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Challenges of social good in the world of Grand Theft Auto and Barbie: a case study of a community computer center for youth

University of Colorado, USA, Lynn.Clark{at}Colorado.edu

This paper presents a case study of a community technology center (CTC) located in a lower income neighborhood of a high-tech city. Participant observation and interview-based research determined that while the CTC was popular among its targeted constituents, its use was not consistent with what the center’s supporters and policymakers envisioned. The emergent discrepancy between policymaker rhetoric and actual use is analyzed in light of different understandings of how internet access is perceived as a social good by policymakers, funders, and among disadvantaged communities. The article raises questions and suggests policy implications regarding how those most at-risk use community technology centers, how those centers may be funded, and how the relationship of computers and the social good must be reconceptualized to better address the issues of the digital divide that extend beyond the technological realm.

Key Words: community technology center • critical/cultural studies • digital divide • issues ethnography • new media policies • participant observation

New Media & Society, Vol. 5, No. 1, 95-116 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/146144480300500106


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