Digitunity Survey Seeks to Understand How Organizations Work Together to Advance Digital Equity in Pittsburgh

NORTH CONWAY, N.H., June 15, 2022 (Newswire.com) - The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a deep, persistent digital divide in Pittsburgh and across the United States. Millions of people were cut off from school, employment, healthcare, and community as a result of lacking access to the digital tools and support they need to succeed. In the U.S. alone, 36 million people do not have a computer. 

To better understand the current state of digital equity across the United States, Digitunity contracted Visible Network Labs to develop a survey that visualizes how local organizational relationships and partnerships impact digital equity in Pittsburgh. Digitunity invites organizations from all sectors, including business, government, nonprofit, philanthropy, schools, and libraries in selected cities, to contribute their insights by completing the survey. Pittsburgh is one of the cities where the survey is being implemented. 

"Digitunity believes digital equity requires connections among local, state, regional, and national assets. As a national organization, we direct resources to people in need while integrating them with community assets so they have what they need to participate in our digital society. Participation in this survey ensures Pittsburgh's efforts toward digital equity are visible, providing an incredible, first-of-its-kind platform for connecting and enhancing services for residents," said Karisa Tashjian, Digitunity's Director of Programs. 

The results of the survey will enable the visualization of relationships across sectors and create opportunities for new or enhanced partnerships, demonstrating the power of collective action for achieving digital equity. As a result of this visualization, residents of the Pittsburgh metro area will have increased access to the digital tools, services, and support their community has to offer.

Each respondent will receive a personalized, confidential profile of their results with data and maps demonstrating, along with a summary of the aggregated results, how their work fits within their city's wider digital equity efforts. The survey should take about 20-30 minutes to complete. Participants can expect to receive the results by September 2022. Any and all organizations in the Pittsburgh metro area are invited to complete the survey. To learn more about this survey, please visit Digitunity.org. 

About Digitunity

Digitunity, a national nonprofit organization, connects corporate and individual donors of technology to thousands of partner organizations serving people in need across North America. With a proven body of work spanning over 37 years and a national network of member organizations, Digitunity works to ensure all barriers limiting equitable opportunity to participate in our digitally connected society are removed. Learn more at Digitunity.org.

About Visible Network Labs (VNL)

Visible Network Labs is a team of network scientists, developers, data analysts, evaluators, and technologists working together with a shared mission of building society's capacity to transform and strengthen social connectedness at all levels of life. VNL focuses on creating new tools, training, and services to make network science and analysis accessible to those who need it. Learn more at visiblenetworklabs.com.

Media Contact:

Maria Penaloza
[email protected] 

Source: Digitunity