetappearstoinfluencefriendship structuresandthatthemorefrequentlydisabledpeopleusetheinternet,themorelikelyitisthatthey willdeveloprealfriendshipswithnondisabledindividuals.
73

The2005versionofHowPeoplewithDisabilitiesUsetheWebpublishedonlinebytheWebAccessibility(WAI)initiative andWorldWideWebConsortium(W3C)ispresentlybeingupdated.Anewdraftisonlineat http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWDUseWeb/2009/withinstructionstoneitherusenorquoteuntilthefinalreportis posted.

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Peoplewithdisabilitiestendtofocustheirtimeonlinetowarddisabilityrelatedactivities.This

suggeststhatpeoplewhoaresociallyinactiveordissatisfiedwiththeirsocialinteractioninthereal worldtendtousetheinternetmorefrequently,andhencebenefitmorefromtheinternet(Seymour& MacKinnon).Guoetalalsonotethatpeoplewithloworunsatisfactoryinterpersonalsupportstendto seekcompensatorybenefitsonline. TworesearchteamslookatICTsfromtheviewpointofdisableduserstodeterminewhatworks,

andwhatmakespeoplefeeluncomfortable.Inastudyofinternetusebysixpeoplewithdisabilities, SeymourandMacKinnon(2004)findthatforsome,computercompetencebringsstatus.Theauthors note,however,thatcomputersandconnectivityalsoposechallengesandfrustrations.Despitethe downsides,thesubjectsintheirstudywereunequivocalthatthecomputeriscriticallyimportantto theirlives.Theauthorsmaintain,however,thatthebenefitsofICTSareunevenlydistributedandthey citeSapey(2000)inhisobservationthattheICTshavetheeconomicpowertoperpetuateortocreate moreprofoundformsofdisablement.Inthesecondstudy,ThirdandRichardson(2009)describethe engagementofdisabledandchronicallyillyoungpeople,aged1021inasecureenvironmentcalled Livewires,whichwassetuptohelpmembersovercometheirsocialisolation.Theonlinecommunitythat developedbecamecruciallyimportanttomemberslivesandtotheirsenseofwellbeing.The researchersnotethatparticipantsdefinedonlinesafetyasfreedomfromprejudiceandmarginalisation onthebasisoftheirdisabilityorillness. Inconnectionwiththeaboveproject,SeymourandLupton(2004)leavethereaderwitha

warning.Thoughtheyconcedethattalkingwithpeoplewhounderstandprovidesdisabledpeople withmuchneededcomfortandsupport,theseauthorsmaintainthatthismayservetodivertattention fromthestrugglethatmusttakeplaceifchangeistooccur.Theauthorsworrythatprovidinga comfortablespacetotalkamongourselvesisolatesdisabilityissuestothespecialworldofdisability,a worldremovedfromissuesofsignificanceinthepublicdomain.SeymourandMacKinnonmaintainthat disabledpeoplecantakecontroloftheforceswhichconstructdisablementintheinformationagebut theymustengagewithtechnology,andfight. Researchersappeartobeinagreementthatthedisabilitydividehasnotyetbeenovercome.

SeveralstudiesmentiontheissueoftheunderuseandabandonmentofICTsbydisabledpeople (Seymour&MacKinnon,Hollier,2007).Theymaketheconnectionbetweenthedisabilitydivideand otherdisabilityrelatedissuessuchaspoverty,unemploymentandalackofeducationalopportunities (Seymour&MacKinnon).

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DobranskyandHargittai,drawingfromstatisticsfromtheBureauofLabourStatisticsandthe

CensusoftheUnitedStates,foundthatpeoplewithdisabilitiesare10to15percentlesslikelyto:livein householdswithcomputers;usecomputersthatareinthehome;andbeonline.Butonce socioeconomicbackgroundiscontrolled,peoplewithhearingorlimitedwalkingdisabilitieswerenot lesslikelytobeinternetusers. Theauthorsnotethatthosewithoutimpairmentsaremorelikelythanthosewithimpairments

tocommunicatewithothersthroughemailorinstantmessaging,searchforproductinformationor makepurchases,getnews,bankonline,tradestocks,takecoursesorsearchforjobs.Thisleads DobranskyandHargittaitosuggestthatevenamongthosewithdisabilitiesthatareonline,suchcapital enhancingusesoftheWebarelesslikely,makingpayoffsofinternetuseweaker.Thosewith impairments,ontheotherhand,aremorelikelytolookforhealthinformation,playgamesandsearch forinformationongovernmentservices.Theauthorspostulatethattechnicalaccessibilitybarriersare likelythecauseofthesegroupslaggingbehindthosewithoutdisabilities.Inanotherstudyofmiddle agedandolderdisabledadultscomprisedofcomputerusersandnonusers,Mannetal(2005)found thatcost,lackofknowledgeandofperceivedneedwerethemainreasonsforolderdisabledpeoplenot touseacomputer. MorerecentlyFox(PewInstitute,2011)reportsresultssimilartothoseofDobranskyand

Hargittai.Inherstudy,Foxfoundthat81%ofhealthyAmericanadultsgoonline,whileonly62%of adultswithachronicdiseasedo.Thosewithchronicdiseases,however,areslightlymorelikelythan otherinternetuserstoaccesshealthinformationonline.Thestudyalsofoundthat41percentofpeople whoareonlinehavebroadbandathome,comparedwith69percentofthosewithoutadisability.Two onlineactivitiesstandoutamongthosewhoarechronicallyillbloggingandonlinehealthdiscussions whichareseentoprovidebothinformationandempathy. ApaperbyStienstra(2005)alsorecognizesthedigitaldividebetweendisabledpeopleandthe

healthyfullyabledpopulation.Thisauthormaintainsthatedemocracyinitiativesmayremove geographicbarriersbutaccessibilityandusabilityissuesremain.Thisrequiresgovernmentstobe proactiveintheireffortstoincludetheperspectivesofpeoplewithdisabilitiesandothersfrom marginalizedpopulations.InanevaluationofaccessforpeoplewithdisabilitiesintwoCanadianfederal governmenteConsultations,shediscusseswhatisnecessarytoensurethatpeoplewithdisabilitiesare trulyincludedinatechnologybasedconsultationprocess.Shesuggeststhatpopulationsshouldbe engagedintheeConsultationdevelopmentprocess,aprocessthatcanensurepeoplewithdisabilities havethetechnologytoolsthatwillallowthemtoparticipate.Sherecommendsthatthefollowing

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questionsbeasked:Arepeoplewithdisabilitiesadequatelytrainedandskilledintheuseofthe technology?Areinpersonsupportsinplaceforthosewhomayrequireit?Dotheyhaveaccesstothe informationneededintheformat(e.g.plainlanguage,Braille,etc.)toengageintheprocess?Arethere multipleentrypointsforparticipationthatallowfordifferentcapabilitiesandinterests? Amongthechallengesfordisabledpeoplecitedbyseveralstudiesaretheconstantinnovations

intechnology.Bythetimeadisabledpersonhasbecomecomfortablewithnewaccommodationsfor technologysoftware,thatsoftwarehasbecomeoutdated(DobranskyandHargittai,Kreps2008,Vaughn 2006).Thispartlyaccountsforthepooruptake,andoften,theabandonment,ofinternetactivitiesby peoplewithdisabilities(Hollier,Jaeger&Xie).Inhisdoctoraldissertation,Hollier(2007)foundthat peoplewhoareblindorvisionimpairedareunabletousecomputingandinternetrelatedtechnologies aseffectivelyasthemainstreampopulation.Heconcludesthatemergingtechnologiesdonoteffectively catertotheneedsofthisgroupbecausemostdesignersfailtoconsultwiththeendusers.The ChairpersonoftheNationalCouncilonDisabilitywarnsthatassistivedeviceswillcontinuetogetmore complextooperatebeforetheygetsimpler.Theincreasesinuseofdigitaltouchscreens,theshrinking sizeofproductsandtheincreasinguseofselfservicedevicesinunattendedlocationscreatenew barriersforthosewithspecificdisabilities.Vaughtalsowarnsthatwithoutaction,thegapwillincrease betweenthemainstreamtechnologyproductsandtheassistivetechnologiesnecessarytomakethem accessible.

