Digital divide

The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals who have access to computers and information technology and individuals who do not. This division can be further characterized by three different dimensions explaining the causations of the digital divide.

The global divide stems from the different levels of availability of internet access between industrialized countries and underdeveloped countries.

The social divide stems from inequalities between people, including differences in level of income, policies, culture, education, employment, race, and sex.

The democratic divide, refers to the divide created between individuals who actively choose to not participate in the use of digital resources, and those who choose to do so.

The uneven distribution in access to technology favors certain groups more than others, usually of whom reside in developed demographic areas and have higher socioeconomic statuses. By definition, the digital divide creates barriers to the use of technology in which those with no access cannot use nor benefit from information online and the offerings of the internet. This technological gap between people with and without access exists both within and across countries. The latter is referred to as the global digital divide.

There are a number of ethical issues stemming from the digital divide. Most notably concerns over the socioeconomic gap as well as disadvantages in the job market.

History and usage

The concept of the digital divide was first introduced in 1995, at a time when merely 8% of the United States population had access to the internet. The term's first occurrences in newspapers in the late 90's characterized the divide by unequal access . Since then, its definition and application has evolved to more closely reference the gap in broadband network access more so than access to a computer. With the growing proliferation of technology throughout communities across the globe, the concept of the digital divide is no longer focused merely on access; in fact, the gap in access is narrowing tremendously . Today's mobile revolution has enabled people to be more connected than ever, and with greater universal access to the internet, the digital divide is now categorized less by a gap in physical access and more by a gap in digital literacy and technological savviness .

Disparities in access and technological ability are commonly categorized in terms of developed versus underdeveloped countries, communities of higher socioeconomic status versus lower socioeconomic status, and rural versus urban areas. The definition of the digital divide may differ depending on which of these categories a person is comparing across. For instance, a gap in skills can be attributed to differences in socioeconomic status while a gap in access can be attributed to whether one lives in a rural or urban area, as urban areas offer more widespread access to WiFi.

Ethical Implications

When categorizing the digital divide by a lack of access or a lack of skills, both categories raise ethical questions regarding the disadvantages faced by those who are underprivileged. In today's information age, it’s no longer considered a luxury to participate in the technological revolution; rather, to keep up in business and in society, using the internet has become a basic human necessity along with food, water, and shelter. The term that has arisen that describes this necessity of internet is "Technological determinism." Technological determinism is better explained as the impact on "behavior and social development" that not having access to technology produces.

Socioeconomic Gap

The digital divide is causing individuals from underprivileged groups, including those with low socioeconomic statuses, developing countries, and minority races, to lag even further behind because of the correlations between economic growth and the adoption rate of new technological innovations for increased productivity.. Developing countries and those of low socioeconomic status are growing digitally disadvantaged because of the slow adoption rates of technological development which can be directly related to the current political environment and socioeconomic factors attributing to this disparity which is negatively impacts the ability to succeed in areas such as education and business.

Disadvantage in the Job Market

As technological industries continue to grow among world markets, technological competency will be one of the many skills that will set qualified members of the workforce apart from less technologically-skilled workers. Moreover, education in computer science and technology will become increasingly more predictive in determining the populations of individuals who will be equipped with the necessary skills to meet these demands. Due to the high cost that is often associated with providing students with up-to-date technology, less affluent communities may be at a disadvantage when it comes to providing the necessary educational resources to prepare their students for careers in technology and beyond. As a result, digital divides between affluent and non-affluent individuals among countries may continue to widen, and ultimately have significant implications on socioeconomic circumstances among select communities.

Unfairness in School Systems

A video made by Verizon title "Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America" portrays the technological inequalities in schooling systems. It compares Penn Wood High School, one that is lacking in technology and unable to afford technology centered classes, to Lower Marion High School, a school with robotics courses, a technology club, aerospace engineering courses, and coding classes. One student from Penn Wood High School was quoted saying "We could have the chance to excel like other people in other places and schools if we had the technology," while a student at Lower Marion High School stated "If I were to imagine a school with no technology that would be a very different education; our hopes for the future are very much technology dependent so we would have totally different aspirations and dreams" .

