Digitally invisible : how the internet is creating the new underclass / Nicol Turner Lee.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I: History on Repeat -- 1 The Digitally Invisible -- 2 The Pandemic and the Digital Divide -- Part II: The Persistent Rural Divide -- 3 More Cows Than People -- 4 Rural Is Not Just White and Straight -- Part III: Continued Urban Neglect -- 5 The Persistent Housing Crises -- 6 The Beginnings of Digital Redlining -- Part IV: Schools in Crises -- 7 Online Dilemmas in Education -- Part V: The Path to a More Just and Equitable Digital Society -- 8 Returning to the Purpose of Universal Service -- 9 Centering People and Their Communities -- Postscript -- Bibliography -- Index.

"Explores the real-life consequences of the digital divide and what can be done to close it. Based on fieldwork across the United States, this book explores the consequences of digital exclusion through the real-life narratives of individuals, communities, and businesses that lack sufficient online access"-- Provided by publisher.

"President Joe Biden has repeatedly said that the United States would close the digital divide under his leadership. However, the divide still affects people and communities across the country. The complex and persistent reality is that millions of residents live in digital deserts, and many more face disproportionate difficulties when it comes to getting and staying online, especially people of color, seniors, rural residents, and farmers in remote areas. Economic and health disparities are worsening in rural communities without available internet access. Students living in urban digital deserts with little technology exposure are ill prepared to compete for emerging occupations. Even seniors struggle to navigate the aging process without access to online information and remote care. In this book, Nicol Turner Lee, a leading expert on the American digital divide, uses personal stories from individuals around the country to show how the emerging digital underclass is navigating the spiraling online economy, while sharing their joys and hopes for an equitable and just future. Turner Lee argues that achieving digital equity is crucial for the future of America's global competitiveness and requires radical responses to offset the unintended consequences of increasing digitization. In the end, 'Digitally Invisible' proposes a pathway to more equitable access to existing and emerging technologies, while encouraging readers to weigh in on this shared goal." -- Publishers website