Digital divide is a new concept in revealing social discrepancy, with the advance of ICT and the WWW, it became an issue for governments and policy makers. Basic assumption about digital divide is not having access or not using a PC and Internet. Other believe such definition needs to be clarified, it represents an “universal access or simply access to computers and the Internet” (van Dijk, 2008), as it implies access to other digital equipment as well. At the same time, he shows that universal access in rich countries means household access for everybody, as in developing countries it is perceived as a luxury, therefore, the term is ambiguous and often hard to define. Other scholars identify the term digital divide as “a gap between those who have access to the latest information technologies and those who do not” (Compaine, 2001). On a different stages in the history, following Compaine (2001) idea, there was a division between those who knew how to farm and those who did not, between those who knew how to use industries’ tools and those who did not and , nowadays between those who know how to use ICT and those who don’t. We will argue in this paper, that digital divide is a reality, standing on the side of those who see it as an issue of the current information society.
Researchers believe, it would be probably more suitable to talk about digital inequalities, and get rid of such approach as “haves” and “have-nots” , as the dichotomy is not expressing the nowadays digital divide phenomenon, the digital inequality is seen as a more appropriate term defining this concept (DiMaggio & Hargittai, 2001; Mariën, 2012). As Mariën, (2012) uses Bianchi et al. (2006) definition of digital inclusion to express the continuous a...
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The topic of technology and our society has become a very controversial subject today. Many people believe that technology is an essential component of our modern world, helping us to improve communication from farther distances as well as giving us easy access to important information. On the other hand, there is the opinion that too much technology is affecting social interactions and our basic development. “Technology…is a queer thing, it brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” (Carrie Snow.) The CBC Documentary “Are We Digital Dummies” displayed the pros and cons when it comes to modern technology that we use in the western world everyday.
In his essay Mobile Phones, Digital Media and America’s Learning Divide, Professor S. Craig Watkins discusses the different ways that digital media affects the learning divide between middle and low-class students and also students of different races, ethnicities and cultures. Watkins’ purpose in writing this essay is to show how mobile phones are closing the learning divide as well as the digital divide. He uses facts and research that he has gathered as a member of the MacArthur Foundation’s research network on Connected Learning to back up his statements and improve his credibility as an author.
The purpose of Robert J. Samuelson’s article “Debunking the Digital Divide” is to explain that the popular political slogan “digital divide” is not as true as many people have been lead to believe. The digital divide is a theory that suggests that the advancement of technology will create an even larger gap between the “rich” and the “poor”. The ability/inability to afford a computer will increase income inequality between the technology “haves” and “have nots”. In his article, Samuelson states that, “this argument is either untrue or widely exaggerated”, and for many different reasons. However, wages statics and the widening of the wage gap give economist reasons to speculate. Samuelson makes two main points in his article and examines a study
In Urs Gassers and Jon Palfreys, Born Digital, both authors take a sociological approach on analyzing and interpreting the new phenomenon known as the emergence of Digital Natives, or the part of society born after 1980. The main thesis for Born Digital that Urs Gassers and Jon Palfrey were trying to transcend, was how individuals who are Born Digital are transforming the world we live in. Digital Natives are transforming our world because of their interactions and intuit with technology and the web. Those born after 1980 have grown up in a networked world and are different, in sometimes enigmatic ways, from those born before them. In Palfrey and Gasser's view, the digital natives promise to make astonishing contributions to society, but also face daunting problems. It is the authors' view that as a society we must do all we can to enable the progress, of Digital Natives, while trying to create the organizations and values necessary to protect them from the threats that they face. In addition, self-perception of self is becoming slightly effected in either a positive or detrimental way, depending on the individual. These self-perception changes are in turn changing the way we react with society in the reality. These individuals known as digital native’s have a strong knowledge for technology and the working of the internet because they were born into it. We are now living in an era where people who grew up without technology are being forced to learn and adapt to a world where technology is becoming very prevalent in everyday life. Being born into a world where technology is emerging, assuming they were born in an industrial economy, they have the benefit of not being too far behind the digital immigrants. In many homes ...
Wei, L, and Hindman ,DB 2011, ‘Does the digital divide matter more? Comparing the effects of new media and old media use on the education-based knowledge gap’, Mass Communications and Society, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 216-235.