Inhisarticleonhowthewebcontinuestofailpeoplewithdisabilities,Krepsgivesahistoryof

thedevelopmentofassistivetechnologiesoverthelifetimeoftheinternetasatoolofmainstream society.Heconcludesthatthoseengagedinproducingwebsitesforgovernmentbodiesandbluechip companiesarebyandlargenotrespondingwelltotheurgeforprofessionalstandardsandcompliance withpainstakinglydevelopedguidelinesforaccessibility.Hewritesthatthestrangeandcontorted networkofcompetinginfluences,inadequatestandards,andspeedofdevelopment,continuestoleave disabledpeopleonthewrongsideofadigitaldivide. MediaAccessAustralia(MAA),74 anotforprofitAustralianorganizationdevotedtopromoting

accesstomediaforpeoplewithdisabilities,attemptstokeepthepressureoncompaniestoensuretheir internettoolsareaccessible(Cahill&Hollier,2009).Theorganizationputsoutanannualevaluation reporteachyearonthemostpopularsocialmediatoolsintermsoftheiraccessibilitybythedisabled. ThereportgivesFacebooktopmarks,andSkypefairmarks,butTwitterandMySpacefallshort.The

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http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=18&limitstart= 40

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authorsnotethatmorevideosarebeingcaptioned,nowthatthewebofferscaptioningtools,andthat Skypenowoffersnewfeaturesfortheblindandforthosewhocannotuseamouse.Twitterposesall kindsofbarriers,includinganaudiooptionlinkthatistoosmallforavisuallyimpairedpersontoseeand atextresizingfunctionthatislocked.Theorganizationpredictsthataccessibilitywillbecomecentralto thedevelopmentofsocialmediabusinesses.CEOAlexVarleystates,Socialmediaarethecornerstones ofmoderncommunicationanditisessentialthatpeoplewithdisabilities,whocanbecomesocially isolated,areabletousethesetoolsandstayconnectedwiththeworld.JaegerandXiepredictthatas onlinecommunitiesbecomeamoreimportantforumforcommunicationandsocialnetworking,the provisionofequalaccesstoonlinecommunitieswillgrowinimportanceasanissueofpublicpolicyand socialjustice.

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AppendixC3 3.BibliographyTheInternet,SocialMediaandHomelessPeople
Bure,C.(2006).DigitalInclusionwithoutSocialInclusion:Theconsumptionofinformationand communicationtechnologies(ICTs)withinhomelesssubcultureinScotland.TheJournalof CommunityInformatics,Vol1(2). EyrichGarg,K.M.(2010).Shelteredincyberspace?Computeruseamongtheunshelteredstreet homeless.ComputersinHumanBehavior,Vol27(1). EyrichGarg,K.M.(2010).Cellphonetechnology:Anewparadigmfortheprevention,treatmentand researchofthenonsheltered"street"homeless?JournalofUrbanHealth,87(3). LeDantec,C.A((2008),LifeattheMargins:AssessingtheRoleofTechnologyfortheUrbanHomeless. Interactions15(5). LeDantec,C.A.,Edwards,W.K.(2008).DesignsonDignity:PerceptionsofTechnologyAmongthe Homeless,ACM Rice,E.(2010).ThePositiveRoleofSocialNetworksandSocialNetworkingTechnologyintheCondom usingBehaviorsofHomelessYoungPeople.PublicHealthReports,Vol125(4). Rice,E.,Monro,W.,BarmanAdhikari,A.,Young,S.(2010).InternetUse,SocialNetworkingand HIV/AIDSRiskforHomelessAdolescents.JournalofAdolescentHealth. Woelfer,J.,P.,Hendry,D.G.(2010).Homelessyoungpeoplesexperienceswithinformationsystems: Lifeandworkinacommunitytechnologycentre.CHI2010. Young,S.,D.,Rice,E.(2010).OnlineSocialNetworkingTechnologies,HIVKnowledge,andSexualRisk andTestingBehaviorsAmongHomelessYouth.YouthandBehavior.

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3.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandHomelessPeople
Recentliteraturefoundonthedigitaldivideandsocialmediauseasitappliestothehomelessis

almostentirelyAmerican. TheprofileofthehomelesspopulationintheUSisconsistentthroughouttheliterature:

homelesspopulationsarepredominantlymalewithlowlevelsofeducation,highlevelsof unemployment,pervasivehealthandmentalillnessproblemsandtheyincludeagrowingnumberof families.ThisprofileissimilartothatofCanadashomelesspopulationwithoneimportantexception: thehighpercentage(between18and33percent)ofveryrecenthomelessimmigrantstobefoundat anyonetimeinCanadasmajorurbancentres. Aswiththemainstreampopulation,youngerandmoreeducatedhomelesspeoplearemore

likelytousecomputersthanolderandlesseducatedhomelesspeople(LeDantecandEdwards,2008). Predictably,researchersreportacorrelationbetweenlowlevelsofeducationandliteracyandaccessto information,andthatthelackofeconomicindependencefoundamongthehomelessrestrictsaccessto computersandtheinternet.Manyquestionwhethertheincreaseindigitalapplicationsinsocietytoday willwidenthegapbetweenmainstreamsocietyandthedispossessedorwhetheritwillbridgethe digitaldivideandcontributetotheinclusionofthispopulation. LeDantecandEdwardsreportthatthereisadigitaldividewithinmosthomelesscommunities.

