Introduction of New Technology Into a Society - Essay Example

New Media and the Digital Divide Any introduction of a new technology into a society initiates an endless series of effects, especially for those whohave and use the technology compared with those who do not and/or cannot. Today, the new media is at a critical juncture as new technologies are introduced, which, in turn are radically altering the ways in which society communicates. Ideally, this phenomenon is supposed to be a positive development. The emergence of new technologies such as the Internet is said to be the great equalizer, allowing for anyone to access the new media and interact with other people regardless of their backgrounds. But is this true? Is the new media, boosted by new technologies, making communication and information accessible to all people? The Digital Divide The digital divide has become a major global problem. With all the praises heaped on the ability of the Internet to empower people, the facts tell us a different story. In 1999, an investigation by the United Nations Development Program found that only 2.5% of the world’s population was connected to the Internet and approximately one quarter of the digitally connected in the world resided in one country – the United States. (cited in Buckingham & Willett 2006, p. 252) More recently, sobering global statistics report have been published by the International Telecommunications Union that of the 141 million Internet hosts across the globe, 106.2 are in the United States and a mere 0.274 million in Africa. (p. 252) Furthermore, while the new media, particularly in the area of information technology, provides us enabling benefits, it is important to underscore that technological developments are themselves shaped by socially bound perceptions of the needs, interests, and purposes that technology serves. According to Judy Wajcman, “technology is always a form of social knowledge, practices and products. It is the result of conflicts and compromises, the outcomes of which depend primarily on the distribution of power and resources between different groups in society. (cited in Goggin & Newell 2003, p. 3) The growing primacy of commercial motivations for the Internet over access is a case in point. The information superhighway, write James Everett Katz and Ronald E. Rice, is little more than a new medium for corporate American to control and profit from. They argued that the principle behind the national information infrastructure was grounded in privatization and commercialization. (p. 24) Here, access to information is no longer a central presumption of human needs essential to citizenship; rather, consumer interests have become the fundamental requirement in order for the evaluation of the performance of social systems. The technologies that are tagged with cyberculture, for example, have increasingly become tools for economics, politics and education and that those who raises questions in regard to access, knowledge, and the use surrounding new media technology are important in considering who will have power, and who will be powerless, in our increasingly smaller and technological society. Again, it must be underscored that the development of new media technologies follows market forces and that it reproduces existing power relations instead of transforming them. From another perspective, people become removed from collectivity, content becomes simplistic entertainment rather than social debate, text and words are replaced by images and sound, then the public becomes the private. Socio-economic Impact It is the concept of exclusion that demonstrates the impact of digital divide socially and economically. In the words of Neil Selwyn (2003): “some individuals have the most powerful computers, the best telephone service and fastest Internet service, as well as a wealth of content and training relevant to their lives… Another group of people don’t have access to [these].” (p. 3) The concept of digital divide covers a broad range of issues that include educational, economic and social issues. For example, the US as a wealthy economy is better able to access technology because it can afford it or that a highly educated community is more likely to use it because it can best utilize technology. According to Marian Quigley (2004), echoing many researchers on the subject, socio-economic factors and technological development are interrelated since technology is deeply affected by the context in which it is developed and used: Every stage in the generation and implementation of new technology involves a set of choices between different options. A range of interrelated factors – economic, social, cultural, political, organizational – affect which options are selected.” (p. 55) Consequences As the new media, particularly, the information and communication technologies (ICT), have transformed the conduct of business in today’s fast-paced global economy, people from poorer countries and communities – the side with less access to the new media - are at a disadvantage. Information technology is critical not just in simple communication but in international trade and, hence, without the ICT tool, they cannot compete more than ever with the richer nations. Commerce has gone online because it is fast and does away with distance, time and geographical boundaries. The digital divide will assure that poorer countries will not be able to full exploit the benefits of globalization. Instead, they are more likely experience the worst side of it. The Importance of Understanding New Media Technologies Globalization is the reason why understanding new media technologies is important. It is characterized by numerous international networks consisted of governmental organizations, governments, multinational corporations, and many other players. National borders are continuously being eroded by the current international trade system and technology plays a very crucial role in it. Now, there is the concept of the virtual firm, one that conducts business over the Internet and it significantly reduces many of the brick-and-mortar costs of productions as well as its processes. Then, there’s the emergence of business-to-business and business-to-consumer electronic commerce. These businesses are worth $2.3 trillion in 2002 alone. (O’Connor 2004, p. 29) The new media technologies together with globalization will dictate the path of the world economy. Conclusion The problem of “digital divide” has caught the attention of various organizations and individuals – academicians, policymakers, sociologists, researchers among others - these past years. In addition, various public sector and non-profit policy initiatives have been introduced in order to bridge the digital divide using technology, education, acquisition, training and lifelong learning. As a result, there is a growing awareness about the problem and efforts at bridging the technological gap. However, a change in the landscape within five years seems unlikely. In the recent statistics, a number of developing countries placed in the world’s top 20 Internet users. However, the huge number pales against the percentage of the entire population of the respective countries. For example, China is currently ranked number 1 in terms of the number of Internet usage. However, the figures represent only 18 percent of its entire population. The answer to the question on whether the current policies and campaigns to end the digital divide, must be explored by further research. As previously mentioned, socio-economic variables still hinder the attempts at solving the digital divide problem. Poverty still keeps people and governments and organizations from setting up good ICT infrastructure for fast Internet and telephone services, buying computers, and learning how to utilize it. The new media technologies are dependent on money and education. As long as these variables are not addressed in themselves, it would difficult to solve the digital divide in the near future. It may well be the case that new media will mature and that it would be accessible to people regardless of socio-economic backgrounds. When this time comes, a truly potent activism would emerge as the Internet has the amazing ability to accommodate individual voices. References Buckingham, D. and Wilett, R. (2006). Digital generations: children, young people, and new media. Routledge. Goggin, G. and Newell, C. (2003). Digital disability: the social construction of disability in new media. Rowman & Littlefield. Katz, Everett and Rice, R. (2002). Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement, and Interaction. MIT Press. OConnor, D. (2004). The basics of economics. Greenwood Publishing Group. Quigley, M. (2004). Information security and ethics: social and organizational issues. Idea Group, Inc. Selwyn, N. (2003). Defining the Digital Divide: Developing a Theoretical Understanding of Inequalities in the Information Age. Cardiff University. Read More