{"id":519,"date":"2019-05-07T17:25:05","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T09:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/?p=519"},"modified":"2019-05-07T17:25:05","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T09:25:05","slug":"indigenous-australians-remain-disadvantaged-despite-equality-web-offers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/2019\/05\/07\/indigenous-australians-remain-disadvantaged-despite-equality-web-offers\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Australians remain disadvantaged despite equality web offers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Abstract <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper argues that significant inequalities continue to exist\nbetween Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians despite the web providing\nequal opportunities for everyone. The web provides equal opportunities for\nparticipation, sharing, anonymity and social support (Dyson, 2011; Wellman\n& Gulia, 1997). Therefore, the web could work to benefit these\ndisadvantaged peoples but rather adds to their suffering (Dyson, 2011;\nMcConaghy, 2000; Petray, 2011). The significant disadvantages that Indigenous\nAustralians continue to face because of colonisation include substance abuse,\nviolence and deaths in custody (Petray, 2011; Shephard, 2010). This paper\ndiscusses that Indigenous Australians remain severely disadvantaged despite the\nequal opportunities the internet provides and their established presence on the\nweb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significant inequalities continue to exist between Indigenous and\nnon-Indigenous Australians despite the internet providing equal opportunities\nfor participation and sharing. According to Dyson (2011), Indigenous peoples\nhave been establishing their presence on the internet since the mid-1990s\nthrough websites for health, sport, history, native authors and artists,\npolitical activism, reconnection and many other uses. They also search for\ninformation, download files and use emails for work like non-Indigenous\ninternet users (Gaidan, 2007). Despite this active engagement, major challenges\ncontinue to affect Indigenous people (Dyson, 2011). According to Petray (2011),\ndigital technologies foster intercultural relations like colonisation did but\non a more level playing field, especially because they give disadvantaged groups\nthe opportunity for many-to-many communication. However, the deep mistrust\nbrought by colonisation leads some Indigenous people to view the internet as\nanother tool for racism and disempowerment (Dyson, 2011; McConaghy, 2000). Some\nIndigenous people also fear the misrepresentation of their culture on the\ninternet as many websites that appear Indigenous are produced by white\nimposters who are protected by the anonymity of the web (Dyson, 2011; Radoll,\n2004). These fears stem from the idea that the internet is embedded with the\nvalues of the western culture that created it, and following colonisation in\nAustralia, these values included assimilation and disempowerment of Indigenous\npeoples (Dyson, 2011). The most obvious challenge is gaining access to the web,\nas Indigenous peoples are the most disadvantaged Australians and remain in high\npopulations in remote communities (Dyson, 2011). Despite their established\npresence on the web, Indigenous peoples continue to experience many\ndisadvantages as they struggle with feelings of mistrust, fears of\ndiscrimination and lack of access, which prohibits them from capitalising on\nthe equal participation and sharing opportunities the web offers. According to\nPetray (2011), Indigenous Australians continue to experience major\ndisadvantages compared to non-Indigenous in areas such as education,\nemployment, health and deaths in custody. The web offers many key features,\nlike participation, sharing, anonymity and social support, which should benefit\nIndigenous Australians but instead leads to further examples of discrimination\nand disempowerment of Indigenous peoples (Dyson, 2011; Wellman & Gulia,\n1997). The web provides equal opportunities for everyone, but Indigenous\nAustralians continue to experience major inequalities despite their established\npresence on the web for several reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Indigenous Australian inequality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrival of European colonists in 1788 marked the beginning of\nthe inequalities Indigenous Australians continue to experience today (Shephard,\n2012). The acts of violence inflicted upon Indigenous peoples by European\nsettlers had immediate effects on population size and health (Shephard, 2012).\nIndigenous peoples were dispossessed and dislocated from their traditional land\nand culture which has had inter-generational effects, such as substance abuse,\nviolence, mental illness, criminal offences, unemployment, homelessness,\nparenting struggles and loss of identity (Dodson, 2010; Shephard, 2012). Prior\nto colonisation, Aboriginal people were free from diseases, had a balanced diet\nand good health and children were cared for with a strong focus on kinship and\nconnection to land (Shephard, 2012). However, Indigenous peoples were segregated\nfrom mainstream society and forced away from their customs, and the\ndifficulties they continue to suffer reflect this history of exclusion (Dodson,\n2010; Emsley, 2010). Not long after Australian federation in 1901, each state\nand territory introduced an Act that controlled and punished these people for\ntheir Aboriginality (Shephard, 2012). This began the unfair and forced removal\nof Indigenous kids from their family and culture (Shephard, 2012). It stemmed\nfrom the opinion that white civilisation was superior and Aboriginals were a\ndoomed race and is now commonly known as the stolen generations (Dodson, 2010;\nShephard, 2012). They also believed mixed blood or half-cast kids were\nredeemable, because they had some white blood, and they could provide them with\nbetter lives (Dodson, 2010). These generations have poorer overall health and\neducation levels and higher rates of mental illness following these removals\n(Shephard, 2012). The current generation of Aboriginal children with a family\nhistory of forced removal