According to our class notes, the digital divide is defined as a gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not. However, this gap not only exists between those who have technology, but also for those who have access to the education and skills necessary to navigate the technology.
The digital divide can be separated in to two areas: the global divide and the social divide. The global divide is a gap on the planet between those who have access to technology and education, and the social divide is a gap within a nation.
In the United States, there are five main factors that contribute to the social divide: socio-economic status, income, education level, race and location. The story that I am going to discuss touches on the social divide and how some of these factors are being diminished today.
Comcast donated $5,000 to be used for the Boys and Girls club of Bloomington computer lab this past summer. There donations and programs like Comcast’s discounted Internet service for low-income families and McLean County Unit 5’s purchase of net books for sixth-graders are welcomed by educators from all around who fear that children without home computer and internet access will eventually be left behind educationally, economically and socially.Living in the United States, we sometimes view our country as well-off and not in the same social category as countries like Africa, but there are still poverty and many low income families in our nation; some are even right down the street from us. The money that Comcast has donated and the certain programs are supposed to help support the organization’s Club Tech, which allows students to use the computers to do homework and learning activities approved by the club.
Most of the children who attend the boys and girls club do not have any access to a computer at home. “We can have fun on it,” said 6-year-old Nastasia Armwood as she used an alphabet program. It gives them an opportunity to gain knowledge and just be able to spend time on the computer, time that they wouldnt get else where.
It is important to close this social divide for six reasons: economic equality, social mobility, social equality, democracy, growth and national security. By providing this technology to students who may come from economically disadvantaged homes, which may otherwise never have the opportunity to use these types of products such as the net books and learning programs, the United States is slowly working on closing the digital divide.
