The Case for Engagement - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 30

Fig. 3.1. The shift from processing and access to interaction (Institute for the
Future 1997).
Those involved in the design and development of new technologies
have come to realise over recent decades the benefits of engaging directly
with users, to define their characteristics and needs and to develop solu-
tions which serve their requirements and aspirations. With a vast array of
new and emerging technologies, and even more vast numbers of potential
users, this is no simple task, but the active participation of citizens in the
process becomes even more critical.
3.1.2 Stemming the Digital Divide
Another major driver for citizen engagement is the need to stem the digital
divide. The term 'digital divide', popularised by the US National Tele-
communications and Information Administration under President Clinton,
is commonly used to describe the gap between those individuals and
groups who have access to digital technologies and those who do not.
While there is much debate about this term and its implications (e.g. Kling
1999, Warschauer 2003), there is no doubt that disparities exist. Pippa