display more emotional and behavioural problems\n(Shephard, 2012). These are some examples of the inequalities Indigenous\nAustralians suffered after colonisation, which relates to the fact that they\ncontinue to suffer disadvantages despite the equal opportunities the web offers\nfor participation and sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indigenous Australians and online communities<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with providing equal opportunities for participation and\nsharing, the internet also offers protection through anonymity, which often disadvantages\nIndigenous peoples as information about their culture is misrepresented by\nimposters (Dyson, 2011; Radoll, 2004). White people creating websites and\nmisrepresenting Indigenous peoples can lead to viewers forming wrong\nimpressions of Indigenous peoples in their minds. This spread of misinformation\nis heightened on the web due to its key features of speed and greater\nconnectivity (Wellman & Gulia, 1997). This anonymity may also encourage\ndiscrimination against Indigenous people as it is easier to exit problematic\nsituations online than in face-to-face conversations (Wellman & Gulia,\n1997). People can also better control their communication and presentation of\nself and do not have to spend time dealing with responses (Wellman & Gulia,\n1997). Therefore, the protection the internet offers through anonymity can\ndisadvantage Indigenous peoples through the creation of misleading websites\nabout them and through anonymous profiles that choose to post racist and\nderogatory information or comments about these people. Webpages that are\ncontrolled by Indigenous people usually offer fair and accurate views of their\nculture (Dyson, 2011). Their established presence on the internet reflects\ntheir genuine desire to project their identity and history to outsiders (Soriano,\n2011). Indigenous people who use the web also work to counter stereotypes about\ntheir culture (Soriano, 2011). However, their abilities to communicate their culture,\nidentity and history to outsiders is often hindered as the internet provides\nprotection through anonymity and white imposters misrepresent Aboriginal people\nonline (Dyson, 2011; Radoll, 2004). The internet provides more freedom to\nAboriginal people as publishers of their own stories in a space that allows\nequal opportunities for participation (Lumby, 2010). Digital technologies such\nas YouTube can empower young Indigenous peoples to share their cultures with\noutsiders, and 73% of Aboriginal Australians are active Facebook users (Carlson\n& Frazer, 2015). Compared to the 62% of the general population who use\nFacebook, Indigenous people prove to be highly active on social media and are\nover-represented users of this specific social networking site (Carlson &\nFrazer, 2015). According to Soriano (2011), having their own pages allows\nIndigenous Australians to debunk notions about their communities that are\ncommonly projected in the mainstream media. Therefore, Indigenous people are\nwell-established in the online community due to the equal opportunities for\nparticipation and sharing the web offers, but they still suffer considerable\ndisadvantages due to other internet features like anonymity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indigenous peoples continue to face many disadvantages despite the\ninternet providing equal opportunities for participation and sharing due to\nlack of access (Dyson, 2011). These peoples often lack access to digital\ntechnologies due to their remote locations, socioeconomic factors and language\nissues (Dyson, 2011). According to Soriano (2011), these people are\nparticularly marginalised from government services and lack access to the\nmainstream media to articulate their causes and desires for equality due to\ntheir remote locations and racism. This shows that despite the equal\nopportunities the internet presents, Aboriginal people remain marginalised and\ncannot capitalise on the important functions of the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with participation and sharing, the internet also provides\nequal opportunities for social support, companionship and a sense of belonging\n(Wellman & Gulia, 1997). Despite the equal opportunities the internet\noffers, Indigenous Australians continue to suffer major differences in these\nkey areas. One of the key issues for these people when going online is\ncommercialism, which surrounds much of the internet (Soriano, 2011). Their\nstruggles and representations of identity may be placed beside commercial\nadvertisements on the web (Soriano, 2011). These people must determine the\nappropriateness of posting specific Indigenous knowledge online by consulting\ncommunity elders, including those with little web access as discussed\npreviously (Soriano, 2011). Therefore, Aboriginal people have proven that they\nlook to the web for social support, companionship and a sense of belonging just\nas other people do, but due to features of the web such as commercialisation,\nthey find themselves unable to fully participate online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counter-argument<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most prominent counter-argument is that the internet presents\nmarginalised people with the opportunity to reach wider audiences, because they\nhave limited access to and control of the mainstream media (Soriano, 2011).