Overcoming generational segregation in ICTs : reflections on digital literacy workshop as a method

Abstract

This article is based on the project “Technology in the Heritage of Memory” conducted by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona between July and October 2007. This initiative was part of the multi-regional European project “More Equal” (Igualdader), affiliated with the Equal Community Initiative, financed by the European Social Fund. It consisted of a series of workshops on basic computer skills, Internet navigation, and the use of photos and images aimed at women aged between 50 and 65 years, belonging to eight rural municipalities in the Region of Catalonia Montsiá. This study established that the digital divide is not only linked to a difference in the technological equipment or access to broadband. Instead, the main barrier that separates potential users of the network is general knowledge, basic English, and familiarity with hardware. These workshops showed that learning to use technology through cultural components, rhythms, and motives, actually helped the learning process. Thus, women who participated not only achieved a social and educational purpose but another vital goal: empowerment, satisfaction, and liberation.