Digital Divide

The digital divide encompasses all mediums of technology, the most notable being the computer.   Throughout the last 20 years, the digital divide has gone on a journey, with people at the helm, ever attempting to bridge the gap.   It seems as though once one gap is closed, another opens up creating a never ending battle in which people are constantly trying to be at the forefront of technology.   As we see the end of the traditional “haves” vs. “have-nots” digital divide on the horizon through government assistance, we are entering into a new type of divide in which because of technological astuteness, traditional roles of teacher and student, adult and child are being reversed.   No amount of technological reform will close the digital divide since the digital divide is ever changing and always present.
The term digital divide is defined in the Dictionary of Computing as “the state of inequality that exists between people who have access to modern information technology and those who do not, since the former have many more opportunities open to them than the latter” (Collins, 2004).   Tamara Pearson takes it a step further and defines it as the difference between those who have access to information and know what to do with it, and those who have access to information and don’t know what to do with it (Sumari, M. Carr, E. & Ndebe-Ngovo, M. 2006, p. 4).   No matter how you look at and define the digital divide, one thing is clear; this digital divide exists and doesn’t seem to be going away.
Data: Bowles (2010)
Data: Bowles (2010)
There has been a progression over time of the digital divide.   Beginning with those who had personal computers in their home; in 1990 this number was only 22%.   By 2001, this percentage had increased to 63%, and in 2004, 75% of American people had internet access in their homes (Bowles, 2010, Digital Divide, Para. 1).   With these numbers it appears as though the gap is closing, but the Chairman of the FCC would disagree.
According to... [continues]

Read full essay