Should we still talk about a digital divide - Essay Example

Topic: Digital Divide Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction The current wave of globalization has enhanced the growth of Information Communication Technology (ICT). More people have access to information and the number is growing day by day. Nevertheless, there are inequalities with regard to the access and useful application of information by individuals, families and business organizations. This difference is mainly attributed to varied socio-economic status and the knowledge required for its application. Digital divide is influenced by race, gender, education and income of the world’s population. Some of the equipment required for successful access to information is costly while only a few people may possess ICT skills. There are various views regarding the existence of a digital divide. Some feel that it exists while others do not believe in its existence. This paper evaluates various perspectives regarding digital divides, leading to a conclusion of whether there is one or not. It also discusses inclusion and networks with regards to the information age. The Concept of Digital Divide There are various theories that have been applied to explain the concept of digital divide. These lead to three categories of digital divides including; the economic divide, usability divide and empowerment divide (Rooksby 2009). Economic Divide To begin with, the theory of economic divide is focused on the affordability of information systems and equipment such as computers and telephone. During the inception of Information Technology in the society, the acquisition of computers by individuals required large amounts of money. This limited information flow to a small group of wealthy people who could afford a personal computer. The digital divide was large on a global perspective. The rate of adoption of ICT was also different among global economies (Warschauer 2003). Nevertheless, the recent wave of technological globalization has led to a reduction in the cost of accessing information since more people were presented with an opportunity to work with computers either in their places of work, educational institutions or cybercafes. Computers were rapidly adopted to replace manual work and hard copy archives and were soon followed by the internet technology that increased the speed and scope of communication. The use of e-mails significantly enhanced information exchange in business, learning institutions as well as between individuals (Zittrain 2009). Initially the cost of internet connection, just like any innovative technology in the market cost a huge sum of money upon its commencement and availability in the market. According to research, by the year 2004, almost 50% of adults in America alone do not have access to internet technology, a situation that is attributed to financial constraints (Warschauer 2003). There after, the price of applying this technology has reduced tremendously allowing all economic classes to access information, other factors such as literacy and awareness held constant. With regards to the economic perspective, digital divide is a concept that is fading day by day especially in the developed countries. Mobile phones that have internet access are available in the market at reduced cost than they used to be, and people can communicate better using modern communication software such as Skype. According to Turban et al., (2011), Skype serves an average of 25 million clients during peak hours. It has been significant in the lifestyles of the modern society. The most important aspect has been lowering the cost of telephone services. Subscribers of Skype are able to communicate effectively through unlimited phone calls, which is not possible through the common telephone service providers. Moreover, Skype services are accessible globally and therefore every person who has access to the internet can use them (Booth, 2010). Owen et al. (2006) observes that in the developed economies, people have an opportunity of choosing what kind of communication to use rather than where to get communication equipment. Other technologies that have reduced the cost of information access include the satellite technology that has made it possible for television stations to transmit programs globally. Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) is the leading global television network that has contributed to the “world as a global village” concept. Moreover, the television programs are also accessible through the internet. The prices of computers, mobile phones and other communication devices continue to decrease hence can be afforded by more people. In consideration of the economic view point, it can not be assumed appropriately that a digital divide exists. Nevertheless, there are other factors to consider such as the usability divide (Looker & Naylor 2009). Usability Divide The complexity of emerging technology has locked out many people from accessing and utilizing information. This limitation goes beyond economic aspects with regards to the existence of a digital divide. Most of the less developed countries are still struggling to accomplish the objectives of primary education. Computer literacy is considered to be tertiary level and hence little or no resources are budgeted for it. Other people can use computers but the level of understanding with regards to the benefits of the available services is low. For example, few people in the less developed economies know about online business. Even in the developed economies, studies show that less than 40% of people are able to fully utilize the internet in commercial transactions (Zittrain 2009). Some of the websites need high literacy skills for anyone to comprehend what they are all about. Websites need to be user friendly to the user groups with low literacy skills, for example through offering guidelines with regards to the access and utilization of information. Some of the websites contain information that is intended for the poor and uneducated but information access for this group is not accomplished due to their literacy level. Websites containing health information need to be accessible to people with basic education. Governments need to engage in affirmative action to ensure that all user groups with high or low literacy levels acquire information. So far, the British government has succeeded in making it simple for people of high school level to access government information (Collier 2007). While searching for information on the internet using