A Study of Digital Empowerment: The case of the foreign spouses of learning and using the computer and Internet

• Main Authors: Wei-lung Chen, 陳緯倫
• Other Authors: Kuo Feng Yuang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/50602814593798394004

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 傳播管理研究所 === 97 === For foreign spouses faced with cultural differences, low autonomy, and low local language proficiency, the internet provides them with means to breaking insulation. Via the internet, foreign spouses can obtain help and increase autonomy. This research aims to discuss 4 perspectives: (1) foreign spouses’ Chinese proficiency, (2) digital divide, (3) digital inequality, and (4) the processes of their digital empowerment. The research points out that many foreign spouses cannot write Chinese characters well. Neither can they understand Chinese phonetic symbols. Therefore, foreign spouses have difficulty keying in long Chinese paragraphs; they mostly read Chinese articles on the Internet. Besides, foreign spouses sacrifice their time, place, and functions of internet use because they put priority on becoming a “good wife, good mother, and good daughter-in-law.” Due to that awareness, they sacrifice digital access for their family. Most important of all, the digital divide and inequality leads to digital downward spiral. Because they lack computer and internet equipment, they cannot develop the skills needed to use computer. Because digital inequality, their skills deteriorated so that they think they have no need to buy related equipment. Foreign spouses, however, know that if they can use computer and the internet, their autonomy can be increased so that they do not have to count on their husbands for everything. Besides, the importance of the internet for the foreign spouses also influences the decision whether they buy and use the internet. If they think the internet cannot benefit them in their daily life, they would not purchase the Internet.