- Published: September 28, 2022
- Updated: September 28, 2022
- University / College: University of Virginia
- Level: Doctor of Philosophy
- Language: English
- Downloads: 8
The technological revolution in this era has brought about globalization, especially through the introduction of radical new technologies in the field of Information Technology. Though the former statement is generally agreed upon, people mostly fail to see that this technology has not brought all the people of this world together as a global community; rather it has also served to create a digital divide. This divide is not because of national boundaries; instead this divide is due to a gap of technological outreach among different geographical areas, most importantly rural vs. urban areas (Curtis, 2002; NTIA, 1997). This outreach problem is because of several other reasons as well, such as difference in education level, difference in perceived needs of the societies, the person’s income and their age. According to some, these factors have more of a role in creating the digital divide than the geographical location. (Hindman, 2000; Compaine, 2001). Yet, it is a general consensus that a gap in the use of technology for different people exists.
To solve this problem, there are a few technological haves such as:
1. Technology should be cheaper and it should be easier to use than it is now.
2. The huge benefits of using technology, especially internet, should be clarified.
3. The education required for the use of the technology offered should be minimal.
4. The technologies available through the internet should be pertinent to the demographics, which will automatically develop an interest in its usage, thus decreasing the divide.
5. The use of that technology through internet should slowly but surely serve as a tool to ease the learning experience of internet for those people who have not used it before, so that they do not just use that technology; rather this usage should serve to promote more.
Also, there are a few have nots in this regard as well:
1. Technology should not just focus on the global scenario. Nothing that cannot support all different localities can be able to sustain globalization for long.
2. Technology should not be offered just as a commodity for immediate use without long term vision for promoting learning and innovating with the technology.
3. The interface providing the technology should not be too technical.
4. The mode of usage of the technology should be according to the demographics e. g. you cannot expect rural people to pay through credit cards generally.
5. Penetration is the keyword. No technology should be promoted in areas where it will either not be accessible or not penetrate the society in terms of requirement.
References:
Compaine, Benjamin M. (2001). The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth? MIT Press Sourcebooks. Massachusetts.
Curtin, Jennifer. (2002). A Digital Divide in Rural and Regional Australia? Economics, Commerce and Industrial Relations Group.
Hindman, Douglas Blanks. 2000. The Rural-Urban Digital Divide. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly.
NTIA. (1999). Rural Areas Magnify the Digital Divide? Falling through the net: Defining the Digital Divide. National Telecommunications and Information Administration.