| dc.description.abstract | During the span of the 20th century, the developments in areas of
communication and transport have been enormous.
Deaf people, here seen as a cultural and language minority group in
terms of their shared language and shared history as an oppressed
group in society, are experiencing at least two different concequences
of these developments.
Modern information and communication technologies, ecpecially Internet
based services like the World Wide Web, email and chat, in addition to
mobile telephones supporting the use of SMS - Short Message System,
has enhanced deaf people's possibilities regarding communication with
hearing people and with the society at large. Their access to
information is also much better than before Internet. Deaf people's
origin as a cultural and language minority group is partly based in
communication barriers towards the rest of society. New technology
could thus be expected to undermine their social structure and their
feeling of community.
On the other side, new information- and
communication technology can be seen as a technical infrastructure
supporting deaf poeple's social structure. Deaf people have to a
greater extent been socially oriented towards each other than towards the
rest of the ``hearing'' society. Their social structure can be labeled
``translocal'' and ``transnational'', because they more often regard
their community as consisting of other deaf people, and not of those
residing in their vicinity. Thus the new technology could
strengthen the social structure and sense of belonging within the
deaf community.
The theoretical framework has been concepts from writings of
Anthony Giddens, Manuel Castells and Zygmunt Bauman. In addition,
literature about deaf people were frequently used and referenced.
Data for this thesis was collected among deaf/hard of hearing Internet
users. A web questionnaire with 110 questions, in addition to
qualitative interviews, were conducted. The results from the
questionnaire are presented in accordance to four themes: 1) Gaining
access to news and information, 2) the use of Internet based banking
and shopping, and gaining public information, and the use of email and
SMS as an alternative to the use of text telephones for having contact
with public institutions, 3) communication to stay in touch with other
people, and 4) electoral participation and the importance of gaing
access to political information versus the need for a sense of
belonging to the society at large to feel devoted to participation in
political elections.
The data shows that the respondents experience that Internet and
mobile phones/SMS give them extended access to news and information.
Several respondents express feeling more equal to hearing people in
regards to their access to information than before Internet. The
respondents use Internet banking and shopping to a great extent. 90\%
of the respondents use Internet banking, and 95\% have shopped on the
Internet at least once. Most of the respondents have also discovered
email and mobile phone/SMS as a valid alternative to using text
telephones, also for non-private communication, like communication
with their doctor, dentist or car workshop. The respondents clearly
express that the Internet and mobile phones/SMS makes it easier to
stay in touch with people. Being able to communicate with deaf and
hearing people with equal ease, is seen as a positive feature of
email, chat and SMS. Electoral participation among the respondents is
low, just some over 50\% reported to have voted at the last election.
Access to relevant information is probably one of several reasons for
the low electoral participation. Deaf people's strong ties with the
translocal and transnational deaf community probably weakens their
commitment to their local and national society, thus leading to less
interest in local and national politics.
Even if my respondents together do not make up a statistically
representative group of deaf persons, I interpret my data as follows:
New information and communication technology does support {\em both}
the possible concequences described earlier. Deaf people are
experienceing a better access to information and easier communication
with the society at large, as well as with hearing people. They are
also experiencing the new technology as supporting their contact with
other deaf people, and thereby strengtheing the overall feeling of
belonging to the deaf community. | nor |