Lynette Kvasny

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Pennsylvania State University

Background: A growing number of college students are experiencing personal circumstances or encountering situations that feel overwhelming and negatively affect their academic studies and other aspects of life on campus. To meet this growing demand for counseling services, US colleges and universities are offering a growing variety of mental health...

Background A growing number of college students are experiencing personal circumstances or encountering situations that feel overwhelming and negatively affect their academic studies and other aspects of life on campus. To meet this growing demand for counseling services, US colleges and universities are offering a growing variety of mental health...

BACKGROUND A growing number of college students are experiencing personal circumstances or encountering situations that feel overwhelming and negatively affect their academic studies and other aspects of life on campus. To meet this growing demand for counseling services, US colleges and universities are offering a growing variety of mental health...

While information resources have contributed to the overall decline in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States, these benefits have not been experienced equally. Our article describes formative research conducted as part of a larger study focused on the development of an online HIV prevention platform tailored for Black f...

While information resources have contributed to the overall decline in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States, these benefits have not been experienced equally. Our article describes formative research conducted as part of a larger study focused on the development of an online HIV prevention platform tailored for Black f...

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) apps for weight loss (weight loss apps) can be useful diet and exercise tools for individuals in need of losing weight. Most studies view weight loss app users as these types of individuals, but not all users have the same needs. In fact, users with disordered eating behaviors who desire to be underweight are al...

Despite lucrative career opportunities in information technology (IT), representation of Blacks in IT occupations is abysmal. IT careers are a viable source of economic advancement for Blacks who as a group face significant entry and advancement barriers in the labor market. We argue that the information systems (IS) community can make Black lives...

One line of investigation in attempting to better understand the gender imbalance in the information technology (IT) field is to examine gender stereotypes about the skills and knowledge in the IT profession. A survey of 4046 university students in the United States was conducted to examine gender stereotypes held by contemporary university student...

African Americans represent only two percent of the professionals working in computer occupations. Many policy makers and researchers argue that the educational pipeline is the major impediment to hiring a more diverse workforce. In this chapter we review literature and use findings from our prior research to inform a discussion about the issue and...

The phrase "social change is a beautiful thing," appeared in a tweet from a student during demonstrations at the University of Missouri in November 2015. The events that motivated this tweet point to the work that still needs to occur to bring greater racial equality to American society. In this regard, a question for IT professionals, both academi...

Objective: We investigate the technology affordances associated with and anticipated from an online human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention awareness platform, myHealthImpactNetwork, intended to reach black female college students. This population is at increased risk for HIV transmission, but is not often studied. In addition, this populati...

A diverse workforce is essential for developing the nation's technological innovation, economic vitality, and global competitiveness. Yet, the under-representation of women, Latinos and African Americans has persisted in the field. In this study, we focus on African American male undergraduates majoring in information technology (IT). Despite the b...

In the United States the digital divide entered the public discourse in the mid-1990s. Over the next two decades, a number of national, regional, and local interventions were implemented to bring information and communication technologies (ICT) to populations who would otherwise go lacking in access to these resources. Some argued that these gains...

Purpose – Two research questions are addressed: what are black female college students’ perceptions of current messages present on web sites about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention?; and what messages do black female college students find culturally relevant to them, and why? Results indicate that these women perceive several communication barriers...

Around the globe, people are increasingly using social media for the provision of online social support. Online social support may be especially relevant for parents who have children that are afflicted with rare chronic diseases such as MECP2 Duplication Syndrome. Despite increasing evidence that online social support enhances a person’s psycholog...

In this paper, we report on a study that empirically investigates the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) resources and network structure on performance in humanitarian organisations that respond to natural disasters. We combine two theoretical lenses, resource-based view (RBV) and social network, to analyse data collected thro...

The Millenials are capable of undertaking IT majors to acquire the skills needed for success in the IT profession, yet relatively few choose to do so. How might we begin to explain the similarities and differences between the decision-making of those who choose to pursue IT-majors and those who do not? In this study, we use individual-identity and...