the search engines, it is always useful to use key words that would display specific information required. Research shows that many internet users are poor in this as they most of the time use long sentences that makes the searching process tedious and inaccurate. As such, they waste a lot of time before they could find information due to trial and errors. According to research, young people tend not realize that internet is not just the search engines such as Google, but a collection of many providers. This is due to the fact that they concentrate much of their information seeking on these search engines instead of widening their scope (Dresang 2006). As such, they get limited knowledge on the constituents of the internet, which could provide more valuable and effective information or which could help them quantify their ability to use the internet. Older people are the main victims of the usability divide yet many website developers do not take in to consideration this user group. However, companies are the ones that fail to advice on how to include the aging society as part of their target audience. Most of them target the younger generation that is expected to be fascinated by emerging products in the market. The trend in social networking presents a different reflection of the digital divide. There are more than 100 networking sites in the internet that people use for social networking which include; facebook, myspace, Linkedin and Survey monkey among others (Zittrain 2009). Since the use of the websites varies among various users of the internet, some of them are accessed more than the others. Among the social networking sites, facebook has grown to a large extent (McLuhan). Since its inception, facebook has grown to a large extent. Dresang (2006) observes that facebook has grown to a large extent in a very short time due to the manner in which it operates. People can invite each other to register in the site through e-mail, and once the person who receives the invitation registers, he/she is presented with a number of other friends who are connected to the one who sent the invitation. This trend continues until so many people are invited into the website. More over, uploading a personal photograph tends to attract the other people to join the site since it looks real and genuine. The growth of facebook can therefore be attributed to the manner in which it operates and application of the widely used electronic mail (Backstrom et al. 2006). It only requires a person’s e-mail to be known by a person interested in making an invitation. The more people discover the whereabouts of their friends, the more they are likely to use facebook as they seek to discover more. Nevertheless, the social networking sites and other useful commercial sites such as Skype are mainly targeted at the user groups with higher literacy levels. This trend signifies the extent to which usability divide persists in the society with regards to the access and utilization of information. Even if the economic and usability divide were to be eliminated through cost reduction and simplifying the use of technology, there still remains a gap with regards to empowerment to access and utilize information (Prahalad 2004). Empowerment Divide Empowerment is the practice of augmenting the religious, political, societal, racial, gender and ethnic strength of individuals and groups of people to acquire the confidence needed to accomplish a particular goal. The empowered develop confidence in their competences. With regards to the access and utilization of information, the knowledge and equipment required may be available and easy to use but when people are not empowered to participate in information sharing, they may not benefit. The empowerment divide portrays the presence of inequality in terms of participation (Warschauer, 2003). Looker & Naylor (2009) observes that many people still rely on the suggestions of others in terms of information sharing. Studies indicate that in social networks, few people contribute regularly to various topics that are discussed in the sites while those who make many contributions are even lesser in number. This is an indication that many people, despite having access to computers and possessing skills to use the internet do not find anything important for them to contribute. They feel that they are not obligated to be part of the social networks. Such people do not employ their own initiative to take responsibility of any information regardless of their knowledge and skills (Dalton et al. 2007). Lack of empowerment makes people shun situations that seem to expose them to the public. For example, in social network sites, a person registers through entering private information which is unique to him/her. It requires one to enter personal details as much as he/she would wish to reveal, such as age, sex, marital status, friends, and employment details among others. People exchange information through these sites regarding any topic of interest. Un-empowered people feel insecure to share their privacy with everyone else accessing the site. This especially arises due to the ignorance of the fact that it is possible to conceal information that they do not want their social network friends to view (Castells 2009). Websites have an option for customization to suit the user. However, this is not automatically clear to people who are not empowered. They tend to possess undue inferiority complex in relation to the perceived giant companies that appear on virtually every website. Failure to scrutinize the websites further denies such people the realization that the websites do not belong to these companies. Rather, the companies request the owners of the website owners to maximize their appearance for public relations marketing, advertising and awareness creation. For example, some websites that require registration give the user an automatic password. Users who are not empowered do not take the initiative to change the password so that they can ensure limited access to their account. Nevertheless, they live with the fear that their privacy is not secure and end up giving up the use of such sites thereby missing the opportunity to access and utilize information (Warschauer 2003). The empowerment divide may seem negligible but it has had a significant impact on the capacity of people to access information through the internet. This is evidenced by the high number of people who subscribe to sites such as facebook and end up not using it or unsubscribing. It is an indication that they know the benefits