With an entity as vast as the Internet, it is not surprising that a variety of unanswered questions will arise. I’m positive that the Internet will continue to confound scholars as it continues to quickly evolve. By analyzing the views of the celebrants and skeptics, I have been able to understand the potential that the internet has. By using the PEC, I have been able to understand how democracy and capitalism relate to the issues of the Internet. In the future, I hope that society can develop a further understanding of the Internet and move toward the Internet that the celebrants had hoped for.
Mark Prensky (2001) has coined the phrase Digital Natives versus Digital Immigrants. To put it simply, Digital Natives (DN) have always had the new technology (cell phones, video games, digital music, computers) while Digital Immigrants (DI) have come into these things later on in life and have had to learn “it” above and beyond the old ways they had of doing things. Is there a difference? Children today are born into a digital world and use technology from a young age. The Digital Natives/Learner finds technol...
The world is getting smaller, yet remains full of possibilities due in part to technology. Interestingly, the very first emails could only be sent to someone using two computers, literally side by side. Technology dates back to the first manipulations of materials to assist in human survival. There are many definitions for technology, John D. Carl describes technology stating,” it deals with the creation, use, and application of knowledge and its’ interrelation with life, society, and the environment” (Carl, J.D., 2011, p.301). For the purpose of this paper, any instrument, invention, or method influencing and allowing people to control or adapt to their environment, is technology. With the increased availability of technological tools (smart phones, text messaging, image scanning, email, and social media), communication is rapidly changing. Society has moved beyond the Industrial Age and into the Information Age, where the sharing of knowledge and ideas is the new driver of power and world economy. Technology possesses many merits, and as with any tool, it carries drawbacks. Misuse and overuse creates unsavory dependence. This dependence can have adverse affects on people, business, and education. Technology receives vast criticism for reducing face-to-face interactions. Although the information technology of today is widely held as impersonal, it promotes communication; technology reduces costs and leverages productivity by facilitating access to information and knowledge, and augmenting interaction amongst those who utilize technology.
In summary, the Digital Divide is real and has placed a severe gap between certain groups of people in the American culture. The Land of Opportunity is not necessarily made available to all. In her CNet article, Sonia Arrison (2002), provides a unique perspective as to the reason behind the gap. “The digital divide is not a crisis, and it is certainly not the civil liberties issue of the 21st century. The real issues are the sorry state of education and the push to raise the taxes that affect lower income families most” (Arrison, 2002). Arrison states that if the Government could improve the education in the American schools and stop luxury taxes on so many services, the Digital Divide could easily be narrowed. By narrowing the divide, more families could afford Internet if so desired, and students could have access to a better education.
The consistent use of information and communication technology (ICT) in modern world enables us for countless opportunities for individuals, institutions, business organisations and scientists, but it also raises difficult ethical and legal problems. In particular, ICT helped to make societies more complex and thus even harder to understand. The use of ICT has led to changes in concepts: ownership, buying and selling, right to possession, theft, justice in the distribution of resources and access rights. During the nineties, the internet has grown into all business segments resulting in a large number of questions running. It has been noted that during those time period there has been merging of computers, telecommunications, and media which is further emphasized by the emergence of new issues and strengthening old ones.
The question people are asking themselves today is, Is digital literacy just as important as daily subjects such as reading, writing, and math for our students today? To prepare for this paper I was given three excerpts to read. Right away I was drawn to how much time we spend on the internet daily and what types of things we do while we are on the internet. I realized that today’s society is dependent on the internet for most things like doing homework, researching information, shopping, and getting on social media websites. While reading a fact sheet named Fact Sheet: Digital Literacy, “We live in an internet economy I came across interesting facts such as 96% of Americans use technology and internet at their jobs and 28% of American don’t
Imagine someone born in the early 1900’s entering a modern-day classroom. They would likely be confused as to what televisions, computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices are. It is also likely that they would be overwhelmed by the instant access to information that the internet provides. Digital media has become a large part of people’s everyday lives especially with the rise of digital media in classrooms. Digital media is growing so rapidly that people who are not adapting to this shift in culture are falling behind and becoming victims of the “digital divide”, this is leaving people misinformed. Digital media has a large effect on the way that people communicate, this is especially evident in the way that students interact with
Surveying the Digital Future: How the PC and Internet are changing the world. (1999, June). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Communication Policy.
...an information society. We are probably all networking on some level, whether in a large business, a call centre, or on a personal level using the internet to contact or find friends. The WSIS, are definite advocates of the information society, and seem to hold very high hopes for it.