Somehomelesspeoplearedistrustfulordisinterestedincomputers,andotherspossessarangeof computerskills.However,theauthorsnotethataslongastherewasaperceivedbenefit,participants wereexcitedabouttheprospectofusinganewtechnology.Thisappliesaswelltothementallyill. EyrichGarg(2010)foundnocorrelationbetweenmentalhealthandareticencetousecomputers.In fact,shereportsthereverse;thosewithalifetimehistoryofseriousmentalillnessweremorelikelyto reportcomputeruseduringthepastmonth. Technologysimportanceinrelationtoidentityandselfesteemamonghomelessyouthfeatures

inalmosteverystudy.Beyondfacilitatingcommunication,thecellphoneisapotentsocialsymbol,and internetmediatedformsofcommunicationareimportantformanagingpresentationofselfand mitigatingthesocialstigmaofhomelessness(LeDantecandEdwards,2008).Foryouth,theacquisition ofcomputerandinternetskillstranslatesintoasenseofempowerment. Anothercommonthreadthroughouttheliteratureistheimportanceofthehomelessstaying

connectedtoothers,especiallyfamilyandfriends.Manycomefromotherpartsofthecountryandfeel disconnectedfromthosetheyknowbest.EyrichGargproposesthatsocialnetworkingsitescouldhelp

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homelessindividualsmeetsomeoftheirsocialneedsandgivethemastableplaceintheireverchanging lives.Themajorityhaveacellphone,whichisthepreferredwaytokeepintouch,butcellphone ownershipisnotwithoutitsproblems:phonesneedpowerforrecharging;theyareexpensiveandthey oftengetlostorstolen(LeDantecandEdwards,Bure2006). Alltheliteraturereviewedacknowledgesthatgreateraccesstosocialsupportsystemsusually

resultsinbetterqualityoflifeandhealthoutcomes,andsomuchoftheresearchisfocusedon computertechnologyasawayofaccessingandimprovingsocialsupportnetworks(WoelferandHendry 2010,LeDantecandEdwards,EyrichGarg)Theresearchersconcludethatinternetuse,andincreasingly, socialmediause,arecommonamonghomelessyouthandareincreasinglybeingusedtomaintainsocial connectionsandforjobandhousingsearches. EyrichGarg(2010)studiedthecomputeruseof100unshelteredmenandwomenin

Philadelphia,themajoritybeingmale,AfricanAmerican,middleagedandinvolvedinsubstanceabuse. Eveninthispopulation,almosthalfhadusedacellphoneandacomputer,overafifthhadreceived emailsandsevenhadusedsocialnetworkingsitesinthepreviousmonth.Shenotesthatthosewho perceivethemselvesashavinggreateraccesstotheirsupportnetworkshavebetterphysicalandmental healthoutcomesaswellaslowerratesofvictimization.EyrichGargconcludesthatdigitaltechnology hasthepotentialtofacilitatepreventionandinterventionandenhancecommunicationbetween homelessclientsandhealthcareproviders.Inheropinion,publichealthofficialscouldconsider computersasacosteffectivevehiclewithwhichtocommunicatewiththehomeless. ThisfindingisechoedintheworkofRiceandYoung(2010)who,inastudyofthesocialnetwork

dataof103sexuallyactivehomelessyouthbetween16and26yearsofageinLosAngeles,concluded thatdevelopinghealthservicesandinterventionsononlinesocialnetworkscouldreducesexualrisk behaviours. WoelferandHendry(2010),whosetupatechnologycentreandasixweekcomputercoursefor

homelessyouth,contendthatanyinformationsystemforhomelessyoungpeoplemustontheonehand respondtothevulnerability,basicneedsanddemandforselfrelianceandontheotherattendto demandsoftheworkworldwhichrequiresconformity,youthadultrelationshipsandgoals.Onthe subjectofsocialmedia,theauthorsobservedthatpriortotheproject,100homelessyouthhadalready linkedtheirMySpacepagestotheserviceagencysMySpacepageandthatduringtheprogram,33of34 programparticipantscreatedaMySpacepageandactivelymaintainedit,overcominganyinternet accesschallengestodoso.Thesepagesweremainlyusedtokeepintouchwithfriendsandsomefamily members.Pagecontentrangedfromfavouritemusic,poemsaboutselfandhomelessness,and

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remembrancesoffriendswhohadpassedawaytohighlyprovocativevideosandimageryglorifying illegaldruguseandviolentpunk/thrashmusic.Someoftheyouthunderstoodtheimportanceof restrictingsomeinformationfromaccessbygeneralaudiences;othersrejectedanysuchadvice,leading theauthorstoconcludethatteachinghowtouseprivacysettingsistrivial,buttheworkrequiredto moveyouthtousingprivacysettingscanbeconsiderable. Severalstudiespointedtoadisconnectbetweentheresearchersviewsoftechnologysutility

forthehomeless,andthoseofserviceproviders.Somecounsellorsbelievethatsocialmediacould replacetheinvaluableoneonone,realliferelationshipsthathomelessyouthhavewiththeir counsellors.LeDantecandEdwardsconcludethatanysuccessfultechnologybasedinterventionwould havetopreserveorenhancethecriticalpersonalcontacttimewithcaseworkers.WoelferandHendry alsonotethatserviceagenciesfearthatsocialapplicationsoftheinternetreinforcestreetlife, (intuitionstheauthorsconsiderpossible)andtaketimeawayfromdevelopinginpersonrelationships withcasemanagers.Theseauthorsfeelthatthedevelopmentalbenefitsofsocialnetworkingsitesand thebenefitsoftiesamongacquaintancesforlearning,informationaccessandsocialcapitalwerelargely unrecognizedbytheworkers.Theyconcludethathomelessyoungpeople,likeallyoungpeople,needto learnhowtocontrolthepresentationofidentityinformationinsocialmediaanddecidewhattomake publicandwhattomakestrictlyprivate. ClareBures2006studyoftheinternetandcellphonesbyhomelesspeopleincentralScotland

underlinesthecomplexityoftryingtopromoteinclusionthroughtechnology.Herresearchconcluded thathomelesspeoplecanbedigitallyincluded,whilestillremainingsociallyexcluded.Shefoundthat thehomelessappropriateICTsinwaysthatarerelevanttotheirownlives;cellphones,forinstance,are usedtoreinforcethepatternsandpracticesoftheirhomelesslifestyleincludingdrugrelatedorcriminal activity.Shedidnote,however,thatinformationandcommunicationtechnologieswerehelpfulfor thosepeoplewhoaretryingtobecomemorestable,byprovidingpathwaystocommunicationandto practicalinformationonemploymentandaffordablehousing. Suggestionsforadaptationsanddesignfeaturestofacilitatepositivetechnologybased

interventionswiththehomelesspopulationincludethefollowing: Postonlineinformationaboutshelterlocations,availability,wheretogetshowers,foodand freeclothing; Postinformationtoenhancecommunicationbetweenthehomelessandhealthcareproviders; Encourageonlinepeercommunicationforemotionalsupportandpracticalassistance;

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Orientsearchenginesandjobdirectoriestotheneeds,abilitiesandbackgroundsofthe homeless; Extendrsumbuildersandtemplatestoallowhomelessyouthtorepresentthemselveswith dignity; Developsoftwareforelicitingpeerandexpertfeedbackonrsums;and Providesimulationsofjobapplicationformsforthepurposeofpractice. Mostofthesestudiesconcludethatthereareopportunitiesforproductivetechnological

interventionsinthelivesofthehomeless.Onlyone,however,addressesthechangesinthelivesof homelesspeoplethatfuturewavesoflowercostmobiletechnologieswillbring. 75 Lookingtothefuture, LeDantecandEdwardscautionthatUrbanComputingthedesignoftechnologymediated environmentsmustdesignforinclusion,andconsiderthebreadthofsocialdiversity.Whilewireless enabledparks,trainstationsandpublicsquaresaresharedbyall,thegatewaysthataffordaccess smartphones,PDAsandcomputersareprivateandnotnecessarilyaccessibletothemorevulnerable sectorsofthepopulation.

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ChristopherDantecispresentlyworkingonaPhDthesis:ExploringMobileTechnologiesfortheUrbanHomeless.

