The Digital Divide is used to describe the progressively growing gap between those who have knowledge of how to use the Internet and those that have not.

Digital divide

Introduction

The Digital Divide is used to describe the progressively growing gap between those who have knowledge of how to use the Internet and those that have not. The Information age has a phase of wealth and success for many nations. It has changed the way we collect and understand information. Although there are many communities that get benefits from the Information age, there are also many developing countries which do not have access to digital and information technology.

The factors which create the digital divide

Digital Divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from digital technology and those who do not. It's the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those without or limited access to it. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology. There are many reasons as to why the digital divide has occurred, is occurring, and will continue to do so. Factors involved in digital divide include factors such as economic, social, geographical, cultural, and educational and fear of technology.

Economic factor

Essentials such as computer, internet access, maintenance cost, are a necessary part of almost any Internet access infrastructure. They are all ongoing costs in people, electricity, telephone network charges, etc. Costs are spread across a range of economic decision makers, including individual people, families, businesses (ranging from small to large), schools, community groups. These also target local, regional, or national government. It only matters that they have to be paid within each country that participates in the Internet, and generally from within the resources that are available within that country.

Economically developed countries such as the United States and United Kingdom are well-equipped with the structure and costs in order to make them advance and up-to-date with the current technologies. They have enough resources of all kinds in order to create new dimensions in this digital age. In developing countries money is sometimes enormously limited and everyone that does have it doesn’t have a lot of it. These people simply do not have the money to buy the equipment needed to bridge the gap unlike countries like the USA and Japan. In most cases, countries that are in poverty are more concerned about the basic things of life such as clean water, teaching, hygiene and putting food on the table, than they are about getting a computer so that they can access the internet as these are not the essential things in life when basic necessities are not present.

Poverty is not only found in developing countries and continents but it is also a common reality within the UK, where certain individuals cannot afford to buy computers and have internet access at home as their concerns are similar to those in developing communities. This can have damaging effects as many companies and services are online only which could cause problems. If peers have access to a computer, an individual may feel excluded as they cannot afford one.

Geographical

Access to the world of information is also dependent on where you live. In the UK, some areas have access to broadband connections - some do not. In rural areas there may be fewer schemes for community access to the Internet (libraries, cybercafés etc). Geographical locations can influence a person's wealth or education. Wealthier families are more likely to have Internet access at home.

Internet access also depends on which country you live in. Some countries have better communications links than others. There may be poor links in countries that have large areas with few people ...

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Geographical

Internet access also depends on which country you live in. Some countries have better communications links than others. There may be poor links in countries that have large areas with few people (e.g. deserts, mountains) The governments of some countries have schemes for education that involve providing hardware and Internet access for educational institutions as well as for communities. Schools, colleges and libraries may be connected to the Internet. The governments of poorer countries will not be able to do this.

Social and cultural

It is important that the digital divide does not lead to social exclusion. There should not be groups of people who cannot benefit from the digital technology because of lack of access or poor skills. Social factors that contribute to the digital divide include: age, gender, family structure, education, ethnicity and motivation.

Young people feel more comfortable with the new technology and are able to benefit from it more than older people. Older people are less likely to have a computer and are less likely to be interested in using the Internet. Ethnicity is different ethnic groups have different attitudes to technology. Many deprived areas of large cities have high numbers of people in differing ethnic groups. This may have an effect on wealth and education, if English is not a first language causing a problem.

There are some countries that limit the access of people to the Internet because they are worried that there may be too much influence against their cultural or religious beliefs. For example North Korea, A strictly communist country that allows almost no contact with the rest of the world. The United Arab Emirate’s an Islamic country that bans access to websites that are in conflict with their religious beliefs (gambling, pornography, dating etc).finally in china many websites are blocked including sites about human rights, democracy and foreign news sites. Other countries that exercise some forms of Internet censorship include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cuba, Jordan, Tunisia, Burma, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Kuwait, Vietnam, Syria, Iran, United Arab Emirates and parts of Africa.

Impacts of the digital divide

The digital divide has a huge impact on the local, national and global environment in a number of areas, some of these include economical, social/cultural and educational.

Educational

People with better education tend to have better IT skills. In this modern day schools in the local area generally have interactive white boards and computers available for students as time progresses they are even in Primary schools, many people are taught how to use these facilities. Students are increasingly being set computer based homework and if they do not have access to a computer at home then they are forced to give up their lunch times to do the work at school. This is unfair and creates obstacles for certain people in the community. This is similar to other countries in the more economically developed world. Some countries in the less economically developed world are not even educated on how to use computers and this creates a digital divide globally.

Furthermore people of the younger generations in developed countries have a lot more opportunities in the world of employment because they have better IT skills. People in their early twenties for example can present employers with CVs electronically made and generally make a good impression of themselves because of their IT skills. Whereas an older person may not have the same skills, they may have written their application by hand and therefore are at a disadvantage because some businesses will judge by the presentation. As I mentioned before, this can be very stereotypical and it is not always the case. Some older generations, that for example may be particularly interested in technology, may have the same knowledge as someone younger – they have a lot of time on their hands and therefore may be able to spend more time learning new things.

