WORDS Ben O’Mara

Not all communities have the same access to new technologies.

I have never considered myself a tech-head. Often, I feel I’m behind the times: I play videogames on my old Super Nintendo, I rely on my girlfriend to show me proper use of Twitter and Facebook, and while I recently upgraded my mobile to an iPhone, I still prefer talking on the landline to tapping out an SMS with my chunky fingers.

As it turns out, I’m still a digital addict. I take for granted my ultra fast broadband internet connection at work and at home, and even my up-to-date computer. It’s quite easy for me to jump on online to find health information or book an appointment, talk to my sister living overseas in Ireland using Skype, pay my bills through the net, or book tickets on my mobile phone to see a film.

There are many Australians, however, who don’t have the same quality of access to technology that is becoming essential for day-to-day life. This is what I have discovered from working as a researcher at Victoria University with the Sudanese, Samoan and Vietnamese communities in Melbourne’s west. For many, a broadband connection at home just isn’t affordable. Most online content is still in English and this makes it difficult for those using the net without strong English literacy skills. Others are not familiar with individualised, keyboard reliant communication, such as members of the Sudanese community, where there is a beautiful and complex tradition of oral based storytelling and a communal sharing of information.

Ironically, the highlight of my technology research has been working offline and in real world spaces. In Robinvale, a small country town in northern Victoria, I was lucky to participate in a meeting with members of the Vietnamese community. The aim was to gain an understanding of this group’s experiences as a comparison to those communities in Melbourne’s west. The community members’ responses to our questions provided a unique insight into how they use technology, revealing that mobile phones and DVDs were the most easy to use and most frequently accessed forms of technology. Significantly, mobile phones were perceived as best value for their money.

This was a very important realisation for me. Many Australians prioritise certain kinds of technology due to family budgets, ease of use and preferred style of communication. Communities from refugee and migrant backgrounds are canny and make careful choices about what suits their needs and agendas.

Every Australian interacts with technology differently. Some Sudanese community members I spoke with use Facebook, Google and Hotmail regularly to learn more about what’s happening in their homeland. I met a group of young Samoans who reflected on the importance of making sure websites and online communication ground us in the ‘real’ world. They felt that the best way to address issues like diabetes in their community was through live events, promoted and supported through Facebook and websites.

It is inspiring to see such compassion, innovation and creativity driving young people, parents and friends from refugee and migrant communities and the ways they use technology. Their experiences are powerful reminders of the resilience and courage it takes to forge new lives in a country that too often reduces the experiences of refugees and migrants to a game of political football, and often overlooks the beauty and diversity of our multicultural Australia.

Dr Ben O’Mara is a writer and Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Victoria University.

Pictured: A migrant family accesses a computer at a community centre operated by Jesuit Social Services in Flemington, Melbourne's west. 

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