The Digital Divide Digital Divide is often described as the gap between those with access to technology (e.g. computers and the Internet) and those who have not. It is a social and political issue that started since the early 1990’s and is believed to have grown over the years. There is also such thing as “Global Digital Divide”, and this refer back to the gap between developed and developing countries. At present, programs such as BBC’s Computeraid try and help solve this social problem by donating computers in rural areas and helping educate people. Digital Divide isn’t just about the access of people to such facilities but also described as the differing levels of IT skills within the society. Digital Divide is often referred back to the haves and have-nots, also known as the rich and the poor. In earlier years, they have been described as the middle and working classes, although these sectors vaguely exist in the society at present. The haves are people who can afford to buy these new technologies such as compute...
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.
After much thought and research, the digital divide is a massive issue not just in Detroit, but across the country and even the globe. It is a problem we may never overcome, but if we all come together and deal with this issue as one, we can see this divide shrink more and more in the future. Detroit is one of the biggest cities most affected by the digital divide. These facts may explain why Detroit has the highest poverty rates in America because internet access has become just as important as any other utility such as water and power. In today’s society, access to the internet is required to accomplish just about anything, whether it is paperwork or educational purposes such as school. Unfortunately, only 62% of Detroit residents have access
The closing decades of the twentieth century ushered in the digital age and spelt an end to the Industrial Revolution. At no other period of time in our history of time in our history has there been so much change affecting every aspect of our daily lives. Things that once made each culture unique and different are now being replaced or modified by things that do not. Individuality is out; being part of the ‘global village’ is in. Politically, countries are being forced to change to accommodate decisions imposed on them by international bodies over which they have little
Warschauer, Mark. "Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide." Firstmonday.org. 01 July 2001. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/967/888
Technology has become humanity's new and consistent form of communication. However, along with technology, comes a well known phrase: The Digital Divide. The Digital Divide refers to the economic and social inequality with regard to access to, use of or impact of information and communication technologies. The divide appears in disparities between individuals, households, businesses or geographic areas, usually in various socioeconomic levels or other demographic categories. The Digital Divide is an ongoing issue in America and throughout the world. It shows technical diversities ranging from access to the internet and media to how technology is understood due to literacy and sometimes the age of an individual. Underdeveloped countries and elderly people are more prone to having less access to the most recent technologies because of economic status and overall understanding of how technology works. Even though it seems as if the digital divide is closing due to recent technologies, there are still some barriers that need to be addressed to get the divide a little smaller.
Turkle, Sherry. "Digital Nation." Interview. PBS. PBS, 22 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 May 2014. .
Imagine you are at the Super Bowl to cheer on your favorite team in competition. As they march onto the field you and everyone in attendance jump to their feet with a deafening roar. However, as your team lines up you notice that they are not wearing any equipment, not one piece. How would you expect to compete against the other team who has the necessary pads, shoes, and protective gear needed for this game? When we do not address the issue of digital divide in schools and districts we are doing this very same scenario with our children’s education. Gone are the days of factory workers replaced by researchers, computer programmers, and scientists. The jobs of the 21st century are going to require critical thinking and problem solving,
Surveying the Digital Future: How the PC and Internet are changing the world. (1999, June). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Communication Policy.
Today's world revolves around the storing, organization, and communication of information. While the world today may seem new and unique, this digital world arose out of a combination of many smaller steps that varied from innovations like a new discovery in science or a new philosophical outlook. In their writings Lev Manovich, a professor of New Media at San Diego University, and Dr. Simon Cook, an Economics professor at Duke University, have developed of a history of what lead to the development of the visual world. Manovich claims that the digital revolution came in a three-step process. The first took place in the time period between 1870 and 1920. Manovich believes that during this time period, called the late Victorian, a change occurred in the cultural attitude toward vision. This change was seen in the development of various forms of visual reasoning by scholars like Galton, Venn, and Einstein. The next step occurred after World War II. The world had seen large advances in technology and industry. Because of this change, the worker began to do less physical labor and a shift in focus from developing physical efficiency to mental efficiency occurred. The last step has occurred in the modern times. Here the shift focused on the development and dominance of the computer (Cook 2).
This paper explores the topic of digital divide using the help of three web sources and two database articles. The digital divide growth is affected by more than just the lack of internet access, age, income and the rapid change in technology. Meinrath, Losey and Lennett (2011) present an unconsidered cause of the growing digital divide. Fung (2013) and Cohen (2010) and an Unknown Author (2011) provide very insightful information on other causes of the digital divide growth. Rusli and Clark (2013) provide an example of what can be done to help narrow the gap in the digital divide.
Post-modernism can be classified as a late-20th-century movement regarding the style and concept of many areas in life such as arts, architecture, culture, literature, philosophy, history and economics. It is generally a representation of a departure from modernism and at its core is a distrust of grand theories and ideologies, as well as a problematical relationship with any form of “art”. It usually features a deliberate mixing of different artistic styles and media, the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, and often the incorporation of images relating to the consumerism and mass communication of the last-20th-century post-industrial movement (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2014). The paradigm shift after the Post-modernist times can be called the “Digital Age” or sometimes also known as the “Information Age”, or “New Media Age”. This is the period in human history where there was a move away from the traditional industry, which was brought about through industrialization, to an economy based on information computerization. The onset of the Digital Age is associated with the Digital Revolution just as the Industrial Revolution marked the onset of the Post-Modernist age (Wikipedia, 2014). While there is still definitely parts of the Post-Modernist era that still affect us daily, it is clear that there is a rise of a Digital Culture which is taking the world by storm.
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
In this century our culture is changing rapidly. Just in the last 30 years alone our scientific understanding, technological achievements, and fragmentation of values has transformed faster than in the previous 100 years alone. With our express style culture change, one has to wonder what will be said about our culture another hundred years in the future. What is the one thing that has defined us as who we are? A section on our slow ascent into socialism may be in order, or maybe a chapter on our obsession with going green. However, I would suggest that the first chapter in a humanities book of 2113 on our culture title “The Descent into a Digital Culture”.
At just a quarter of a century in governing regulations, listening to complains and making recommendations, while maintaining the standards of the laws of Jamaica as it is concerned with the media. There is one inevitable aspect the Broadcasting Commission has to continuously keep abreast with, and that is change.
Writing Prompt: In an age of information, are Americans more or less literate then they used to be? Persuade the reader to agree with the paper's position while exploring the consequences of this trend. With advances in technology, more and more people are becoming digital literate. What is "digital literacy"? Research and define this term, and decide whether or not this is a necessary skill in today's society. Be sure to support your opinion using researched facts and thought out reasons