In this chapter, we examine how people of African descent are using an online discussion forum as a site for interrogating the existential question of “who am I?” Contrary to the typical formulations of the digital divide as a measure of disparity in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), we make a case for how and why ICTs ar...

Universal high-speed Internet access can productively transform a nation's economy. However, many municipalities in the United States have been left behind in terms of Internet penetration. Some municipal governments have tried to address this by launching initiatives that aim at offering citywide, universal broadband access. Unfortunately, most of...

Results of an examination of with-gender variation in gender stereotypes about the skills and knowledge in the IT profession demonstrates the value of applying an intersectionality perspective in the study of under represented groups in the IT field. Focusing on gender or ethnicity, alone, is insufficient to explain the under representation of wome...

Purpose ‐ This paper seeks to present the Black blogosphere's discussion of the Jena 6 case to uncover how ethnic identity is performed discursively to promote social activism. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Through an analysis of Black blog postings reporting on the Jena 6 case, this case study chronicles the way in which Black audiences responded...

Results of an investigation of the effect of intersectionality on perceptions of university students about IT careers are presented. This analysis deepens the discussion began at the 2011 iConference by presenting an examination of responses of African American males and females on the topic of gender norms and stereotypes about IT professionals. T...

For this research we use Delphi technique to identify the key business processes and value chain activities that are improved by RFID. Our Delphi study involves 74 experts from different domains such as consulting, retail, academia, and third party service providers. We also explored whether there is any difference in expert perceptions about RFID...

The US has a long history of telecommunications policy aimed at providing equitable access to information and communication services. In this paper we examine the most recent of these efforts, municipal wireless broadband Internet networks. Using three cases (Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; and Chicago, IL) we examine how social inclusion is e...

Diversity-related themes such as social inclusion, community informatics, and broadening participation in undergraduate and graduate education are consistently discussed at the i-Conference. In this paper, the authors examine three factors (self-efficacy, gender stereotypes about IT skills, and the importance of IT skills) which are critical in sha...

In this paper, we examine the challenges faced by faith-based institutions in a low-income, predominantly Black community seeking to take advantage of grants provided through the White House Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives (FBCI). FBCI is an e-Government program that assists nonprofit organizations in competing for Federal dollars w...

Using Denning’s model of Internet activism as a sensitizing framework, this chapter describes the manner in which Black bloggers (referred to as the ‘Blackosphere’) express and negotiate their ethnic identity online. We analyze discussions in the Blackosphere in response to the Jena 6 case to illustrate how the Internet has empowered Black people,...

The aim of this paper is to use cultural and technical capital as a sensitizing framework for exploring novel ways of thinking about information and communication technology and social inequalities. This paper takes a particular focus on three weblogs in which women of different ages, social classes, and races constructed discourses on Black womanh...

The web is a potentially powerful tool for communicating information to diverse audiences. Unfortunately, all groups are not equally represented on the web, and this may have implications for online information seeking. This study investigated the role of class-and ethnic-based identity in self-perceived web-based information seeking/finding and se...

Aim: This study investigates the internet as a resource for parent-based preadolescent substance use prevention information for African-American single mothers receiving public assistance in the United States. Methods: Thirty-two mothers with at least one preadolescent child participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews and usefulness studies...

This article examines black churches located in economically challenged neighborhoods in a northeastern US city. Employing the concepts of the organizational divide and Heek’s design—actuality model, we conducted interviews with clergy at seven black churches to understand their level of information and communication technology (ICT) use and capaci...

The purpose of this session is to take stock of the gender and IT research being conducted within the SIGMIS community about factors affecting women's participation in the IT workforce. The ultimate goal is to better understand where we have been and where we need to go in the future with this research. The moderator, Eileen Trauth, will provide th...

The question of a possible shift in Millennials' perceptions about gender and ICT resulted from a survey of gender stereotyping of ICT skills among college age Millennials in the USA. The results identify three clusters of skills: masculine (includes computer programming, database and networking); feminine (includes communication, working in teams,...

Understanding the factors which shape students' IT career choices will allow educators to design recruitment and retention strategies to tackle the enrolment challenges. The objective of this research-in-progress is to explore the effects of two such factors, i.e., IT skills Self-efficacy (SE) and IT Skills Importance, on students' attraction to IT...

This article explores ways the Internet is used to scrutinize personal and social offline identities in dispersed societal groups. Through a discussion forum narrative and textual analysis, we demonstrate how the Internet affords marginalized groups (specifically individuals of African ancestry) the ability to strengthen their identity. Through onl...

Using Denning's model of Internet activism as a sensitizing framework, this chapter describes the manner in which Black bloggers (referred to as the 'Blackosphere') express and negotiate their ethnic identity online. We analyze discussions in the Blackosphere in response to the Jena 6 case to illustrate how the Internet has empowered Black people,...

This research examines IT job skills across three genres of texts: scholarly articles, practitioner literature, and online job ads. The job skills are organized in three broad categories: technical, humanistic and business skills. Findings suggest that the online advertisements list a strong mix of skills in these three categories, while practition...

Purpose Social exclusion as a result of gender, race, and class inequality is perhaps one of the most pressing challenges associated with the development of a diverse information technology (IT) workforce. Women remain under represented in the IT workforce and college majors that prepare students for IT careers. Research on the under representation...

In this chapter, we examine how people of African descent are using an online discussion forum as a site for interrogating the existential question of "who am I?". Contrary to the typical formulations of the digital divide as a measure of disparity in access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), we make a case for how and why ICTs a...

The proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Sub-Saharan Africa has brought with it tremendous positive changes in socio-economic growth and development within the region. Paradoxically, ICT has also evolved to become a sophisticated tool in the hand of criminal for perpetrating different forms of cyber crime. Unintended i...

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) represent a growing and significant health threat to women worldwide. According to the United Nations (UNAIDS/WHO, 2004), women now make up nearly half of all people living with HIV worldwide. In the United States, although males still accounted for 73% of all AIDS cas...

In this article, we make a case for research which examines the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals. We make our case from the standpoint of African-American women. While healthcare should be a ubiquitous social good, health disparities exist among various demographic groups. In fact, health disparities have been placed on the U.S...

The purpose of this study was to examine gendered perspectives on the digital divide, motivations for engaging in information technology (IT) education, and expectations regarding IT workforce participation in Kenya. Researchers interviewed 32 women and 31 men matriculating in an undergraduate IT-focused program at a Kenyan university. Interviewees...

During the war on drug in the 1980s, state and federal laws sent thousand of street level drug offenders to prison which unwittingly facilitated the spread of HIV/AIDS. Many drug offenders were liable to be infected with HIV from sharing dirty needles. According to Moran, “Prisons are notorious breeding grounds for HIV. Infection rates are five tim...

In this article, we make a case for research which examines the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals. We make our case from the standpoint of African-American women. While healthcare should be a ubiquitous social good, health disparities exist among various demographic groups. In fact, health disparities have been placed on the U.S...

While Sub-Saharan African women have historically assumed the roles of both housewives and subsistence farmers, they have had few opportunities to participate in the modern economies of the re- gion. However, this trend is changing with the exponential growth of information and communications technologies (ICT), giving many Sub-Sahara African women...

In this chapter, we explore the methodological and epistemological implications of conducting feminist, gender research in the information systems field. These implications revolve around four core themes: that feminist research is situated in the margins; that current gender and IS research is not adequately problematized; that feminist research q...

During the 1990s, the digital divide figured prominently in the discourses of academics, corporate leaders, educators, and policymakers worldwide. In the U.S., we witnessed a massive infusion of computers and Internet access in homes, schools, libraries, and other neighborhood institutions. This has significantly increased citizens’ physical access...

In this paper, I examine how and why the situated knowledge and lived experiences of working-class African American women shape their standpoint on information technology (IT). Using the biblical metaphor of the exodus and narratives of ascent, these women view IT access and training as part of a strategy for escaping poverty and despair. Whereas m...

Discourses about technology and its role in development have been constant themes within IFIP Working Group 8.2 (see the Barcelona proceedings—Wynn et al. 2002). In this paper, we examine how strands of discourse—institutionalized ways of thinking and speaking—shape debate about the digital divide and urban poverty in America. As research is widely...

Access to information networks constitutes the essential tool for enabling citizens to participate in the economic, political, and social life of their communities; and, as such, forms the basis of participatory democracy. This paper presents and examines four components of access to telecommunications services: context, connectivity, capability, a...

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to reflect on the development of critical research in information systems and give an overview of the papers chosen for this special issue. Design/methodology/approach – To set the scene by discussing the origins and the developing field of critical research in information systems and to analyse each paper,...

Sub-Saharan Africa women have historically assumed the roles of housewife and subsistence farmer. However, with the global growth of information and communications technologies (ICT) and digital divide interventions, women are enrolling in university programs which prepare them for employment in the formal workforce. In this paper, we present a stu...

In the US, community technology centers (CTC) are a policy response to facilitate the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) to citizens who might otherwise lack access to these resources. The implicit assumption guiding CTC initiatives is that access to ICT will improve the life chances of the individuals who become involved...

In this paper, we examine efforts undertaken by two cities – Atlanta and LaGrange, Georgia – to redress the digital divide. Atlanta's initiative has taken the form of community technology centres where citizens can come to get exposure to the internet, and learn something about computers and their applications. LaGrange has taken a very different a...

Access to information networks constitutes the essential tool for enabling citizens to participate in the economic, political, and social life of their communities; and, as such, forms the basis for participatory democracy.

For the past decade, committed researchers, politicians, policy makers, investors, and community-based organizations made concerted efforts to redress the digital divide, but the solution has remained somewhat elusive. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been portrayed in digital divide discourses as the great equalizer that may...

During the 1990's, the digital divide figured prominently in the discourses of academics, corporate leaders, educators and policymakers worldwide. In the US, we witnessed a massive infusion of computers and Internet access into homes, schools, libraries and other neighborhood institutions. This has significantly increased citizens' physical access...

In this chapter1 we explore the methodological and epistemological implications of conducting feminist, gender research in the information systems field. These implications revolve around four core themes: (1) that feminist research is situated in the margins; (2) that current gender and IS research is not adequately problematized; (3) that feminis...

In this article, we make a case for research which examines the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals. We make our case from the standpoint of African-American women. While healthcare should be a ubiquitous social good, health disparities exist among various demographic groups. In fact, health disparities have been placed on the U.S...

Historically, information systems (IS) researchers have conducted empirical studies of gender and information technology (IT) in business organizations. These studies cover a wide range of topics such as the under-representation of women in the IT workforce (von Hellens, Nielsen, & Trauth, 2001) and the educational pipeline, which prepares women fo...

In this ethnographic study, I examine the discourses that social agents enact as they increase their awareness of information technology (IT) and the digital divide. The social agents in this study are authorities in the municipal government and African-American adults taking part in a community technology initiative in an urban, working-class neig...

In this paper, we explore the methodological and epistemological implications of conducting feminist projects in management information systems (MIS) research. These implications revolve around four core themes: that feminist research is situated in the margins; that current gender and MIS research is not adequately problematized; that feminist res...

This paper examines trends in required job skills for IT professionals. Through an empirical study of classified job advertising for IT professionals over the past 17 years, we evaluate whether the observed trends support earlier predictions offered by researchers who sought to anticipate future job and skill demands (Leitheiser 1992; Trauth, Farwe...

This paper examines trends in required job skills for IT professionals. Through an empirical study of classified job advertising for IT professionals over the past 17 years, we evaluate whether the observed trends support earlier predictions offered by researchers who sought to anticipate future job and skill demands (Leitheiser 1992; Trauth, Farwe...

Women, as well as African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans are represented in the information technology (IT) workforce in percentages that are far lower than their percentages in the population as a whole. While recruiting efforts are crucial for increasing the participation of women and minorities, it is equally important that w...

This chapter will examine the “retention gap” between the goals of gender and racial diversity and the workplace/management behaviors that affect retention of individuals in those groups. Women, as well as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, are represented in the information technology (IT) workforce in percentages that ar...

