In today's society, the factor of segregation is no longer based on the discrimination of race, but rather the knowledge of digital capabilities. The development of technology and its advancement separates many individuals through its availability. The term “digital divide” represents the increase in the gap between those who have technology readily available to them and those who do not have access to computers and Internet usage. The lack of access to these technologies and the lack of understanding the digital capabilities that change daily, reflects this growth. Understanding the increase in the gap must be analyzed from factors that may cause a hindrance in being able to progress along with technology. With its development, the focus has shifted from the issue of access to determining its targeted audience. While seeking equality, the digital divide is centralized around a specific gender and it poses a threat to the future of those individuals who are not receiving technology’s full benefit.
Fundamentally, the growth of the digital divide can be examined under its influence on individuals from adolescence to adulthood, which has been nourished and developed in society. Studies have been conducted to identify how greatly the digital divide affects people in a more generalized and specific area of study. Researchers Joel Cooper and Kimberlee Weaver focused on the social psychology of the use of technology based upon gender in their book, Gender and Computers: Understanding the Digital Divide that makes a great reference point for information on the study of gender and technology. The examinations of the digital divide based on gender focuses on the stereotypes and the attributions to computer attitudes. In the early ages o...
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...ved from the negativity of it. Equality among gender, in opportunity and compensation is highly favored in the advancing technological world.
Works Cited
Chan, Christine, and Maria Bumatay. "DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR WOMEN PERSISTS AT WORK, ACCORDING TO." Neilsen/NetRatings. 13 Mar. 2002. Web. 10 Mar. 2011.
Cooper, Joel, and Kimberlee D. Weaver. Gender and Computers: Understanding the Digital Divide. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003. Print.
Dijk, Jan Van. The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the Information Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Pub., 2005. Print.
Norris, Pippa. "Wire World." Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. 51-67. Print.
O'Hara, Kieron, and David Stevens. "The Future Is Here" Inequality.com: Power, Poverty and the Digital Divide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2006. 287. Print.
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.
Trinity College. Jack Dougherty, 2 May 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. “Gender.”
Cyberspace as a frontier is open to all comers, but currently the majority of explorers and accomplished users appear to be mostly white males. Deborah Tannen, in her article "Gender Gap in Cyberspace," discusses some of her experiences and conclusions regarding this difference in usage of computers by males and females.(The full name of the author and of the article need to appear in the first couple of sentences. . .) She sums up her main point (main claim)when she asserts, "Men want to force computers to submit. Women just want computers to work" (141). (Claim is locked to a concrete piece of text to help show how the analyst is working. . .)This claim of fact is blunt and simplistic but works very well to attract the attention of her audience.(Names the claim and transistions in to the next paragraph about audience.)
Female inequality in workplace is one of the harmful aspect that is afflicting the entire
One important question that needs to be asked is, “what is equal?” Equality between sexes and race has been stressed and made law in the late nineteenth century, but even though laws have been made to protect woman from this discrimination, it still occurs frequently. Equal is being treated the same way and having the same opportunities no matter who one is. Big business has not given women the chance to be equal with men. One does not normally see a woman as the owner, or even the manager of a major corporation, these jobs consistently go to men. Traditi...
In conclusion, Carr and Gladwell’s essays have proven that the internet positive effects are outweighed by its negative effects. Carr has found he is unable to finish a full text anymore or concentrate. He thinks that the internet has taken our natural intelligence and turned it into artificial intelligence. Gladwell discusses how nowadays, social activism doesn’t have the same risk or impact as former revolutions such as the Civil Rights Movement. The internet is mostly based on weak ties based among people who do not truly know each other and would not risk their lives for their
Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing Up Digital: The rise of the net generation. New York, NY: Mc-Graw Hill Companies Inc. .
In the same contrast, society also benefits in a way from women’s disadvantage on pay. A lot of women are highly skilled workers who have a lot of experience and the potential of bringing more revenue for their companies, but because they are paid less, the company makes more revenue contributing into a better economy that everybody benefits from. Therefore, from an economical stand of point, society benefits from this disadvantage in a larger scale. Also, because markets tend to balance themselves, it may result in a better balance in wages rewarding women’s work and giving it
Technology is changing how we think and act at younger ages. The term “technology” doesn’t only mean manufacturing processes and equipment necessary for production, it also defines a social space and could be a social problem which makes a real impact on social reality. Different types of social software affect a variety of aspects and have both positive and negative impacts. It's important to be aware of how a digitally-driven life is changing our education, sense of self, relationships, social interaction, consumerism, and ways of doing business around the world.
