Israel is seen as one of the leaders in technology yet its surrounding countries are definitely lacking in the technological field. The reason is some regions, including Afghanistan and Iraq, have opposed technology because they believe that it represents western culture. Others just don't have the funds. Countries in other parts of the world have set up government run Internet cafes so that citizens can use the Internet in order to communicate with possible employers and send their resumes, which is the case in eastern Europe. Others have given government issued cell phones. In these cases and others, the point is that there are solutions to helping bridge the digital divide.
Another example is $100 laptops- you can buy one for yourself, but you also have to purchase another which will be given to a student in need. This program is prominent in parts of Africa in which they are used in schools but the students also take them home, which helps teach the older generation how to use computers.
Though when discussing the digital divide, most assume that it just occurs in foreign countries, but the digital divide is also occurring within the United States. As the book pointed out, certain ethnic groups, along with people with household incomes less than $30,000, are less likely to have broadband Internet access than whites.
The digital divide itself is important because of the access to information. Information is a powerful thing- it has the ability to education people about anything from other cultures to how to use a certain computer program and everything in between. Those without such access are at a disadvantage when applying for jobs because they are not familiar with certain forms of technology. Because of its relation to jobs and therefore income, the digital divide widens the gap between the rich and the poor.
With the changing demographics within the United States, including the increase in minorities and the economic situation we are currently in, it is important for all to have access to technology so that we can all have equal access (in terms of technological background) to jobs and to provide access to other areas of the world so that we might learn to understand other cultures and regions of the world.
One thing I was thinking of when we were discussing this in class is that the digital divide is really not going to be bridged on an individual level. Specifically because computing power alone doubles every 18 months and so new technology is always on the market and so if you enter the world of technology you are not just buying a computer once. Instead, sufficient funds are needed in order to keep up to with the most recent technology because having outdated information, is like not even existing in the technological world at all.
ReplyDeleteAlso if we publicize the use of technology and charge institutions with updating information, like the internet cafes or even libraries we can reach more people at a lower cost.
I find it interesting that you mention the digital divide, since Foreign Policy Magazine's blog ran a piece today about the failure of the One-Laptop-Per-Child program. In their opinion, as noble a venture as it may have been, it failed to address the real needs and concerns of the people it strove to help. In most cases, recipients of the laptops did not know what to do with them, or rejected the societal change they were intended to bring about.
ReplyDeleteIt does, however, raise an interesting cross-cultural point: In our tech-savvy society, we assume that the same skills one might use to get ahead are the same throughout the world. In actuality, the needs of each society dictate what is and what isn't necessary, rendering computers in these countries more time-consuming than helpful.
You can read the post here: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/09/09/why_did_one_laptop_per_child_fail