This same video describes the three aspects of the educational technological divide. The first concept mentioned that would bridge the technological inequality in schools is devices. Many schools are forced to share computers amongst students which limits the amount of time students have with the devices and makes it difficult for students to become fully knowledgeable regarding how to use that technology. Some schools do not have computers, which makes it incredibly difficult for teachers to teach students about computer-related topics. The second contributor to this divide is connectivity, or the lack thereof. The video describes connectivity as the running water of a school. Teachers are unable to engage students with the lessons they have planned online if their students do not have access to an online connection. Because "having great connectivity in the classroom costs a lot of money, 23% of school districts do not have sufficient bandwidth to meet the current needs for digital learning" . The last factor this particular video mentions as a contributor to the divide is insufficient teacher training on how to use such technological devices. Teachers are being given inadequate training on the know-how and practices of technology and, as a result, "60% of teachers feel as though they are inadequately prepared to use technology in the classroom" .

Solutions to overcome the digital divide

Strong measures are being taken to narrow the digital divide and diffuse technology more evenly across the globe. Political institutions exert a powerful influence in this area, as they can enact policies to promote the spread of the internet . Data from nearly 200 countries show that a country's regime type matters greatly, even when controlling for other economic and sociological factors. Specifically, democratic governments facilitate the spread of technology, and therefore the spread of democracy can help reduce the digital divide . Despite the fact that more technology is being implemented into poorer countries, it is still important to recognize that this does not directly mean that there will be less of a technology divide. It takes much more than just putting the technology there to change how societies function surrounding technology

Free Basics

Free Basics is an app developed by Facebook that allows users to access social media for free where internet is not easily accessible. This program was rolled out with the intention of bringing the world of the internet to remote and developing countries to enable users to have transparent access to the world of information. There has been backlash against Free Basics claiming it is "digital colonialism" because Facebook controls Africa's internet access and the content they see.

The Role of The Educational System

The education sector is a leading force in taking measures to bridge the digital divide. As increasing functionalities of technologies are raising the bar in learning, communication, collaboration and creativity, school curriculum is becoming more centered on Web 2.0 tools .

In the United states, focus on alleviating the digital divide has quickly become a top priority in the educational department, and the government at large. Currently, the U.S. ranks 54th in the world in terms of percentage of population actively using the internet. This ranking has brought about pressure on the U.S. educational system to ensure children and teens are taught proper computer education. The way to assure proper education is hotly debated, Paulina Haselhorst argues that quality computer labs in middle and highschools are no longer sufficient, instead of having students attend computer classes once or twice a week, it's important for teachers to implement computer-based teaching regularly. Several programs aimed at connecting U.S. students have received federal support, including ConnectEd, Project L.I.F.T., and Digital Inclusion Fellowship. These programs aim at alleviating symptoms of the digital divide in lower-income and under-funded schools, achieving great success in initial results. Common ways to increase school funding to decrease the digital divide include, reprioritizing existing funds, procure government funding and fundraising.

One Laptop per Child is an initiative to bring laptops to children in developing countries in order to facilitate their education. The aim of this program is to give these children the tools to learn independently and to connect to the outside world.

Design

Unfortunately, simply increasing the presence of computers does not necessarily result in a decrease in the digital divide . This issue requires progress in many areas, including design that addresses the various users and contexts for technologies. One example, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), studies the design and use of computer interfaces as well as the needs of users. HCI falls at the intersection of many different fields (computer science, design, psychology, etc.) focusing on computer interfaces along with how users interact with them and how they are designed to fit these interactions. Much of HCI works towards lessening friction in computing access and use, which remains an obstacle in narrowing the digital divide. Increasing access to computers that are not fit to a community or user base may not be an effective bridge for the digital divide. However, implementing designs that look at significant factors like cost, connectivity, disabilities, and many others represents one approach to decreasing the divide.