Stories of digital lives and digital divides: newcomer families and their thoughts on digital literacy

Digital life and the digital divide sound like singular entities, so bounded, when in fact the faces of digital lives and digital divides are idiosyncratic and reliant on where people live and how people live their lives (Prinsloo, 2005). In this column, we describe a research study that took place from January to May 2018 with resettled, newcomer families who shared their stories of digital lives/digital divides so we could support them with digital literacy information and resources. What resulted from the six-month research study in the Niagara area of Canada is a confirmation of two emerging findings within digital literacy: Digital lives are variable and strongly influenced by culture, linguistic systems, social class, ethnicity and race, and personal beliefs, and there are clear and present digital divides manifested not only in terms of access but also—and potentially more importantly—in terms of literacy practices applied to digital engagements (Morrell & Rowsell, in press).