Technological Divide as a Function of Capitalism - Essay Example

The Technological Divide as a Function of Capitalism Affiliation Technological Divide as a Function of Capitalism Technological divide or the digital divide is a very controversial issue in the society. Some people see the digital divide as a crucial issue that needs to be dealt with so as to do way with poverty in the world. However, others feel that technological gap is a ploy by corporate to monopolize information and technology based industries. The digital divide is a reality. It exists between countries, regions within nations, between classes in the society, and even between men and women, the young and the old. The digital divide is e lack of access to the cyberspace or connectivity; rather it is part of the modernist means to compartmentalize and categorize complicated socio-technological issues into a one-dimensional social analysis. Communication and information technologies have completely changed the world’s political economy of global capitalism. The way a section of the global society has been excluded economically, socially and technologically is an enduring feature of modernization. This is despite the universality ethos embended deep into the fundamental concept of modernization. Trade and technology based globalization of capitalism has resulted in a new era of continuous creation and innovation being the main features of local and global economies. The impact of globalization on work, leisure, employment, and income distribution is so unprecedented such that it is difficult for those at the receiving end to cope with it. By the time they close the gap of the technological divide; it even widens further rendering their efforts futile. The feature of exclusion of a majority of the global population in globalization has become a reality that we have to live with. However, this aspect can be avoided if the economy is made more inclusive and equitable (Parashar, 2014). Two centuries ago, globalization started in Europe with the adoption of new production relationships. The industrial revolution brought with it rapid propagation of industrial, communication, transportation, and military technologies. This period of rapid socioeconomic change was characterized by conflicting practices by several social actors. The contradictive practices based on consumption, production, power, and experience led to the rise of industrial capitalism. On the other hand, industrial capitalism resulted in the change of technological and scientific knowledge production, usage, and diffusion. The change later led to numerous innovations in technologies such as the steam engine, electronics, chemicals, computers, and most recently genetic engineering and the internet. At the time when Europe was experiencing modernization, it had colonies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, it was until the end of the Second World War that the European modernity had effects on the economic and social structures of their colonies. The characteristic feature of modernization in these nations was the adoption of new technologies that were being transferred from the already industrialized countries. Foreign aid in the form of technology and capital were crucial in this process. The primary assumption of the modernization theory was that the world was in a Eurocentric path of social and economic change embedded in the enlightenment ideals. The concept was that the western countries had arrived first, and the rest of the world had to go through technological catch up (Robinson, 2008). It is through the adoption of the right technologies that modernization can be achieved. Through the passage of the right policies, governments could induce advancement of technology that would help in the development. However, modernization and economic development in the third world countries stalled. The countries became victims of the super-power’s geo-strategic power struggles. Modernization project is characterized by industrial capitalism, bureaucratization, rationalization, and functional and systemic differentiation. At the end of the nineteenth century, the project went through qualitative change. Industrializing nations showed a structural transformation in the way they carried out subjective and interactive practices based on the possibility of new modes of production and technologies. The industrial societys structural change had various characterizations, but the most common was information capitalism. In the new era of capitalism, knowledge as opposed to labor, machines, and natural resources became a crucial factor of production (Lenin, 2011). The beginning of the post-industrial society came at the same time as the new phase of economic globalization. Free movement and flexible production of capital on a global scale were the primary characteristic of the new era. Other features included the replacement of industrial capitalism by financial capitalism. There has been increased denaturalization and dematerialization of the economy from being material based to being non-material based on information capitalism’s value chain. Despite the rise of the value of agricultural products worldwide, information based commodities have experienced a steady increase in value. After the integration of the global market, agricultural products, of developed countries have increased in value while those of fewer developed countries continue to lose value (Keil, & Mahon, 2009). As farmers in the less developed countries get peanuts for products, rich countries benefit from their hard work. So why is this? The reason is that the introduction of information communication technologies and other innovative technologies has resulted in an intense rupture. This rapture is the reason behind technological divide being a perverse problem. The primary problem for developing countries is not how high or low they are but how in or out they are. Because of the globalization of innovations, national economies have faced rapid creative destruction. Although the countries connected to globalization create a lot of wealth, there is a historical high inequality in the distribution of wealth. The society has become unequal with a weak vassal state where power is in the hands of aristocrats and the landed feudal lords. When the society evolved from the post-industrial to the information based society, income inequalities between those who do manual jobs and those in intellectual jobs continued to rise. Although Eagles and Marx spoke of how industrial capitalism’s technological innovations would knock down the Chinese walls of the feudal societies, communication, information and other technologies demand that developing nations join the bandwagon of globalization or face extinction. The forced inclusion of these nations only results in them being further marginalized. For these countries to achieve growth and development, they need to be creative and innovative in the utilization of technologies and information (Robinson, 2008). However, the developed countries have already won this game and the other nations only enter it with the hopes of survival. Economic development does not only entail the change of societies and nations, but it also requires alteration of our state of mind through the efficient utilization of technologies and knowledge. Societies that respond to change brought about by modern capitalism are the ones that are best placed to join the global network society. The primary goal of the global network society is knowledge networking that enables societal formation as well as consumption and economic production activities. In order to survive, nations have to face this harsh reality arising from globalization (Sorj, 2008). In examining the digital divide, the political-economic theory is useful. Through the approach, analysts can find the existing relationship between power, wealth, and knowledge. The perspective provides a view on how capitalism operates and argues that capitalism is evident where power and wealth distribution is concentrated in the hands of only a selected few. Those who control power and wealth, control the allocation of resources as well. The resources may include information and new technologies. The fact that they have the maximum control over resources and policy making makes the existing disparities bigger. The internet commercialization of the internet has led to internet based technologies like telecommunication, media, and information technologies to be unequally distributed. The variations in the accessibility and use of technologies reflect social inequalities in terms of education, income, wealth, and standards of living. The inequality is further strengthened by the adoption of information policies that only favor big corporations or developed nations and ignoring the interests of the poor people and developing countries. Unequal distribution of resources is a main characteristic of capitalism and it is further widened by the global expansion of technology and capital. The development and application of the internet are not an automatic domain; rather it is molded by the political-economic context that created it (Keil, & Mahon, 2009). In conclusion, it is a fact that the technological divide does not benefit everyone. The gap is used to strengthen poor underdeveloped and developing countries dependence on the rich and developed western nations. International organizations are utilized by the western powers to force developing states to give up its autonomy that increases social inequality. In turn, the social inequalities deepen the digital divide. In the modern age, knowledge and information have increasingly made private. The ability of big corporations and advanced countries to privatize information is reminiscent of the feudal society. Hence, states find it difficult to provide for the welfare of its citizens. The solution for digital and technological divide is building a society that values equality and justice and the values of human rights are understood and respected. However, for capitalists, the technological divide is a necessary evil that enables a selected few to have control over resources, wealth, and policy making. It is also through it that global capitalist expansion is possible. References Keil, R. & Mahon, R. (2009). Leviathan Undone: Towards a Political Economy of Scale. Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press. Lenin, V. L. (2011). Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism. Moscow, Russia: Martino Publishing. Parashar, S. (2014). Divisions & Integrations: The Expansion of Global Capitalism. New York, U.S: Kendall Hunt. Robinson, W. I. (2008). Latin America and Global Capitalism: A Critical Globalization Perspective. Maryland, U.S: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Sorj, B. (2008). Information Societies and Digital Divides. Milan, Italy: Polimetrica. . Read More