ACCESSING THE MACHINE -- CH. 8

 

1. What is the digital divide?

  "A statistical difference in access to computer technology between various demographic groups"
   
  Gap between the information "haves" and "have-nots"
   

2. Some questions to think about

 
  • What are the consequences of the digital divide?
  • How can we stop the divide from widening?
  • Should access to a computer be a basic human right?
   

3. What types of digital gaps are there?

 
  • Gender Gap
  • Race Gap
  • Global Gap
  • Language Gap

 

The Gender Gap
1995 30:70 female:male ratio U.S. Data
2000 50:50 female:male ratio
  • Would this data be the same in other countries?

 

The Race Gap (Internet Access at home)
White 1998 29.8% +16.3% U.S. Data
  2000 46.1%  
       
Black 1998 11.2% +12.3%
  2000 23.5%  
       
Asian 1998 36.0% +20.8%
  2000 56.8%  
       
Hispanic 1998 12.6% +11%
  2000 23.6%  
  • What trends do you see in the data?
  • Is the growth rate the same for everyone?

 

The Global Gap
U.S. % of World Pop. 4.7%
  % of Internet 26.3%
     
OECD* % of World Pop. 14.1%
  % of Internet 6.9%
     
East Asia % of World Pop. 22.2%
  % of Internet 0.4%
     
South Asia % of World Pop. 23.5%
  % of Internet 0.04%

* The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (includes Western Europe,
Australia, Japan & Korea)

  • What parts of the world seem to be most affected by the digital divide?

 

The Language Gap
85% of webpages are English
45% of Internet users speak English

Online Language Populations according to research conducted by GlobalReach

 
  • What are the consequences of a mostly English Internet?
  • Should we change the language of the Internet?

 

3. Critiques of the digital divide

  • Snapshot Critique: The stats used to argue a disparity in Internet access between demographic groups do not reflect historical trends. Instead of haves & have nots, it should be haves & have laters (Boaz, 1999). Richer households adopt new technologies first.
  • Place, not Race Critique: Disparities in geographic access to the Internet are more significant than comparisons among demographic groups. Problem isn't race or income, but availability of Internet access in geographically remote areas.

 

Resources: