Introduction
Digital divide can be defined as the wide gap between the people who access computers and internet and those who do not. This gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is ever widening and for the have not, there are so many obstacles, and these obstacles foster inequality. The main issues that are discussed here is: The difference between the people who use internet and those who do not, the rights to computer, and the digital divide between men and women. These matters or inequalities are closely related to the adaptability of the person who use internet, and we are going to discuss these matters one by one.
Main body
There is a vast difference between the people who use internet and those who do not. The urban areas are far ahead of rural areas in the usage of internet and there are many rural villages in America without broad band connection. Jose Antonio Vargas points out that: “And though a study released last month by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that broadband use among African American adults increased from 14 percent in 2005 to 40 percent this year, blacks continue to lag behind whites and English-speaking Latinos. In fact, a great number of American households, especially in rural areas and poorer parts of cities such as Charleston, are without broadband.” (Vargas, 2007).
The difference in the usage worsens the digital divide, and the children in rural areas lose the chance of web access. The problem of digital divide is not limited to the rural society, but it is also among the minorities in America. The black people in America are far behind the whites. This is only because of poverty and ignorance. When accessing a new technology, some are fast and some are slow. The mind set of people also hinders the accessibility of internet and it worsens the digital divide. The development of each individual is decides the development the society. When a group in the society has deprived of the benefits of technology, the whole society had to face the consequence.
The problem of digital divide is not just the matter of lack of digital skills, but from a humanistic view, it is the problem of the right to access the internet. Other factors matter, but the foremost problem is that only, because of poverty and ignorance, millions are out of the focus. Jan A. G. M. van Dijk raises the question: “Is it just a matter of policy in the fields of income, education, gender, age, and ethnicity, or should special policies be invented to confront apparently new problems of computer anxiety, lack of digital skills, and unequal computer use?” (Dijk & Van, 2005).
There are new problems that keep the people away from internet and it is not related to the older ones. The inequality in the society due to the lack of educational qualification of the parents, gender inequality among children etc hinder the accessibility to internet.
Quick accessibility to technology cannot be considered as the safest and easiest way to reduce digital divide. But it is related to the living conditions of the people, and to the standard of living. A child who is the member of a poor family cannot afford a personal computer and broad band internet connection. Norris Dickard & Diana Schneider points out: “Nobody believes that technology will be a quick-fix solution to poverty, but ensuring that underserved individuals and communities can access education and tools to improve the quality of their lives certainly appears to be a critical piece of the answer.
The appropriations process will go on until September, when the 2003 budget will be finalized.” (Dickard & Schneider, 2002). The focus must be upon the individuals and communities which are less benefited by internet. The government must change the policy so that the poor also gets the benefits, and equal chances must be provided for the rich and the poor. The poor people face the problem of slow learning, and because of ignorance, they are afraid of accepting the benefits of technology.
More than the inequality between the rich and the poor, the digital divide is evident between men and women. Before 10 years, the digital divide was not so worse, but now the usage of internet among women and poor people is less. As the digital divide affects women more than men, it is the area to be explored and discussed. As Tracy Kennedy, Barry Wellman & Kristine Klement points out: “As women are the preeminent communicators and networkers in families, they spend considerably more time than men emailing family and friends. Women’s Internet use is shaped by their roles of childcare provider, kinkeeper and networker.
By contrast, men’s use of the Internet is less social, as they spend more time searching for information and pursuing more isolated recreational activities.” ( Kennedy, Wellman & Klement, 2003). The gender roles and domestic responsibilities of women hinder them from further access. From their childhood days onwards, girls are considered as weaker section and inferior to the boys. Moreover, the ways of bringing up boys and girls limit their experience with technology. Studies prove that men use internet related to their work, but women use internet for health information, and are concerned of safety.
Conclusion
Digital divide hinders the growth and development of the society, and recent studies prove that inequalities in the society widen the same. The benefits of the new technological growth must be shared to the whole society, and the change must happen from the root level. Generally, women, children and poor people are far away from the benefits of technological growth and this situation needs to be remedied. By summing up, we can see that the difference among various sections in a society hinders the accessibility of the internet. This is not only the problem of poverty, but also the inability to use technology as a tool for development.
Moreover, the problem of the women’s less access to internet widens the digital divide. The real power of technology becomes tangible only when it is accessible even to the poorest member of the society. Otherwise the existing wide gap of digital divide will become wider in the near future.
References
Vargas, Jose Antonio. (2007). Binary America: Split in two by a digital divide. Washington Post. Web.
Dijk, Jan Van., & Van, Dijk Jan A. G. M. (2005). The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the information society. SAGE. P. 6. Web.
Dickard, Norris., & Schneider, Diana. (2002). The digital divide: Where we are today. Edutopia: The GeorgeLlucas Educational Foundation. Web.
Kennedy, Tracy., Wellman, Barry., & Klement, Kristine. (2003). Gendering the digital divide. IT & Society.org. Vol. 1(5). Web.