Data For All
Digital Transformation
... the integration of digital technologies into all aspects of society, fundamentally changing industries, government, and daily life.
The Digital Divide
... the persistent gap between those who have access to the internet and devices and those who do not, often along lines of income, geography, or education.
Digital Twin
... the digital footprint of an individual, workplace, or community that is used to personalize experiences, predict behavior, and optimize services.
Green AI
A movement toward AI systems that minimize environmental impact by reducing energy use and carbon emissions.
Impact Sourcing
... a practice aimed at hiring and training individuals from marginalized or low-income communities to perform digital tasks, thereby promoting economic development and inclusion.
The Automation Divide
... the growing gap between workers whose jobs are highly susceptible to AI and automation and those whose roles are augmented or created by these technologies, often shaped by industry type, job function, and access to reskilling opportunities.
The Algorithmic Awareness Divide
... the growing gap between people who have or lack knowledge about how algorithms influence the content they see, the recommendations they receive, and the decisions made about them online, adding another layer of inequality.
Citizen Science
... the practice of public participation in scientific research, where individuals—often without formal training—collect, analyze, or contribute data to advance knowledge, typically in collaboration with professional scientists.
Digital Value Chains
... the global process of collecting, processing, and monetizing data, where digital goods and services move through stages of production—often concentrating profits in wealthy nations while outsourcing labor and resource extraction to lower-income regions.
Adverse Digital Incorporation
... the conditions based on which marginalized groups are brought into digital economies but on exploitative or unfavorable terms, further entrenching inequality.
Digital Mirror Tropes
... power dynamics based on which existing social hierarchies—such as gender or income inequalities—are replicated and intensified in algorithmic decision-making contexts.
Digital Greenwashing
... companies claiming that digital tools will drive sustainability, but ignoring the hidden costs—massive energy consumption, labor exploitation, and resource extraction—while marketing “green” solutions.
Data Justice
... an approach to data governance that calls for fair and equitable access and representation of data so that all communities can benefit.
Information Poverty Tropes
... stereotypes and assumptions suggesting that certain communities inherently lack the motivation or skills to access and use digital tools, ignoring systemic barriers.
Algorithmic Colonization
... the imbalance where the Global South becomes dependent on AI systems created, deployed, and controlled by the Global North.
Lo-TEK
... a design philosophy that integrates Indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge into technological solutions focused on sustainability and resilience.