Digital Divide
Digital divide crosses all borders, culturally and geographically, discuss how the digital divide affects society in 2014.
Digital technology is viewed as one of the influential concepts in our evolving community, forming the basic structure of our global society as we advance into the information age. It is this concept of the advances in information computer technology that introduces the term ‘digital divide’, with it’s universal relevance it is capable of transcending all cultural and geographical borders, thus transforming it into a notion with extreme significance and increasing importance in the recent years. This essay will explore this idea of digital divide itself in depth, first illustrating the ever-changing conceptual meaning of the term, by looking at the different interpretations of the term and the evolution of its meaning over time. Then I will form a discussion evaluating the geographical factors that influence the distribution of digital technology and the formation of digital divides within communities. Lastly I will illustrate the detrimental cultural and educational consequences of divides within society, mostly pertaining to its impact of one’s integration into society.
Similar to how information and technology had been altered over time, so has the meaning of the digital divide. Initially the idea was conceived by many theorists as a single aspect, perceived by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration(1999) as the ability to utilise and understand the new age technological tools efficiently and effectively and in 2001, Companies suggested that the digital divide was defined as no more than the disparity of access between the latest forms of technology between different communities within society. Light (2001) effectively highlights the main understandings pertaining to the digital divide as “disparity between various groups in the areas of computer and Internet use”, “differences between information-haves and
Digital technology is viewed as one of the influential concepts in our evolving community, forming the basic structure of our global society as we advance into the information age. It is this concept of the advances in information computer technology that introduces the term ‘digital divide’, with it’s universal relevance it is capable of transcending all cultural and geographical borders, thus transforming it into a notion with extreme significance and increasing importance in the recent years. This essay will explore this idea of digital divide itself in depth, first illustrating the ever-changing conceptual meaning of the term, by looking at the different interpretations of the term and the evolution of its meaning over time. Then I will form a discussion evaluating the geographical factors that influence the distribution of digital technology and the formation of digital divides within communities. Lastly I will illustrate the detrimental cultural and educational consequences of divides within society, mostly pertaining to its impact of one’s integration into society.
Similar to how information and technology had been altered over time, so has the meaning of the digital divide. Initially the idea was conceived by many theorists as a single aspect, perceived by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration(1999) as the ability to utilise and understand the new age technological tools efficiently and effectively and in 2001, Companies suggested that the digital divide was defined as no more than the disparity of access between the latest forms of technology between different communities within society. Light (2001) effectively highlights the main understandings pertaining to the digital divide as “disparity between various groups in the areas of computer and Internet use”, “differences between information-haves and