Internett, mobiltelefon og sosial struktur --- døves bruk av informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi

During the span of the 20th century, the developments in areas of communication and transport have been enormous. Deaf people, here seen as a cultural and language minority group in terms of their shared language and shared history as an oppressed group in society, are experiencing at least two different concequences of these developments. Modern information and communication technologies, ecpecially Internet based services like the World Wide Web, email and chat, in addition to mobile telephones supporting the use of SMS - Short Message System, has enhanced deaf people's possibilities regarding communication with hearing people and with the society at large. Their access to information is also much better than before Internet. Deaf people's origin as a cultural and language minority group is partly based in communication barriers towards the rest of society. New technology could thus be expected to undermine their social structure and their feeling of community. On the other side, new information- and communication technology can be seen as a technical infrastructure supporting deaf poeple's social structure. Deaf people have to a greater extent been socially oriented towards each other than towards the rest of the ``hearing'' society. Their social structure can be labeled ``translocal'' and ``transnational'', because they more often regard their community as consisting of other deaf people, and not of those residing in their vicinity. Thus the new technology could strengthen the social structure and sense of belonging within the deaf community. The theoretical framework has been concepts from writings of Anthony Giddens, Manuel Castells and Zygmunt Bauman. In addition, literature about deaf people were frequently used and referenced. Data for this thesis was collected among deaf/hard of hearing Internet users. A web questionnaire with 110 questions, in addition to qualitative interviews, were conducted. The results from the questionnaire are presented in accordance to four themes: 1) Gaining access to news and information, 2) the use of Internet based banking and shopping, and gaining public information, and the use of email and SMS as an alternative to the use of text telephones for having contact with public institutions, 3) communication to stay in touch with other people, and 4) electoral participation and the importance of gaing access to political information versus the need for a sense of belonging to the society at large to feel devoted to participation in political elections. The data shows that the respondents experience that Internet and mobile phones/SMS give them extended access to news and information. Several respondents express feeling more equal to hearing people in regards to their access to information than before Internet. The respondents use Internet banking and shopping to a great extent. 90\% of the respondents use Internet banking, and 95\% have shopped on the Internet at least once. Most of the respondents have also discovered email and mobile phone/SMS as a valid alternative to using text telephones, also for non-private communication, like communication with their doctor, dentist or car workshop. The respondents clearly express that the Internet and mobile phones/SMS makes it easier to stay in touch with people. Being able to communicate with deaf and hearing people with equal ease, is seen as a positive feature of email, chat and SMS. Electoral participation among the respondents is low, just some over 50\% reported to have voted at the last election. Access to relevant information is probably one of several reasons for the low electoral participation. Deaf people's strong ties with the translocal and transnational deaf community probably weakens their commitment to their local and national society, thus leading to less interest in local and national politics. Even if my respondents together do not make up a statistically representative group of deaf persons, I interpret my data as follows: New information and communication technology does support {\em both} the possible concequences described earlier. Deaf people are experienceing a better access to information and easier communication with the society at large, as well as with hearing people. They are also experiencing the new technology as supporting their contact with other deaf people, and thereby strengtheing the overall feeling of belonging to the deaf community