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AppendixC4 4.BibliographyTheInternet,SocialMediaandRecentImmigrants

Caidi,N.,Allard,D.,Dechief,D.,Longford,G.(2008).CanadianImmigrationandSocialInclusion:What RolesDoICTsPlay?SubmissiontotheStrategicPolicyResearchDirectorateofHumanResourcesand SocialDevelopmentCanada. Caidi,N.,Allard,D.(2005).SocialInclusionofNewcomerstoCanada:AnInformationProblem?CERIS PolicyMatters,No23. Chen,W.(2010).InternetUsagePatternsofImmigrantsintheProcessofInterculturalAdaptation. Cyberpsychology,BehaviorandSocialNetworking,Vol.3(4). Chien,E.(2005).InformingandInvolvingNewcomersOnline:UsersPerspectivesofSettlement.Org. Thesis(MISt.)UniversityofToronto. DeChief,D.,Caidi,N.,Allard,D.,Lam,M.(2010).ImmigrantsandtheInternet:Theinformationneedsof CanadianImmigrantjobseekersandwww.workinginCanada.gc.ca.FinalDraftSubmissiontoHuman ResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada(HRSCD). Veenhof,B.,Wellman,B.,Quell,C.,Hogan,B.(2008)HowCanadiansUseoftheInternetAffectsSocial LifeandCivicParticipation.ConnectednessSeries,StatisticsCanada. Yong,C.K.,BallRokeach,S.J.(2008).Newimmigrants,theinternetandcivicsociety.Routledge HandbookofInternetPoliticseditedbyAndrewChadwickandPhilipNHoward. Diminescu,D.,Jacomy,M.andRenault,M.(2010).StudyonSocialComputingandImmigrantsand EthnicMinorities:UsageTrendsandImplications.EuropeanUnion. Hach,A.(2009).MigrantethnicminoritiesandICT:InventoryofgoodpracticesinEuropethat promoteICTforsocioeconomicintegrationinculturallydiversecontexts.InstituteforProspective TechnologicalStudies. Redecker,C.,Hach,A.,Centeno,C.(2010).UsingInformationandCommunicationTechnologiesto PromoteEducationandEmploymentOpportunitiesforImmigrantsandEthnicMinorities.PolicyBrief. EuropeanCommission. Da,W.W.(2008).DevelopmentofSocialSupportNetworksbyRecentChineseImmigrantWomenwith YoungChildrenLivinginLondon,Ontario.CERISWorkingPaperNo.66.

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4.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandRecentImmigrants

OverthepastdecadeCanadahasrapidlybecomeawebbasedsociety,withICTsbecomingan integralpartofeverydaylife.Overthatsameperiod,Canadahaswelcomedeachyearoveraquarterof amillionnewimmigrantsandhasbeeninvestingsubstantialresourcestoensurethatthisnew populationisincludedinCanadiansocietyanditsmarketeconomy.WhatistheroleofICTsandthe ubiquitoussocialmediatoolsinassistingorlimitingtheintegrationofrecentimmigrantsintoanew society?AsearchoftheliteratureonthistopicsuggeststhatCanadamaybeasourceofsomeofthe bestresearchandthinkingonthesubjectintheworld. ICTshavehelpedchangetheimmigrationandsocialinclusionlandscape,andtheirpotentialto

facilitatesuccessfulintegrationishuge.However,theliteratureshowsthatthereisnoonesizethatfits allwithrespecttotheimpactsandopportunitiesaffordedbyICTs.Intheircomprehensivestudy 76 Caidi etal(2008)emphasizethatimmigrantsareaheterogeneousgroupwithdifferentrequirementsfor inclusionacrossimmigrationclassesandstages. Accordingtotheliteraturereviewedforthisstudy,thelargestgroupofimmigrantsthoseof

workingageintheeconomicclassareusingtheinternetandsocialmediaextensivelyintheprocessof settlinginCanada.Astheuseofsocialmediagrowsandthetechnologytosupportitcontinuesto improve,sodotheopportunitiesfornewimmigrantstoconferwithcompatriotswhoperhapshave precededthemtothenewcountryorwithotherswhohaveexperiencedthephysical,emotionaland psychologicalupheavalofimmigration.Socialmediasitesthatofferchat,forums,andselectiveoneon onecommunicationaregrowingrapidly.Researchshowsthatnewimmigrantsgivealotofweightto thisonlinetransferofknowledge.Whetherhelpcomesfromstrongties(relativesandfriends)orweak ties(acquaintancesorhelpfulstrangers),thetimelyinformationthatisdeliveredthroughvirtualonline communitiescansupportnewcomersastheygrapplewithchallengesintheirnewcountry. IntheiranalysisofTwitter,LoonLounge.com,Settlement.org,YouTubeandtheWorkingin Canada(WIC)Facebookpage,Dechiefetal(2010) 77 foundthatnewimmigrantsusethesetoolsbothfor orientationandforproblemsolving.Theynotethatofflinesocialnetworkshavelongbeenprime informationsourcesfornewcomers;thesenetworkshavenowbeenextendedonline,allowingnew immigrantstoenlargetheirsocialnetworksandtointeractwithpast,currentandpotentialimmigrants. Theauthorsalsoconcludedthatthefederalgovernmentsuseofsocialnetworkingtoolswasessential. Socialmedia,theynote,isdefinedbytheunderlyingfacilitationofsocialengagement;theauthorscite
76ThestudywasconductedforHRSDC 77 ThisstudywasalsocommissionedbyHRSDC.

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asanexampleatypeofonlinepollingorquickadviceseeking,whichmimicsfacetoface conversationalbehaviour. SimilarfindingswerereportedbyChien(2005)whoanalysedtheuseoftheSettlement.orgsite,

notingthatthesitesdiscussionboardwasitsmostpopulardestinationafterthehomepage.Chien postulatedthatusersvalueaccesstoinformationandexperiencescomingdirectlyfrompeoplerather thanthemoresolitaryretrievalofinformationthroughonlinesearches.Shearguedthatinadditionto informingimmigrantsonsettlementrelatedissues,onlinebulletinboardscontributedtoinvolving immigrantsbyconnectingthemtoothers,includingtheCanadianborn,andgivingthemasenseof belonging.Chienalsonotedthehighlevelsofreciprocityandtrustinthediscussionboardinterchanges keyelementsinthebuildingofsocialcapital,onlineandoff. Oneadvantageofthesesocialnetworkingsitesisthattheyoffercommunicationopportunities

inanimmigrantsmothertongue.Chiennotedthatnewcomersoftenparticipatedintheirfirstlanguage, sometimessharinginformationwithothersfromtheircountrywhowerecontemplatingemigratingto Canada.Da(2008)alsonotestheinvolvementoftheChinesecommunityinhelpingitsmemberssettle throughsettlementrelatedChineselanguagewebsitesthatprovidelinkstoimmigrantcommunityand governmentsites. 78 Thesewebsitesassistnewimmigrantstobecomebetterconnectedwiththeir ethniccommunityandwithresourcesthatwillhelpthemsettle. Socialmediause,however,isnot,defacto,ameasureofinclusioninCanadiansociety.Statistics