\nAccording to Soriano (2011), the internet is often used by disadvantaged\ncommunities, including Indigenous Australians, as \u201cproviding a voice for the\nvoiceless\u201d. According to Moe (2010), the role of the internet is to allow those\nat the periphery of politics easier access to the political core via\nmany-to-many communication, which enables broad conversations about issues that\nwould otherwise not gain mainstream media attention. The internet allows people\nto organise petitions and campaigns as well as stabilise and expand on existing\nsupport networks (Moe, 2010). Social sites open up unprecedented opportunities\nfor voice and participation in decision-making (Dreher, McCallum & Waller,\n2016). But, much international scholarship has recently suggested that\nparticipatory media does not guarantee that different voices will actually be\nheard by powerful mainstream media and political bodies due to the inability\nfor authorities to listen, which sits at the heart of the failure of Indigenous\npolicy making in Australia (Dreher, McCallum & Waller, 2016). Therefore, I\ncontinue to believe that major inequalities continue to exist between\nIndigenous and non-Indigenous Australians despite the web providing equal\nopportunities for everyone to participate and share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significant inequalities continue to exist between Indigenous and\nnon-Indigenous Australians despite the web providing equal opportunities for\neveryone. The struggles that these peoples continue to deal with include substance\nabuse, violence, mental illness, criminal offences, loss of identity,\nunemployment, homelessness and parenting struggles (Dodson, 2010; Shephard,\n2012). Indigenous peoples continue to struggle with these problems despite the\nweb offering equal opportunities for participation, sharing, anonymity and\nsocial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dodson, M. (2010). The dispossession\nof Indigenous people: And its consequences. Parity,\n23<\/em>(9), 6-7. Retrieved from https:\/\/search-informit-com-au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/fullText;dn=601547825713749;res=IELFSC<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dreher, T., McCallum, K. &\nWaller, L. (2016). Indigenous voices and mediatized policy-making in the\ndigital age. Information, Communication\n& Society, 19<\/em>(1), 23-39. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/1369118X.2015.1093534<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dyson, L. (2011). Indigenous peoples\non the internet. The Handbook of Internet\nStudies<\/em>, 251-269. Retrieved from https:\/\/onlinelibrary-wiley-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/doi\/book\/10.1002\/9781444314861<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emsley, S. (2010). Displacement of\nIndigenous peoples in the former white settler colonies of Australia, New\nZealand and Canada. Parity, 23<\/em>(9),\n19-20. Retrieved from https:\/\/search-informit-com-au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/fullText;dn=601640990570040;res=IELFSC<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaidan, B. (2007). My life with\ncomputers on a remote island. Information\nTechnology and Indigenous People<\/em>, 58-60. Hershey, PA: Information Science\nPublishing. Retrieved from https:\/\/www-igi-global-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/gateway\/book\/581<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lumby, B. (2010). Cyber-Indigeneity:\nUrban Indigenous identity on facebook. The\nAustralian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39<\/em>, 67-75. University of\nWollongong. Retrieved from https:\/\/search-informit-com-au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/documentSummary;res=IELIND;issn=1326-0111;vol=39;spage=68<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

McConaghy, C. (2000). The web and\ntoday\u2019s colonialism. Australian\nAboriginal Studies, 1 & 2<\/em>, 48-54. Retrieved from https:\/\/search-informit-com-au.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/browseJournalTitle;issn=0729-4352;res=IELAPA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moe, H. (2010). Everyone a\npamphleteer? Reconsidering comparisons of mediated public participation in the\nprint age and the digital era. Media,\nCulture & Society, 32<\/em>(4), 691-700. Retrieved from https:\/\/journals-sagepub-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0163443710367715<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petray, T. (2011). Protest 2.0:\nOnline interactions and Aboriginal activists. Media, Culture & Society, 33<\/em>(6), 923-940. Retrieved from https:\/\/journals-sagepub-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0163443711411009<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radoll, P. (2004). Protecting\ncopyrights on the internet: A cultural perspective from Indigenous Australia.\nIn F. Sudweeks & C. Ess (Eds.), Proceedings\nof the Fourth International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology\nand Communication<\/em>, 339-348. Murdoch, Australia: Murdoch University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shephard, C. (2012). The socioeconomic pattern of health and\ndevelopmental outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children<\/em>.\nRetrieved from https:\/\/espace.curtin.edu.au\/bitstream\/handle\/20.500.11937\/712\/191883_Shepherd2013.pdf;jsessionid=56CE280E76FFD4B1D51246E484E7ADFB?sequence=2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soriano, C. (2011). The arts of\nIndigenous online dissent: Negotiating technology, Indigeneity, and activism in\nthe Cordillera. Telematics and\nInformatics<\/em>. National University of Singapore. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.journals.elsevier.com\/telematics-and-informatics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wellman, B. & Gulia, M. (1997). Net surfers don\u2019t ride alone: Virtual communities as communities. In P. Kollock & M. Smith (Eds.), Communities and Cyberspace<\/em>. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from: http:\/\/groups.chass.utoronto.ca\/netlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Net-Surfers-Dont-Ride-Alone-Virtual-Community-as-Community.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creative<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abstract This paper argues that significant inequalities continue to exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians despite the web providing equal opportunities for everyone. The web provides equal opportunities for participation, sharing, anonymity and social support (Dyson, 2011; Wellman & Gulia, 1997). Therefore, the web could work to benefit these disadvantaged peoples but rather adds to… Continue reading Indigenous Australians remain disadvantaged despite equality web offers<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-indigenous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":521,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions\/521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}