The issue of the legitimacy of Information Systems is important for researchers in this field because other disciplines have begun to lay claim to research topics often thought to belong to the domain of IS research, and the field itself is under challenge in academic intuitions around the world (Avison 2002). Benbasat and Zmuds (2003) opinion is t...

In this paper, I consider how class, race, and gender influence perspectives regarding information technology (IT). I do so by considering how participants in a community technology center located in an inner city neighborhood conceptualize IT, and how their standpoints shape their beliefs in the opportunities and rewards that are enabled by IT. Us...

This paper describes the Free Internet Initiative in LaGrange, Georgia: a program undertaken by the City of LaGrange to address the digital divide. In 2000, LaGrange became the first city in the world to provide broadband Internet access to every citizen. This research explores the history of the initiative and documents the achievements made as we...

This paper presents a strategic framework for conducting action research in partnership with community-based organizations. The framework was developed through projects conducted in three urban communities in Pennsylvania - Harrisburg, Steelton and West Philadelphia. Using empirical data from these case studies, we present the research model as wel...

This paper examines trends in required job skills for IT professionals. Through an empirical study of a dataset of job advertisements for IT professionals over the past thirteen years, we evaluate whether the observed trends support earlier predictions offered by researchers who sought to anticipate future job and skill demands (Leitheiser, 1992; T...

In this panel, we address the question: “How does information systems (IS) research in nonbusiness domains push the IS field forward? ” We pursue this question by focusing on the contemporary intellectual discourse of our community regarding appropriate domains, the sources of theory, and the common levels of analysis in IS research. The commentary...

The information society has often been described as a meritocracy that enables a level playing field for all partici- pants. From this perspective, individuals from underrepre- sented groups can make it alongside individuals of wealth and privilege. All that is necessary is education and training, per- severance, and painstaking effort. But if, as...

It is our contention that information technology is a cultural commodity whose influence is spread through econo- mic and political action of institutions such as the government and corporations. Informed by Bourdieu's sociology of lan- guage, we conduct a content analysis of political speeches regarding "digital opportunities" delivered by U. S. g...

This paper introduces the critical social theory of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. The objective of Bourdieu’s theoretical framework is to uncover the buried organizational structures and mechanisms that are used to ensure the reproduction of social order. This theoretical framework will be used in a research program that examines the structur...

The need for well managed IT resources and corporate-wide access to information increases as corporations displace resources from their ordinary channels of communication to electronic media and networks. The central point of this paper is that management continues to regard IT as an economic domain that is available only to the knowledge workers,...

Contemporary interest in the digital divide owes much to the attention it receives in government and foundation reports, newspapers, and popular magazines. Commonplace notions about the digital divide are now entering information systems (IS) research. Under these conditions, IS scholars may see the digital divide as preconstructed with a set of qu...

A s three academics located in the domain of information systems (IS), we are delighted to act as guest editors and to highlight scholarship that applies a critical lens to the examination of information and communication technologies (ICT). In this editorial, we briefly present how reference disciplines—particularly sociology—have addressed issues...

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to reflect on the development of critical research in information systems and give an overview of the papers chosen for this special issue. Design/methodology/approach - To set the scene by discussing the origins and the developing field of critical research in information systems and to analyse each paper,...

In this chapter,1 we explore the methodological and epistemological implications of conducting feminist, gender research in the information systems field. These implications revolve around four core themes: (1) that feminist research is situated in the margins; (2) that current gender and IS research is not adequately prob- lematized; (3) that femi...

1 Abstract 13 The issue of the legitimacy of Information Systems is important for researchers in this field because other disciplines have begun to lay claim to research topics often thought to belong to the domain of IS research, and the field itself is under challenge in academic intuitions around the world (Avison 2002). Benbasat and Zmud's (200...

ABSTRACT This chapter ,will examine ,the “retention gap” between ,the goals of gender,and racial diversity and the workplace/management behaviors that affect retention of individuals in those groups. Women, as well as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, are represented in the information technology (IT) workforce in percent...