Beyond the Myth of the 'Cyberkid': Young People at the Margins of the Information Revolution

There is increasing concern that information poverty will soon become a key indicator of social exclusion, with those unable to use and access new technologies marginalized from key aspects of economic and social activity. This concern, at present, focuses primarily on adults, as young people are predominantly represented in media, academic and political discourse as naturally competent computer users. In contrast, this paper focuses on those young people who are self-described 'low or ambivalent' users of computers, exploring the links between family cultures, access and attitudes towards computer use. Drawing on a questionnaire survey of 855 children and group interviews with 46 young people, this paper identifies key themes emerging from interviews with low users of computers: difficulties accessing computers; a lack of relevance of computer technology to these children's daily lives; and the potential of formal educational environments to exacerbate inequalities in access and anxieties around computer use. This paper concludes that, if we are not to embed information inequality at the heart of the digital revolution, a radical rethink of the prevalent image of the child as 'cyberkid' is needed.