CanadacitesKayaharaetal(2005)whofoundthatconnectingwithfriendsandfamilybackhomeisa toppriorityfornearlyallrecentimmigrants.Doesthisstrongtietothemothercountryinhibit integrationintoCanadiansociety?ResearchfromChinasuggeststhat,astimepasses,immigrants onlinewebsurfingandsocialcommunicationwiththehomelanddecreases,whilesuchactivityshiftsto thehostcountryandregion(Chen,2010).Whilehomelandbasedinternetactivitycanaidtheinitial transition,Chensresearchsuggeststhatsocialcommunicationinthehostcountryisacritical componentinsuccessfuladaptationtothenewcountry.Nevertheless,shebelievesthatapositive relationshipexistsbetweenaccesstohostcountrywebsitesandoverallsocioculturaladaptation.Caidi etal(2008)agree,arguingthatanapproachtoinclusionwhichembracesatransnationalidentitywill increasesocialinclusioninthiscountry. Anotherdebaterelatestothequestionofstrongtiesandweakties.Mostresearchfindsthat

strongtiesanetworkofcloseanddependablefamilymembersandfriendsareessentialfor successfulintegration.Da(2008)notesthatwhereasthereisconsensusamongmostresearchersthat

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strongtiesareessentialforimmediatesupportintheinitialstagesofsettlement,thefindingsofastudy ofimmigrantwomeninMontreal(PiaCarascoandAssociates,1999)concludedthatitistheweakties thatarecriticalinhelpingimmigrantsacculturateintomainstreamsociety.CitingRose,Carrascoand Charbonneau(1998)andWierzbicki(2004),Dapostulatesthatmaintainingstrongtieswithinones compatriotcommunitymayactuallyhinderthelevelofimmigrantsintegrationintomainstreamsociety andcloseoffsomebridgeswithaccesstousefulinformationandresources. WhileagilitywithICTsandhighcomfortlevelswithsocialmediasupporttherecentimmigrantin

hisorherintegrationprocess,theliteraturestressesthatonemustnotlosesightoftheextrachallenge thatCanadasinternetdrivensocietyisposingforimmigrantswhoareuneducated,comefrom underdevelopedcountriesorrefugeescamps,havenoknowledgeofEnglishorFrenchandnobasic computerskills.Caidietalpointoutthatthoughthemajorityofeconomicimmigrantsfromthe wealthiercountrieswillbeabletohandleboththeaccesstoandthecontentofessentialinformation, therewillneverthelessbemanyintherefugee,familyorcaregiverclassthatstandtobemarginalized withoutsufficientICTsupport.Caidietalseethewiredworldasmakingalreadydisadvantaged immigrantsandrefugeesevenmoredisadvantaged.Chienalsowondersaboutthosewhodonothave theequipment,theskillsandtheleisureathome,whichareprerequisitestoparticipatinginsocial mediaenvironments.Ifwebsitesofferingcomprehensiveinformationanddynamicsocialmedia environmentsbecomethenorm,shewonderswhetheroneofthecentralrolesofimmigrantagencies shouldbecomputerandinformationliteracy. CaidiandAllard(2005)stressthatthedigitaldividerelatesnotonlytoaccessbuttothevarious

formsofliteracyrequiredtouseinformationtechnologieseffectivelyandthatintegrationisalongterm process,requiringinstitutionstoproviderelevantcontentinlanguagesotherthanEnglishorFrenchas wellasinformationliteracyprograms.InanHRSDCcommissionedreport,Caidietalalsoaddresssuch misgivings.Theseauthorsdiscovered,throughinterviewswithsettlementworkersinfiveCanadian cities,thatimmigrantslevelsofICTskillsreportedintheliteraturedidnotmatchtheinterviewfindings andthatmanymembersoftherefugeeorfamilyclassesarenonusersornoviceusersofICTs.These authorsarguethatissuesoflanguageproficiency,lackofculturalrelevance,digitalliteracy,andbarrier freepublicaccesstoICTsmustbekeptfrontandcenter.SimplyprovidingaccesstoICTswillnotbe enough.Daechoestheseconcerns:inherworkwithChineseimmigrantsinLondonOntario,shecameto seethatwomenwholackedafacilitywithEnglish,whowerewithouttransportationand/ortrappedat homelookingafterchildren,wouldlooktoChineselanguagewebsitesforsupportandcomfort.

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SomeofthesequestionsarealsodealtwithinseveralpapersfromtheEuropeanUnion,which

showtheextenttowhichtheEUisaspiringtoafullyinclusiveinformationsocietythroughfostering pluralism,culturalidentityandlinguisticdiversityinthedigitalspace.A2009report(Hachetal) providesasimplebutthoroughinventoryofgoodpracticesinEuropethatpromoteICTforsocio economicintegration.A2010EUreport(Redeckeretal.)detailsover30combinationonline/offline initiativesthatexplorethepotentialofICTstosupportthesocioeconomicintegrationofimmigrants.It concludesthatICTscanfacilitateinterculturalexchangesandprovideattractivelearningopportunities andenvironments.Thoughrecentlypublished,thereportreflectsmoreofaWeb1.0thanaWeb2.0 approach.AthirdEUpaper,apolicybrief(Diminescuetal,2010)arguethatWeb1.0portalsstrengthen immigrantstiestotheirhomelandordiaspora,whereasWeb2.0applicationsempowertheindividual andchallengethecollectiveorganizationofthediaspora.ThereporthighlightsfivesuchWeb2.0 applicationsfromspecificcountriesoforigin,comparesthemwiththemorestaticWeb1.0sitesand concludesthatWeb2.0enablessocialnetworkingprocessesbetweennewlyarrivedmigrants,already settledmigrantsandmembersofthehostsocietybysupportingweaktiesestablishedbothoffandon line.Theauthorsmaintainthatsocialnetworksareaneffectivemeansofproducingsocialcapitalwhich inturnencouragescommitmenttoacommunityandanaptitudetoparticipateincollectiveactivities. Theynotethatthetopdown(Web1.0)modeloffershospitalityservicesandusefulinformationbut thatitcontributesonlyonaninformationalleveltothecomplexbusinessofintegration.Bycontrast,the bottomup(Web2.0)processreliesoninformalandsocialhospitalityandisdirectlylinkedtothe dynamicsofbonding,bridgingandsocialcapital. Amongthebestsourcesontheabovetopicsarethecomprehensivereports,bothproducedfor

HRSDC,byCaidietal(2008)andDechiefetal(2010).Thereportsincludebroaddiscussionsregarding thechallengesandopportunitiesofICTuseinfosteringthesuccessfulintegrationandinclusionof immigrantstoCanada.Theformerreportincludesafullliteraturereview,findingsfromdetailed interviewswithimmigrantserviceprovidersinfiveCanadiancities,ananalysisofliteraturegapsand recommendationsforaction.Thelatterprovidesananalysisoftheinformationneedsofrecent immigrantsandoftheeffectivenessoftheWorkinginCanadaPortalanditssocialmediainitiativesin meetingtheseneeds. LiteraturegapsonthetopicofICTs,socialmediaandthesocietalinclusionofimmigrants

identifiedbytheseauthorsinclude:i)empiricalresearchonimmigrantICTuseandnonuse;ii)research onimmigrantproducedonlineinformation;iii)crossculturalusabilityofserviceandprogramcontent andiv)participatoryapproachestodesigninginformationsystems.

