Susan Milovich
The
Digital Divide
“Digital Divide” is a term that refers to the
separation between those who have access to and use the latest computer
technology, including the Internet, and those who do not. Computers are changing the way many things have
been done in the past. Their use has
eliminated certain jobs, such as switchboard operators, and created new jobs
that require specialized skills, such as computer technicians and software
designers. This divide can be seen in
businesses and schools and in the way regular people go about their lives
today. People without access to
computers, who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, will not find it
easy to compete in the coming years.
There has always been some degree of digital
divide because computers were expensive when they were first introduced. As the prices have gone down, more and more
people were able to buy computers, but those who are poor still have limited
resources for this kind of extra purchase.
With the advent of the Internet and its potential for access to
seemingly unlimited amounts of information, people who are unable to log on are
locked into doing things in a slower way.
Although faster is not always better, the ability to do things quickly
and concisely is rewarded in our society.
The first important point which Taylor (2000) makes,
in the article “So Close and Yet So Far” is, “Technology has moved so fast that
a new upper class—composed largely of the same white, affluent,
college-educated males that made up the old upper class--has spurted ahead of
the rest of society, mostly because they have the time and money necessary to
acquire and understand the tools of the digital revolution.” Later the author goes on to say, “By 2004,
there will also be a digital divide between 29 million households with
super-fast broadband Internet access and the online equivalent of the middle
class—those who still lumber along and 56K modems.” The author believes that these are advantages
that will give those who have technology a major advantage over those who have
not. These disadvantages could translate
into the inability to get a well paying job in the future.
I have experienced this digital divide in my
own life. My husband began using a
computer for his job as a mechanical engineer. When at home with our baby daughter, there was
no time and also no need to learn how to do anything on a computer. Nothing was being designed, computed or
written! It took much less time, in my
opinion, to pay the bills with a written check and talk to people on the
phone. At that point, the portable phone
was my technology of choice. Cleaning,
talking, and watching the baby could happen at the same time! My husband continued to upgrade our system
and eventually I began to do some word processing and then entered our
checkbook into a program.
The second reason for the digital divide is
that not everyone has seen the need for computer literacy. Access to technology has been a priority for
school districts around the country for many years. The ability for affluent communities to buy
expensive computer equipment versus those in poorer districts is fact. However, getting schools wired with the
Internet is only part of the problem. In
The final important reason for the digital
divide is that many children just do not have any reason to use a computer
besides playing games. In the article, “So
Close and Yet So Far”,
Taylor, C., Blackman,
A., Dale, S., & McKenna, C., Moffett, A., (2000). So close and yet so far. Time, 156, (23).