A mere twenty years ago, children played in their neighborhood all day, jumping ropes, riding bikes, and building forts. They were the masters of imaginary games. Children created their own play that didn't require any money or parental supervision. Children would play with sticks. It could become a slingshot, a pistol, a claw, or anything else that they could dream up (Sawyer 1). In the past, family time was often spent doing chores, crafts, and homework. The dining room table was where families came together to enjoy their meals and have conversations about their day. After dinner, the dining table became the center for baking and homework after dinner (Mendoza 1).Today's families are different. Technology's impact on the 21st century family is fracturing and altering its very foundation, and causing a disintegration of core values and breaking down the fabric that held families together long ago. Comparing to this current generation, children have been born into a digital world and grown up with the most advance and updated technology. Children are called “digital natives (Richtel 1).” They are contrasted with the digital immigrants, such as their parents and teachers, who have adapted technology much later in life (Richtel 1). Technology has advanced so rapidly that families have scarcely noticed the significant shifts and transformations to their family structure and lifestyles. According to 2010 Kaiser Foundation, the study showed that elementary aged children use on average 7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology, 75 percent of these children have TV's in their bedrooms, and 50 percent of them have the TV on all day (Mendoza 1). Laptops, phones, and televisions are considered as some of the most popular technologies...
With technology rapidly changing as fast as we blink our eyes, it is important for people to learn as much as possible about the computer world if they want to maintain a decent lifestyle because the world we live in revolving around those technologies. As McKee points out, “most jobs now require intelligence and technical skill” (1). Each year, there is something either added or modified to computers, which forces people to learn computer literacy at a steady pace. While some love computers, others despise them. When comparing people’s attitudes towards computers, statistics show a gender gap that proves most females’ attitudes are drastically different from the attitudes of males. Several studies prove that women not only lack an interest in technology, but they also chose not to enroll in computer classes. Since computers and technology play an enormous role in the world today, more technology professionals are needed. It is extremely important for more women to become knowledgeable in these areas. Swain and Harvey argue, “This technology gender gap is affecting half our population and causing it to be unprepared to contribute to the demands of a high-tech twenty-first century” (17). While this may not seem like a serious issue to some, it is an issue that will ultimately lead to a bigger problem if not handled immediately. So why are there so few women in the technology field? To answer that question, I must first find out why are there so few women in the technology and computer classes, considering that this atmosphere is the most common place where the interest for computers is born.
Technology affects everyone! Whether positive or negative, we are all affected, how it manifests itself into problems for youth will be studied and debated for years. Balancing technology throughout the educational process and keeping with current trends and uses of technology will affect everyone. Technology has transformed our youth’s daily and social lives. How do we measure the effects of technology on our ability to socialize or have a successful social life? Socializing is not just talking face to face, it’s our ability to interact, learn, and create original thought. Technology hindering today’s youth and their ability to socialize is affecting their capacity to read, write, and communicate. Today’s youth depends on careful considerations for the implementation of technologies. Our youth do not have the capability to convey their emotions through the use of technology, understand sadness, happiness or joy through simple text or emails. Communicating through the use of text, chat, and social network sites is lost using abbreviations and slang, inhibiting the use of the Standard English language. Using computers and hand held devices for relationships, reading, writing, and entertainment, turning them into introverted and socially inept individuals. Current trends resonating from our educational institutions to our workplace can be examples of how technology has altered the way younger people communicate. This tragedy transcends from youth to adulthood affecting the workplace. Social networking sites have begun to take hours away from employers. How do students understand ethical and moral dilemmas unless they are allowed to make mistakes and work through a particular problem? Creative and original thought needs...
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.
Societies have evolved over recent centuries from agricultural communities to industrial giants. Sociologists, amongst others, are fascinated by the changes that have occurred in society, particularly since the advent of the industrial revolution to recent times. The last few decades have been referred to as the information era and this essay will be discussing the theories of several prominent authors, such as Daniel Bell, Frank Webster, Fritz Machlup and others, regarding the notion of an ‘information society’. The varying approaches have all have gained some momentum over the past few decades as technology advances. There will be some comment on their interpretations, how the information fits into our society, and the ways it has effect has possibly changed us. It will also see if any or all explain just what an information society is.