| The purpose of this research was to go beyond the quantitative, binary measurement of the digital divide and employ a discursive perspective to examine rural residents' talk about their understandings of not only their own internet use, but also their perceptions, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and feelings about the role of the internet in rural America.;Sixty-three participants residing in rural Kansas participated in unstructured interviews. Present in rural residents' initial talk was a collective schema for the internet expressed by all participants regardless of age, sex, or occupation, however deviations from their initial reactions appeared as the interviews progressed. These contradictions centered around the major theme rural areas lack resources. Patterns of variance emerged from the contradictions in participants' talk along three demographic lines: Gender, Occupation, and Age. Women, primarily because of their social roles and occupational status, were the primary holders of internet knowledge. |
