DIGITAL DIVIDE
While Internet and other technological advances have created room forgreater economic and educational benefits, it has also given rise toeconomic and social disparities between various classes and betweendeveloping and industrialized countries. This situation is commonly knownas the digital divide. In specific terms, Digital Divide refers to thepersistent gap between individuals, societies, countries, and socialclasses in their ability to access the Internet and other technologies.Income and education are considered the two most important social factorsdetermining the extent to which digital divide affects a certain householdor socio-economic group. Some other important variables are racialbackground, language, age, gender etc. However the difference is notlimited to households and social groups only, it affects the entire worldand is more pronounced between developing and industrialized country.The way Internet has been affecting our lives; it is clear that we can nolonger function without new and better technologies. From the way we dobusiness, to the way we gain knowledge to the manner in which wecommunicate have all been influenced by the advent of Internet and related
It is an unfortunate fact that while education and income determines accessto technologies, they also determine the severity and depth of economic gapalready existing between different social classes. Quay (2001) explains: "The cost of computer and Internet accessis often cited as a barrier. Peopleof color view the Internet as something only rich can access which isthough not true yet it has ironically proved to be anything but the greatequalizer it has often been touted as. The countryneeds to resolves these issues while addressing the problem of Internetaccess. The non-OECD countries have largely lagged behind the western nations whereInternet and computer technologies and access to them are concerned. Yet their limited resources, IMFrestrictions and various other social and political issues hinderunobstructed growth of technologies in these regions, widening the digitaldivide. The Scandinavian countries as a whole realized theimportance of information technology early on and quickly worked to gettheir citizens and corporations connected. "Digital Divide was first noticed in 2000 during a G8 Summit in Japan. It will take a commitment on thepart of government, business, charitable organizations, and communities toan ideal of universal service, and an acknowledgment that equal access totechnology is, for individuals, a basic right, and, for the country as awhole, an economic and democratic necessity. We notice that in the United States and North America on the whole, thehouseholds enjoying higher income levels not only enjoy greater access toInternet and related facilities but also enjoy the possibility of a betterfuture. Financial constraints put developing countries at adisadvantage because on the one hand, they lack skills and education neededfor improvement of future prospects and on the other; they lack computerliteracy, which only adds to growth and productivity problems. Some neighborhoods get high-speedInternet access, while some do not have wiring for phones. The country is focusing on providing computertraining and Internet access to villagers, most of who are living in dismalpoverty.
Common topics in this essay:
North America,
Digital Divide,
European Union,
African Americans,
Population Survey,
Colin Powell,
Africa Overall,
Finland Norway,
Lanka Vietnam,
Department Commerce,
digital divide,
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internet access,
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growth internet,
internet users,
developing countries,
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related technologies,
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exists developing developed,
divide exists developing,
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