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Thisresearcherendorsesparticularlythefirsttopicinthislist,thatofresearchonimmigrants

whoarenonusersofICTs.ThereisadearthofCanadianresearchonICTsandimmigrantsfromthe refugeeandfamilyclasses.Itisimportanttounderstandthechallengesandpathwaystodigitalliteracy, fromtheviewpointoftherefugeesandimmigrantsthemselves.Asthemobilerevolutiongathersspeed inthenextfewyears,newcomerswhoarenotwebliteratewillbeevenmorepronetoexclusionfrom Canadiansociety.

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AppendixC5

5.BibliographyTheInternet,SocialNetworkingandSeniors

SocialNetworking
Ariyachandra,T.,Brodzinski,J.D.,Crable,E.A.(2009).SeniorsPerceptionsoftheWebandSocial Networking.IssuesinInformationSystems,Vol.X(2). Arnott,J.,Bhachu,A,S.,Forbes,P.,Gibson,L.,Martin,C.,Moncur,W.(2010).DesigningSocial NetworkingSitesforOlderAdults.ProceedingsofBCSConferenceonHumanComputerInteraction September610,2010,UniversityofDundee. Chou,W.S.,Hunt,Y.M.,BurkeBeckjord,E.,Moser,R.P.,Hesse,B.W.,(2009).SocialMediaUseinthe UnitedStates:ImplicationsforHealthCommunication.JournalofMedicalInternetResearch,11(4). Chung,J.E.,Park,N.,Wang,H.,Fulk,J.,McLaughlin,M.(2010).Agedifferencesinperceptionsofonline communityparticipationamongnonusers:AnextensionoftheTechnologyAcceptanceModel. ComputersinHumanBehavior,26. Harley,D.,Fitzpatrick,G.(2009).YouTubeandIntergenerationalCommunication:TheCaseofGeriatric 1927.UniversalAccessintheInformationSociety8(1). Hogeboom,D.L.,McDermott,R.J.,Perrin,K.M.,Osman,H.,BellEllison,B.A.(2010).InternetUseand SocialNetworkingAmongMiddleAgedandOlderAdults.EducationalGerontology36(2). Lehtinen,V.,Nsnen,J.,Sarvas,R.(2009).ALittleSillyandEmptyHeadedOlderAdults UnderstandingsofSocialNetworkingSites.PeopleandComputersXXIII,HCI2009. Lewis,S.andAriyachandraT.(2010).SeniorsandOnlineSocialNetworkUse.EducationSpecial InterestGroupoftheAITP,2010CONISARProceedings,Vol3. Madden,M.(2010).OlderAdultsandSocialMedia.Olderadultstalktechnology:Technologyusageand attitudes.PewResearchCentre. Mitzner,T.,L.,Boron,J.B.,BaileyF.C.,Adams,A.E.,Charness,N.,Czaja,S.J.,Dijkstra,K.,Fisk,A.D., Rogers,W.A.,Sharit,J.(2010).Olderadultstalktechnology:Technologyusageandattitudes. ComputersinHumanBehavior26. Pfeil,U.,Arjan,R.,Zaphiris,P.(2009).AgedifferencesinonlinesocialnetworkingAstudyofuser profilesandthesocialcapitaldivideamongteenagersandolderusersinMySpace.Computersin HumanBehaviour25. SumS.Mathews,R.M.,HughesI.(2009)Participationofolderadultsincyberspace:howAustralianolder adultsusetheInternet.AustraliasianJournalonAgeing,Vol28(4)

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Seniors,theInternetandEmail
Charness,N.andBoot,W.R.(2009).AgingandInformationTechnologyUse.PotentialandBarriers. CurrentDirectionsinPsychologicalScience,Vol18(5). Chu,A.,Huber,J.,MastelSmith,B.,Cesario,S.(2009).PartneringwithSeniorsforBetterHealth: ComputeruseandInternethealthinformationretrievalamongolderadultsinalowsocioeconomic community.JournaloftheMedicalLibraryAssociation,97(1). Cresci,M.K.,Yarandi,H.N.,Morrell,R.W(2010).TheDigitalDivideandUrbanOlderAdults. Computers,Informatics,Nursing,28(2). Cresci,M.K.,Yarandi,H.N.,Morrell,R.W.(2010).Pronetsversusnonets:Differencesinurbanolder adultspredilectionsforInternetuse.EducationalGerontology,36. Ford,G.S.,Ford,S.G.(2009).InternetUseandDepressionAmongtheElderly.PhoenixCenterPolicy Paper38. Gagliardi,C.,Mazzarini,G.,Papa,R.,Giuli,C.,Marcellini,F.(2008).Designingalearningprogramtolink oldanddisabledpeopletocomputers.EducationalGerontology,34(1). Jung,Y.,Peng,W.,Moran,M.,Jin,S.,McLaughlin,M.,Cody,M.,JordanMarsh,M.,Albright,J., Silverstein,M.(2010).Lowincomeminorityseniors'enrollmentinacybercaf:Psychologicalbarriersto crossingthedigitaldivide.EducationalGerontology,36. Kim,Y.S.(2008).ReviewingandCritiquingComputerLearningandUsageAmongOlderAdults. EducationalGerontology,34. KoopmanBoyden,P.G.,Reid,S.L.(2009).Internet/emailusageandwellbeingamong6584yearolds inNewZealand:Policyimplications.EducationalGerontology,35. Kuo,H.M.,Chen,C.W.,Chen,C.W.(2010).AbehaviouralmodeloftheelderlyInternetconsumer:A casestudy.InternationalJournalofInnovativeComputingInformationandControl6. Lagana,L.(2008).Enhancingtheattitudesandselfefficacyofolderadultstowardcomputersandthe Internet:Resultsofapilotstudy.EducationalGerontology34. Macias,W.,McMillan,S.(2008).Thereturnofthehousecall:Theroleofinternetbasedinteractivityin bringinghealthinformationhometoolderadults.HealthCommunications,23(1). Nasmith,W.,Parkinson,M.(2008).Seniorcitizensembracechangeandmakeanewtechnologywork forthem.TheElectronicLibrary26. Ng,C.H.(2008).Motivationamongolderadultsinlearningcomputertechnologies:Agroundedmodel. EducationalGerontology,34(1). Nimrod,G.(2010).Seniorsonlinecommunities:Aquantitativecontentanalysis.TheGerontologist50.

