TY - JOUR
T1 - Internet Use by People with Intellectual Disability
T2 - Exploring Digital Inequality-A Systematic Review
AU - Glencross, Sarah
AU - Mason, Jonathan
AU - Katsikitis, Mary
AU - Greenwood, Kenneth Mark
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Many people with intellectual disability experience digital inequality due to a lack of Internet access; this is known as the digital divide. Digital inequality is also apparent when people with intellectual disability have Internet access, but only use it for a small number of applications (e.g., watching videos and playing games). Recently, it has been suggested that digital inequality also occurs in situations where some Internet users are less likely than others to translate their online activities to offline resources, including educational outcomes and social capital. The extent to which people with intellectual disability are translating their online activities to offline resources has not been examined. We conducted a systematic and critical review using PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy terms "intellectual disability" and "Internet use" were used to search the databases: Scopus; Wiley Online Library; Psychiatry Online; Web of Science; CINAHL; and PubMed. Twenty-four studies were found, which described 53 types of Internet use, 48 risks of Internet use, and 28 benefits of Internet use. The data were identified thematically and categorized to facilitate comparisons. The most frequently reported types of Internet use were in the category of social media/social networking (23%), the most common Internet risks were in the category of emotional distress (24%), and the most often reported benefits were in the category of friendships and social connection (33%). The findings indicate that the benefits of Internet use for people with intellectual disability have received much less attention than the risks.
AB - Many people with intellectual disability experience digital inequality due to a lack of Internet access; this is known as the digital divide. Digital inequality is also apparent when people with intellectual disability have Internet access, but only use it for a small number of applications (e.g., watching videos and playing games). Recently, it has been suggested that digital inequality also occurs in situations where some Internet users are less likely than others to translate their online activities to offline resources, including educational outcomes and social capital. The extent to which people with intellectual disability are translating their online activities to offline resources has not been examined. We conducted a systematic and critical review using PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy terms "intellectual disability" and "Internet use" were used to search the databases: Scopus; Wiley Online Library; Psychiatry Online; Web of Science; CINAHL; and PubMed. Twenty-four studies were found, which described 53 types of Internet use, 48 risks of Internet use, and 28 benefits of Internet use. The data were identified thematically and categorized to facilitate comparisons. The most frequently reported types of Internet use were in the category of social media/social networking (23%), the most common Internet risks were in the category of emotional distress (24%), and the most often reported benefits were in the category of friendships and social connection (33%). The findings indicate that the benefits of Internet use for people with intellectual disability have received much less attention than the risks.
KW - digital divide
KW - intellectual disability
KW - Internet
KW - Internet benefits
KW - Internet risks
KW - systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112165200&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/cyber.2020.0499
DO - 10.1089/cyber.2020.0499
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33761269
AN - SCOPUS:85112165200
SN - 2152-2715
VL - 24
SP - 503
EP - 520
JO - Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
JF - Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
IS - 8
ER -