of using it, they possess the required skills to access and use information as well as the required equipment but they lack empowerment to uphold their quest for it (Alkalimat 2001). Implications of the Digital Divide With the three limiting factors not being fully dealt with in the global society, the digital divide presents various challenges in promoting equality among all people. Digital divide hampers social inclusion in the society. Dalton et al. (2007) argues that in a society that practices social inclusion, the members have a sense of value and self-worth. Their lives are full of dignity and satisfaction, and they are incorporated in the community systems that define its membership. For example, all people are involved in the community’s social and economic activities, they have an equal right of participating in community politics among other activities. Social inclusion is a significant factor in the mental health of a community. Gordon (2009) observes that contemporary organizations are adopting new communication technologies to enhance productivity. E-commerce is one of the marketing strategies that involves online communication and deals between businesses and their customers. The usability and empowerment divides may limit the chances of certain user groups to get employment even with other skills that are necessary to accomplish other tasks in the organization. Organizations are also posting employment advertisements on their websites. This implies that those with internet connection have a high chance of getting a job than those without. This gap is evident especially between those in urban areas and those in rural areas where electricity and other infrastructure that is necessary for the use of computers and internet are not available. The highest numbers of people who use the internet reside in urban centers while there is limited or no access to internet services in the rural areas (Castells 2009). On the other hand, the digital divide has contributed to enlargement of the gap between the rich and the poor. People who are not empowered to use online information are segregated from the information society and hence can not benefit from the advancements in Information Communication Technology that is expected to drive the development agenda of many economies globally. This means that as economies encourage computerization of processes and communication, a large percentage of people is left behind yet little consideration of their interests is put in to consideration. Gordon (2009) observes that engagement in contemporary business, employment and other income generating activities is influenced by access to information, synthesizing and utilizing it to enhance business operations. Among rural communities of less developed economies, gender discrimination is dominant, with few women getting chances to acquire more than primary education. Proponents of the adoption of modern information communication technology do not take this aspect of society in to consideration, hence generalization of the entire community in terms of using various services in the market. For example, banks introduced a range of technological operations for better services to their clients. Many clients are still unable to use online money transfer services, yet they have been integrated in the banking processes without any guidelines of their application. Other money transfer services such as swift and electronic money transfer that require the application of computers are not accessible to all clients either due to complexity or lack of empowerment to use them (Prahalad 2004). Role of Governments in Reducing the Digital Divide Governments can not be solely blamed for the existence of the digital divide since technological advancements have occurred rapidly and independent of the rate of adoption among citizens. Nevertheless, it is the role of governments to mobilize citizens to keep up to date with the transformations in the economy to enhance the productivity of each individual. It is also necessary for governments to provide the necessary infrastructure to ensure that essential services reach all citizens. For example, computers can not be used without electricity and hence the need for rural electrification to facilitate internet access in rural areas. Governments also need to develop educational policies that promote computer literacy at an early age. Moreover, there is need for affirmative action to ensure that marginalized groups such as the aged and the disabled are offered equal opportunity to acquire computer literacy (Alkalimat 2001). Organizations should be encouraged to empower their employees and clients to use computers. Governments need to consider offering subsidies to companies promoting computer literacy in the workplace as well as among clients. Access to basic information on government websites should be simplified to ensure easy access for all. Lowering tariffs on Information Communication Technology products can enhance acquisition by many citizens hence a reduction in the digital divide (Collier 2007). Conclusion The digital divide can be explained through various theories including; economic, usability and empowerment divides, which do not contribute to the digital divide in isolation. The economic divide is fading as affordability of computers and internet connection is increasing among populations globally. Usability divide has adverse effects since some user groups are completely ignored in terms of simplifying access to information. Many people are locked out even though they can afford computers and internet connection. Empowerment divide lowers access to information even with the possession of computers and internet connection as well as the necessary skills to use them. Governments need to engage affirmative action to ensure that citizens can afford and easily access information to eliminate the digital divide. So far, the digital divide still exists and may persist until usability and empowerment divides are dealt with. References Alkalimat, A. 2001, eBlack: a 21st century challenge, viewed on 10th Dec. 2011 From Backstrom, L., Huttenlocher, D., Kleinberg, J., & Lan, X. 2006. “Group formation in large social networks: Membership, growth, and evolution”. Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Knowledge Discovery in Data Mining, New York: ACM Press, pp. 44-54. Booth, C. 2010, “Chapter 2: IP Phones, Software VoIP, and Integrated and Mobile VoIP”. Library Technology Reports Vol. 46, 5 pp. 11–19. 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