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Pfeil,U.,Zaphiris,P.,Wilson,P.(2010).Theroleofmessagesequencesinthesustainabilityofanonline supportcommunityforolderpeople.JournalofComputerMediatedCommunication15. Pfeil,U.,Zaphiris,P.,Wilson,S.(2009).Olderadultsperceptionsandexperiencesofonlinesocial support.InteractingwithComputers21. Rosenthal,R.L.(2008).Oldercomputerliteratewomen:Theirmotivations,obstacles,andpathsto success.EducationalGerontology,34(7). Russell,C.,Campbell,A.,Hughes,I.(2008).Ageing,socialcapitalandtheInternet:Findingsfroman exploratorystudyofAustraliansilversurfers..AustralasianJournalonAgeing27. Sharit,J.,Hernandez,M.,Czaja,S.,Pirolli,P.(2008).Investigatingtherolesofknowledgeandcognitive abilitiesinolderadultinformationseekingontheweb.ACMTransactionsonHumanComputer Interaction,15(1). Slegers,K.,vanBoxtel,M.P.J.,Jolles,J.(2008).EffectsofcomputertrainingandInternetusageonthe wellbeingandqualityoflifeofolderadults:Arandomized,controlledstudy.JournalofGerontology: PsychologicalSciences63. Sourbati,M.(2009).Itcouldbeuseful,butnotformeatthemoment:Olderpeople,internetaccess andepublicserviceprovision.NewMediaandSociety,Vol11(7). Stutzman,F.D.,Stull,V.B.,Thompson,C.A.(2009).TheSupportiveBehavioursofOlderSocialNetwork SiteUsers.SchoolofInformationandLibraryScience,TheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill. SumS,MathewsR.M,PourghasemM,,HughesI.(2009)Internetuseasapredictorofsenseof communityinolderpeople.CyberpsychologyandBehavior,Vol12(2). Sum,S.,Mathews,R.,Hughes,I.,Campbell,A.(2008).Internetuseandlonelinessinolderadults. CyberpsychologyandBehavior,11(2). Veenhof,B.,Timusk,P.(2008).OnlineactivitiesofCanadianboomersandseniors.CanadianSocial Trends,StatisticsCanadano.11008. Wagner,N.,Hassanein,K.,Head,M.(2010).Computerusebyolderadults:Amultidisciplinaryreview. ComputersinHumanBehaviour,26.

Bibliography
Arch,Andrew(2008),WebAccessibilityforOlderUsers:ALiteratureReview. <http://www.w3.org/TR/waiageliterature>

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5.LiteratureReviewTheInternet,SocialMediaandSeniors

Thereisalargebodyofliteratureonthecapabilitiesandmotivationofseniorstoadaptto

internetcommunicationandonthebenefitsthatICTsholdforthissectorofthepopulation.Thereisalso agrowingcollectiononseniorsuseofsocialmedia.Moststudiesandsurveyslumpthesenior populationintoover50orover65categories;littlecomparativedataisavailableonuserates, activities,benefits,andchallengesofthoseintheirsixties,seventies,eightiesandnineties. In2009,justover50percentofCanadianseniorswereusingtheinternet(Veenhof&Timusk, 2008).Ninetypercentoftheseseniorsuseemailandeightpercentactivelycontributecontentonline. 79 ThoughrecentstatisticsarelackingforCanadianseniors,therateofsocialmediauseamongAmerican internetusersover65doubledbetween2009and2010to26percent(Madden2010). ThePewInstitute(Madden)attributestherecentgrowthinsocialmediauseamongseniorstoa

numberoffactors:1)socialnetworkingisreconnectingthisagegroupwithpeoplefromtheirpastand thatthisisprovidingawelcomesupportnetwork;2)olderadultsaremorepronetochronicdiseaseand arereachingoutforsupport,particularlythroughblogsandonlinehealthforums;and3)socialmedia arebridginggenerationalgaps,connectingfamilymembersandfriendsacrossagegroupsandthisis highlyattractivetoseniors.Theliteraturereviewedforthisstudyconsistentlysupportsthesefindings. TheSocialCapitalBenefitsofSocialMedia Studiesintheearlyyearsofthemillenniumpredictedthatagrowthininternetactivitywould

weakensocialandcommunityties.Alargevolumeofmorerecentliteraturesuggeststhatsocial networksandstrongtiestocommunityhelpmanagestress,reducedepressionandimprovehealth outcomesintheseniorpopulation(Hogeboometal,2010).Mostresearchersnowbelievethatif anything,socialmediauseamongseniorsincreasesthefrequencyofcontactwithfriendsandfamilyand thatcommunityengagementincreases.Moststudiesfindnodifferenceinthenumberofclose relationshipsbetweeninternetusersandnonusers.Howeversignificantdifferencesarefoundinthe frequencyofcontactwithfamilyandfriendsaswellasparticipationinorganizations(nonreligious)and clubs(Hogeboometal).Researchersalsofindthatinternetusershaveafargreaterdiversityofagein theirsocialnetworkthannonusers.(Pfeiletal,2009). Socialmedia,especiallyFacebookandbloggingsites,areseentosolidifyandevenbuilda

supportnetworkforpeopleastheyage,therebyreducingisolation(Madden,Hogeboometal,Sumetal
79

ForresterResearch,2009

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2009,Russelletal2008).Noevidencewasfoundthatagenegativelyimpactstherelationshipbetween internetuseandreallifesocialnetworks(Russelletal);infact,thereverseismostoftenobservedby olderadultswhofeeltheirrelationshipswithchildrenandgrandchildrenhaveimprovedasaresultof onlinecommunication(Lehtinenetal,2009).A2009studyof222Australianinternetusersbetweenthe agesof55and95 80 foundthattimespentonlinehadastrongpositiveeffectoncontactwithfamilyand friendsandinvolvementwithhobbies,andamoderatelypositiveeffectoncontributiontocommunity life(Russelletal,Sumetal).Russelletal,whowereworkingwithfinanciallysecure,healthyseniors, proposethatonlinecommunicationstrengthensweaktiesnewconnectionsgeneratedonlinethatin turnfacilitateaccesstonewideas,activitiesandinformationandultimatelyenhanceparticipants abilitiestoaccesstheeconomic,socialandpoliticalinstitutionsandservicesoftheircommunity. AccordingtoLehtinenetal,currentresearchsuggeststhatitisoftenolderpeoplewhocanbenefitmost fromonlinecommunitiesandsocialnetworkingsites;notonlycaneldersconnectwithlikeminded people,theycangiveinformationandsupporttootherpeople.TheauthorsciteSaphirisandSarwar (2006)whofoundolderpeopletohaveahigherdegreeofresponsivenessandreciprocityintheironline communicationthanyoungpeople,eventhoughteenagenewsgroupshadhighernumbersof,and longer,messages. Researchers(Arnottetal2010andLehtinenetal)maintainthatsocialmediacouldplaya

valuableroleinmaintainingexistingsocialnetworksofolderseniorsastheyfacechangesintheirlives broughtaboutbyincreasingdisabilityorlackofmobility,deathorillnessofpartnersandfriendsor geographicalrelocation. DemographicDifferencesbetweenUsersandNonusers Moststudiesconcludethatusersofsocialmediatendtobeyoungerseniors,havehigherlevels

ofeducation,higherincomesandarehealthierandmoreactivethanthosewhoarenot(Crescietal, 2010).Priorwebexperienceandaproclivitytogiveandgetinformationarealsomajorindicatorsof whetheraseniorwillparticipateinsocialnetworking(Lewisetal,2010). Lackofeducation,lowlevelincomesandlackofconfidenceareallpredictorsofnon

participationinthedigitalworld.Intwostudies,(Chouetal,2009andJungetal,2010)researchersset upcomputerinstructionprogramsforapproximately100seniorsinlowincomeareasandreported positiveresults,especiallyinraisingseniorsconfidenceaboutcomputeruse.Jungetalrecommend addressingseniorsfearswhenrecruitingforcomputertrainingandinformingpotentialnewlearnersof

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Thelargestgroupsbeinginthe6069agecategory

