Responsive Countryside: The Digital Age and Rural Communities

by Roberto Gallardo

The digital age is upon us. Its exponential, digital, combinatorial, and disruptive characteristics are ushering in revolutionary changes to our economic and social landscape. While serious privacy and security concerns abound, applications such as e-commerce, telehealth, telework, precision agriculture, and artificial intelligence show that the overall benefits of the digital age are larger than its potential problems. This digital revolution creates challenges and opportunities for all segments of society, but the transformations it will bring have the potential to level the playing field between urban and rural communities. Traditionally, innovations have been sparked where people and resources were concentrated in close physical proximity, such as in big cities or large companies. This “physical density” is becoming less crucial as a “virtual density” powered by digital real-time, two-way communications now allows diverse groups of people across the globe to collaborate regardless of where they live and work. This changing nature of innovation provides unique opportunities for rural areas. However, several issues must be addressed before rural communities can take full advantage of these opportunities. A “digital divide” is leaving many nonmetropolitan areas behind, and generational conflicts between older policymakers and younger residents often undermine rural efforts to fully enter the digital age. Some communities may miss these new opportunities altogether, further exacerbating economic inequalities. But how can this important message be conveyed to rural audiences to increase their awareness of both the challenges and the opportunities? This book showcases a four-step process—based on the community development asset-mapping model—in which the state Extension Service plays a critical role in helping rural communities transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age.

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2016