Digital Divide

DIGITAL DIVIDE

Digital divide is the term refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology, those that do not or have restricted access. This technology can include the telephone, personal computers and the internet. In other words digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic area at different socio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICT) and to their use of the internet for wide variety of activities. The digital divide reflects various differences among and within countries. Before late 20^th century, digital divide referred chiefly to the division between those with and  without telephone access; after the late 1990s the term began to be used mainly to describe the split between those with and without internet access, particularly broadband.

Digital divide as the gap between those who can connect to the internet and those who cannot. It is not just about the lack of an affordable connection; it also involves the lack of computer equipment and training necessary to use effectively. We believe digital inclusion is one of the most important social justice issues of our day.

The digital divide typically exists between those in cities and those in rural areas; between the educated and the uneducated; between socioeconomic groups and globally between the more and less industrially developed nations. Even among populations with some access to technology, the digital divide can be evident in the form of lower-performance computers, lower-priced connections such as dial-up and limited access to subscription-based content.

The reality of a separate-access marketplace is problematic because of the rise of services such as video on demand, video conferencing and virtual classrooms which require the access to high-speed. High- quality connections that those on the less-served side of the digital divide cannot access and/or afford. While adoption of smart phones is growing, even among lower-income and minority groups, the rising costs of data plans and the difficulty of performing tasks and transactions on Smartphone continue to inhibit the closing of the gap.

Social factor that contribute to the digital divide include;

Age, young people feel more comfortable with the new technology and are able to benefit from more than older people. Older people are less likely to have a computer and are less likely to be interested in using the internet.

Gender, boys use computers and the internet more than girls

Family structure, families with children have more computers and internet access than families without

Education, in order to benefit from the digital technology people must know how to use it .Information communication technology has become a major subject taught in most schools but many adults did not have the opportunity to learn how to use computers when they were in school.

Literacy, skills are important for people to read web pages. Those unable to read well will not benefit from information on the internet-they may only use computers to play games.

Ethnicity, 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 .And if English is not a first language, this may cause problems.

BY: TAMBA PHILIP

      BAPRM-42679