The main challenge to the complete digital switchover in South Korea today is analogue cable conversion to digital cable for some 1,000 million households (H. S. Yoon 2013). The provision of consumer information and support has been poor. Government communications were not effectively targeted. It turned out that mere 2.6% of all the households eligible for the government support benefitted from the support scheme (Yonhap News 2013). Out of 1,734,000 households who were eligible for the government support, only 457,602 households (2.6 percent) had benefitted from the support scheme. Those who needed the most help were also most difficult to reach, reproducing a “digital divide” (Interview with Choi 2010). This shows that while digital television can offer many opportunities to some, it also presents a challenge to others, particularly the elderly and the disabled (c.f. Evans and Petre 2005, 1003, 1006). The so-called “digital divide” and its consequences are a threat to those citizens who, for one reason or another, are not participants in electronically mediated networks (Mansell 2002, 407), and therefore face-to-face communication is crucial.Based on the lessons from the pilot towns and the nationwide switchover, three recommendations are in order. First, there should be more targeted communication with the elderly, the disabled, and low-income households among analogue cable subscribers. The most effective communication activity in the pilot towns was face-to-face conversations in promotion booths located in the town centers (KCC 2010, 4). Public information is a critical element of switchover planning and implementation because it involves a type of cultural transition beyond simple adaptation. People with less social-technical resources are bound to have more difficulties in going through this transition. Human resources for face-to-face interaction as well as the use of informal and personal networks could contribute to increased public awareness in a network-oriented society like Korea.
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