Economical

In countries which economic resources are limited, however, it remains that digital resources will necessarily be secondary to other spending priorities, including food, shelter, health, safety, and security needs. Certain countries have a more difficult time finding the resources to invest in digital infrastructure, resources, and services. Most of those businesses will need to use digital technology to communicate with customers, suppliers, and business partners in other countries. At commercial level, businesses who log on themselves to the web, will earn themselves huge profit especially in trading. And there are also certain countries like Indonesia who does not intent to share their economies to the world because it's unaffordable for them. In countries where the internet and other technologies are not accessible, education is suffering, and uneducated people cannot compete in the global economy. This leads to poor countries suffering greater economic downfall and richer countries advancing their education and economy.

Social and cultural

In the information age almost every application, commerce and transactions can be done online. People are suddenly expected to Have a computer and broadband Internet connection and use a computer confidently. People who do not tick fall into these categories. This can affect both MEDCs and LEDCs, people can’t afford to buy a computer and Internet connection and others see no need for one or do not have access to the technology.

As the online world grows the gap will widen and you are left with societies who can participate online and those who cannot. When computers were first introduced to the public many people believed they were pointless and held negative attitudes towards them. However in the information age this has changed as people have come to realise the benefits computer technology can bring. Life is now dependant on technology, NHS patient records is one example.

The extent of the digital divide

The digital divide is a worldwide issue and does not just refer to the difference between people with computer or Internet access and those with no access at all. There are varying methods of digital disadvantage for example lower internet speeds, higher priced internet connections etc.

The question of is the gap widening or narrowing always is put into perspective. From a UK report the government is addressing the issue and is working towards narrowing the digital divide within the UK. The government has always recognised the impact that information and communication technology can have on our everyday lives at home, work etc. Virtually all household in the UK are within easy reach of a UK online centre where thy can access the Internet. Worldwide however there is a different picture many organisations such as computer aid are trying to narrow the gap.

Benfits and drawbacks of reducing the gap

The benefits of narrowing the gap in the UK include, reducing poverty and can improve standard of living, it opens new job opportunities, and can cause promotions and/or increases in salary, Freedom of speech (online petitions) and finally Better democracy. Globally the benefits are that it; Increases business trade, Improves prosperity, Helps give a better understanding of different cultures and Better literacy skills overall as people need to literate in a main language for the internet to be any use.

Drawbacks of narrowing the divide could be: The Internet isn't always used effectively; is a playing game online really going to help feed those hungry in Africa? Censorships and online monitoring allow governments to control the content available to their citizens and there is a lot of cost, as computers require a continued investment in resources maintenance and education.

The scheme “National e-Learning Foundation” is that computers will become cheaper for families that cannot afford PCs normally will be able to buy them cheaper. Enabling the children of that family, who may not have access to computers at school or at public places such as libraries, to learn how to use computers. This also gives them access to a large range of education software, information on the Internet and public services. However, a drawback of this is that these computers will still cost money. And some families are so poor that even a cheap PC may be out of the question. If however the family do buy one of these PCs then they may still face some problems. The computer may be very out dated and unable to run education programs that the children would need to use, also just because they have a PC it doesn't mean they can access public services and the large amount of information online because they still may not be able to afford an internet connection, and without this then they won't be able to gain access to most of the information that people use computers to access.

Measure to narrowing the gap

Projects like and offer a partial solution to the global digital divide; these projects tend to rely heavily upon and free . The is an inexpensive intended to be distributed to children in developing countries around the world, to provide them with .

Organizations such as , and also help to overcome the digital divide. They often do so through the use of education systems that draw on . The technology they employ often includes laptops/, and low-cost . In addition, other information technology material usable in the classroom can also be made to lower expenses, including .

International cooperation between governments have begun, aiming at dealing with the global digital divide. For example, in an attempt to bridge this digital divide, an agreement between the (USAID) and the emerged. The USAID funded state-of-the-art equipment for , their brilliance of knowledge in using such equipment caused such equipment to increase in use throughout the years. Now, Egyptian society is more computer literate and knowledgeable about computers than they used to be. Nonetheless it's a sign of progress that such attempts at bridging the digital divide are seriously being made. Additional participants in such endeavors include the United Nations and the Foundation.

The is aiming to raise awareness of the divide by way of the which takes place yearly on . It also set up the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Task Force in November 2001.

At the , the IMARA organization (from word for "power") sponsors a variety of outreach programs which bridge the Global Digital Divide. Its aim is to find and implement long-term, sustainable solutions which will increase the availability of educational technology and resources to domestic and international communities. These projects are run under the aegis of the (CSAIL) and staffed by MIT volunteers who give training, installed and donated computer setups in greater , , , Indian reservations the American Southwest such as the , the , and . The CommuniTech project strives to empower underserved communities through sustainable technology and education.

Some cities in the world have started programs to bridge the digital divide for their residents, school children, students, parents and the elderly. One such program, founded in 1996, was sponsored by the city of Boston and called the Boston Digital Bridge Foundation.It especially concentrates on school children and their parents, helping to make both equally and similarly knowledgeable about computers, using application programs, and navigating the Internet.