Outreach and Education Responses to the Digital Divide

There are multiple dimensions to the digital divide, including social, economic, and geographic differences in access, skills, and use. Understanding these complexities will be critical for more effective policies and practices to reduce disparities. Integrating the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach, Community Capitals Framework, and Digital Access Continuum to form the “Digital Capital Framework,” this chapter focuses on ways members of the Cooperative Extension System have researched and developed outreach and educational tools for advancing digital skills and utilization. Synthesizing multiple sources of information, including a digital capital survey combined with analysis of programmatic efforts to respond to the needs and interests of people in underserved areas, insights can be used to inform community empowerment intermediaries in the digital age.