The digital divide is a slowly closing gap. Many people are helping to make an effort to connect communities and people nationally and globally. The digital divide is the gap between those people with access to digital info technology and those who do not have access. The digital divide may be classified based on gender, income, race groups and locations. It is then broken into two sections, the global divide and the social divide. The global divide is concerned with the absolute divide of telecommunication access and includes imbalance and ability to use technology. The social divide is the actual gap, within a nation, between those who have it and those who don't.
There are efforts being made worldwide to close this gap. Many non-profit groups such as One Laptop per Child and Room to Read seem to be doing a great job. One Laptop per Child seems to be one of the better ideas. The way it works is you buy a laptop for around $188 and once there is enough for each child in the class they will give them to impoverished children. This not only bridges the global divide but also the social divide. This way there won't be one child within the group who doesn't have as much technological access as the other. Countries that don't have access to the internet cannot be competitive in the global economy. I read an article which touched on Qualcomm, Room to Read, Nepal Telecom and S-Fone establishing computer labs with 3G internet in under-served communities in Nepal and Vietnam (Qualcomm). Each would include enough computers to serve as many as 50 students during a class. I think this is a very positive thing for not only Nepal and Vietnam but for the world. Such small things can have such large impact. This will help give these children a better chance at becoming as successful in life as any other children in the developed world. Access to online resources and educational materials can have a life-changing impact on students. "Not only will they have connectivity that enables access to learning materials and communities for the first time, but they will also have the opportunity to gain specialized skills and training," said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm.
Somewhere around 75% of all American's have access to the internet. This is a high percentage compared to the 5% to 13% found in most of Africa. I read an article about a brother and sister, aged 8 and 10, who live in inner city Dublin (Donnelly). The brother's school was selected to receive money to buy and upgrade computers and technology while his sisters school, which is 5 meters away, was not. This has created a social divide between the two. Many people within the community are complaining about how the scheme was devised. I think this is an issue because it is putting the sister at a disadvantage. This is a perfect example of how detrimental the digital divide can be. This is quite a different situation than the impoverished communities in Africa where the children have no access to computers or the internet whatsoever.
The digital divide affects us in many ways. It seems that most Americans are unaware of the lack of internet access in most of the world. We take it for granted here and don't realize that many people have less opportunities and education as us. I think it's very important that we do our best to close the digital divide because there is no telling what advancements society could have from someone who is given the right resources.
"Qualcomm, Room to Read, Nepal Telecom and S-Fone Establish Computer Labs With 3G Internet Connectivity in Rural Communities :-- 3G to Benefit Underserved Communities in Nepal and Vietnam --. " PR Newswire 26 October 2009 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Katherine Donnelly, and Grainne Cunningham. "BROTHERS and sisters in two schools in inner city Dublin have found themselves separated by the digital divide :National. " Irish Independent 20 Oct. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