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thebenefits.Theresearchersfindingssupportedotherfindingsthatwomen,especiallythosewhoare fearfulofaging,arelesslikelytoparticipateincomputercourses. MotivationsandBarriersRegardingSocialMediaUse Manystudiescitekeepingintouchwithfamilyandparticularlygrandchildren,astheprime

motivatorfortheelderlytogetonline.Theyconfirmthatfamilymembersarethemaininstigatorsfor makingthishappen.Othermotivationsinclude:communicatingwithfriendsandaccessinghealth information. Indepthfocusgroupstudiesshedlightonthereticenceofsomeseniorstoparticipateinsocial

media.Themajorconcernsareconfidentiality,privacyandsecurity.Seniors,especiallyolderseniors,are morecautiousthanyoungerpeopleandmostdonotunderstandhowtheycancontrolthelevelsof privacyonasocialnetworkingsite.Seniorsdonotliketoregisterpersonalinformationbeforelooking aroundonasocialnetworkingsiteandwouldpreferamoreincrementalapproachtodivulgingaspects oftheiridentityonline.Itisacommonperceptionamongnonusersthatasocialmediasiteisaplacefor publicityseekersandsuperficialrelationships.Manydontlikethetermfriendappliedtocasual relationships.Theyseethewebasapublicsiteandareuncomfortablebeingcandidamongstfriends online.Somefeelthatsocialnetworkingsitesaretootrivialtowasteonestimeon(Lehtinenetal, Arnottetal). Consequently,seniorsaregenerallymorereticentthanyoungerpeopletochatorpostpersonal

informationandphotosonlinefortheworldtosee.Manyhaveconcerns,basedonadversemedia coverage,aboutfraud,identitytheftandhacking,andhavingwhattheyputuponthewebused maliciouslyorinappropriately.Somehavegleanedfromthemediathatsocialnetworkingsiteshouse sociallyunacceptablebehaviour.Theperceptionofbenefitcomesupinnumerousstudiesasafactor thatdetermineswhetheraseniorparticipatesornot.Whenseniorsunderstandthevalueofsocial networkingtheyaremorelikelytoparticipate.Theyareunlikelytoparticipatesimplybecauseothers aredoingit(Arnottetal,Lehtinenetal).

SocialMediaandHealthInformationandInterventions Theconsiderableresearchinterestinthepotentialforsocialmediatofurtherhealthgoalsis

beyondthescopeofthisstudybutbearsmentioning.Increasingly,healthprofessionalsseethe informationandinteractiveaspectsofconnectivityasapotentialoutreachtoolfortheaged,the isolatedandthedisabled.(Chuetal,2009)Asratesofchronicdiseaseincrease,researcherspredictthat

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olderadultswilllikelyreachoutforinformationandsupport,throughbloggingandparticipationin onlinehealthdiscussions(Madden).Suchactivitywillnotnecessarilyberestrictedtothesocialmedia userprofileoutlinedabove;studiesshowthatlowerincomeseniorsexperiencepositivehealthrelated empowermentfromcomputerusewhentheyhavetechnicalandpersonalsupport(Chuetal).Chou suggeststhatonlinesupportgroupsmaybereplacedbymoreinteractive,patientdirectedsocial networkingandbloggingsites.Choualsoobservesahighprevalenceofinternetandsocialmediause amongindividualswithfamilymemberswhohavecancer,suggestinganimportantsecondaryuser groupforhealthrelatedsocialnetworking.Manycaregiversoftheelderlyareelderlythemselves.Chou saysthatthepenetrationofsocialmediaintheseniorpopulationisnotyetsufficienttouseitinhealth communication,buttrackingitsgrowthremainsakeyhealthcommunicationpriority. Anumberofstudieshavefocusedondepressionintheelderly.Ford&Ford(2009)employeda

datasetofover7,000elderlyretiredpersonstoevaluatetheroleoftheinternetonmentalwellbeing. Theirfindingsshoweda20percentreductionindepressionclassificationamongusers.Theauthors pointtotheeconomicpayoffsofexpandinginternetuseamongtheelderly. BringingOlderSeniorsonBoard Muchoftheresearchcontradictsthestereotypethatolderpeopleareafraidoftechnologyand

oftryingsomethingnew(Mitzneretal,2010).Researchshowsthatseniorsarereceptivetocomputer andInternettrainingandthatforthosewhoareanxious,agesensitivetrainingcanresultinreduced anxietyaboutcomputersandincreasedselfconfidenceregardingcomputers(Chuetal,Ariyachandra, citingTemple[1990];Shapira[2007];Karavidas[2005]).Emergingtechnologiesshowgreatpromisefor augmentingfacultiesorsubstitutingforimpairedabilities(Charnessetal,2009). Thefactthatseniorsareslowertomanipulatethemouseortoreadonlineandlessconfident

doesnotmeanthattheycannotbesuccessfullytrained.Recommendationsintheliteratureinclude: longertraining;seniorsonlyinstruction;useofspecificlearningaidsandassistivetechnologies;allowing timeforselfpacedpractice;makingsuggestionsforeverydaycomputerusage(Jungetal),positive associationsformotivation(Kimetal2008,Charnessetal),andthedeliveryofcoursesinthemain languageoftheparticipants(Chuetal). Lehtinenetalcontendthatcurrentdesignslargelyoverlookolderadultsneedswhichdiffer

fromthoseoftheyoungadultsforwhomthesocialmediasitesweredesigned.Formoresenior appropriatesocialnetworkingsites,theyrecommend:clearonlineprivacymanagementsystems; privacyasthedefaultsettingratherthandisclosure;anincrementalapproachtoreleasingpersonal

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information,requiringmoreinformationabouttheotherpersonbeforeacceptingthemasafriend; andabettermatchbetweentheconceptionsandpatternsofreallifeolderadultsocialrelationships andthosethatareencouragedonline.Theyalsorecommendusingreallifeeventsasabridgeto computermediatedinteraction. ActionstoIncreaseSeniorsSocialNetworkingActivity Themajorityofresearchersdeemsocialmediatobeanimportantcommunicationboosttoa

groupofpeoplewhoarepronetoisolationandlosingsocialties(Lewisetal).Manyrecommendthat policiesbechangedtoincreaseaccesstotheinternetandcomputertrainingfortheelderlyandtofoster socialnetworkingwithinthispopulation(Hodgboometal).Regardingtheaged,Sourbati(2009) suggestspolicyactionforthesupportandtrainingofsupportworkersinthecommunityandinseniors residences,someofwhomareolderthemselves,sothattheyareabletoactasgatekeepersforthefrail, older,institutionalizedpopulation.Severalstudiessuggestthatseniorcentresandeldercareinstitutions beequippedtocatertotheonlineneedsandpreferencesofthisgrowingdemographic(Ariyachandraet al;Mitzneretal,).ThePewstudy(Madden)reportsthattheFederalCommunicationsCommissions NationalBroadbandPlanhasrequestedadditionalfundingfromCongresstoinvestincomputerliteracy programsforolderAmericans,andthattheplanincludesaNationalDigitalLiteracyCorpswhich wouldpairtechsavvyindividualswithseniorsorotherunconnectedgroupsinthecommunityinan attempttobringthemoreresistantseniorsonboard.

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