Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Digital Divide and Participation Gap Continue to be Prevalent in America


Digital Divide still is eminent in rural areas of America


Internet access and users have increased tremendously since the start of the 21st century, but there still are a significant amount of people who do not have their own computers and have to rely on alternate ways to access the internet. In an article on NBC News, Sarah Butrymowicz talks about how many people residing in rural areas of the US still do not have their own computers because of their social class and lack of resources. At Colorado Edison School in Yoder, Colorado for example, 25 – 30% of students do not have internet access at homes.
            In urban areas, there are as many computers as there are students and so there is not much digital divide in these areas. One would assume that almost everyone in America has their own computer and access to the internet, but this is not true because there are a lot of minorities and lower social classes, as Kevin Guidry stated in Digital Divide or Participation Gap? Will Mobile Affect It? Digital divide is prevalent in other areas in addition to rural areas today. It all depends upon social class, income, and environmental factors.

            The Participation Gap remains diverse among various age groups

           
            There continues to be different cohorts that utilize the internet differently according to their experience and knowledge. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, many app users are skeptical about whether or not they should keep apps on their mobile devices because they do not want third parties to track them. Privacy of data is a major concern for mobile device users who are technology literate. However, mostly young adults from ages 18-24 are deleting and avoiding applications compared to older adults and seniors. This shows how knowledge and privacy concerns affect how users utilize internet and applications.
            The surveys and data collected by the Pew Internet and American Life Project delineate how the younger generation is more tech-savvy and knows a lot of different ways to use the Internet and technology of the like as compared to the older generation who use technology for other purposes. As Guidry stated, the participation gap shows a big difference between people who have computers and people who do not. Both digital divide and participation gap remain prominent in today’s America.

            Digital Divide and Participation Gap will both decrease within the next couple of years


            As technology and society advances, more people will become accustomed to technology and will become technology literate. They will be able to understand many of the beneficial uses of the Internet and will know how to use it to their advantage. Privacy issues will also become better addressed because action will be taken in order to limit the data that third parties can see. In the next 3-5 years, the economy should also improve which would generate more income for Americans. This in turn would lead to families being able to buy their own computers and gain internet access which would decrease digital divide. As long as people have computers or mobile devices and can learn more about how to use them for their own needs, the participation gap will also decrease.

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