What Knowledge? Whose Fingertips? Negotiating and Serving Diverse Identities Through Information Technology‪.‬

ABSTRACT/RESUME This paper develops the "intersections of diversity" problematic with respect to the social uses of information and communication technology (ICT). It argues that while keeping in view the big picture of who has access and who does not, researchers should focus their attention on the micro-practices of ICT use. The premise of such an inquiry is that there is a lot to be learned from users' own creativity and the ways they appropriate new information technologies for purposes aligned with their self-identity projects. Comparisons between the practices of people representing different intersections of diversity can be made on this basis to contribute to a refined understanding of the utility of the new media to various groups. The practical question to be tackled by policy-makers and service developers is: How can the design of new media content and services be improved in accordance with users' practices?