Digital Divide

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

ROBIN, MARIA, DANA, JIHYE, MIKEL

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT?
• What is the digital divide?
• Causes
• Effects
• Digital Divide and Global Development
• Statement example
• Questions
What is the digital divide?
"Digital Divide" refers to the gap between those

who benefit from digital technology and those
who do not. [http://www.digitaldivide.org/dd/digitaldivide.html]
The digital divide is deepening where it has stopped widening.

(van Dijk, J.A.G.M. (2005). The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the Information Society.
University of Twente, Netherlands)
What are the causes of the digital divide?
POVERTY
• No money
• Basic needs of life
come first
• Multi layer nations
Picture: library.thinkquest.org/J003358F/money_tree5.jpg
POVERTY
• 1 billion people
• 54 million internet
users
• 0,3% of the total
African people
Picture: http://appliedict.wordpress.com/2006/07/02/digital-divide-the-factors-that-cause-it/
AGE
Younger generations are differs from older

generations by technology.
The reasons for that:

– Technology is foreign to older generations
– Multi-tasking
– Fear (the unknown)
– Interest in technology
– Discovery based learning
AGE
2000-2004 access increased by 47% for people over age of 65.

Example of Latvia.
Pictures: http://jumpcut.com/view/?id=4E99DA928E4811DC926C000423CF382E
http://ladyfi.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/what-happened-to-having-a-childhood/
CLASS AND EDUCATION
More you earn, the better educated you are -> the bigger opportunity you have to
access the internet.
GENDER
• Internet promised
democracy and equality
• Internet considered
male dominant society
• Women deal with
discrimination
Picture: www.in10.nl/weblog/img/blogs/3371_manvrouw.jpg
ETHNICITY
One of the main

reasons for digital
divide ethnic groups
is the language.
Graph: http://www.w3.org/2004/Talks/w3c10-SocietyAndCulture/?n=25
What are the effects of the
digital divide?
In this Information Society we are living nowadays,
GLOBALIZATION is the key of our economic system.
GLOBALIZATION was possible due to many factors:

- The lower price of the transport.
- The liberation of markets.
- The birth of supranational communities.
(i.e. European Community)
- Development of communications-
The INTERNET
digital divide?
This led to an INTERNET-BASED ECONOMY and INTER-

BASED INFORMATION SYSTEM.
The only way to be part of this “Internet Society” is

having access and knowledge to its use.
The NO access to the Internet make people BE APART
FROM this society increasing the DIGITAL DIVIDE, but
also a SOCIAL DIVIDE.
digital divide?
Effects:
1 - Other forms of production become destructured.

2 - Dependent on globalized segments of their economies.
3 - Internet Development connected to the Global Economy.
4 - Elimination of traditional agriculture
5 - No industrial relations between same country industries.
6 - Segments of the population unable to participate in the
new economy.
7 - Governments suffer a crisis of legitimacy.
DIGITAL DIVIDE AND GLOBAL
DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPEMENT
- DIGITAL DIVIDE itself is not the cause for the Social

and Economical differences shown above.
- It may be a reflection of the. GLOBAL

DEVELOPMENT
- This way, DIGITAL DIVIDE is an indicator and also a

tool
DEVELOPEMENT
- It is a extended belief that Connecting people
to a computer will save them from property.
- 3 elements needed:
DEVELOPEMENT
Global investment policies. Multinational companies

work same way as in AGRARIAN POLICIES, for
example:
They invest, only if rentable.
(i.e INTEL- One Child, One Computer)

OneLaptopPerChild
OLPC
• XO-1 or the $100 Laptop
• Inexpensive Subnote Computer
• Distributed to Children
• Sale to government-education systems -each
primary school child their own laptop
• Low-power, Flash Memory, Linux
JULY 2007
• Intel and OLPC –who were rivals- JOINED
• Reduce conpetivity + help development
• Intel produced ClassMate
JANUARY 2008
• Intel leaves the project
• Continues developing the ClassMate
• Negroponte asked them not to produce it
Should we make the use of the internet
public, despite remaining it in hands of
private companies?
Equality
– Decrease the gap
– Job and Education
– All the countries have the same opportunities
Life quality
QUESTION (1)
What are the causes and the effects of the

digital divide in your country?
QUESTION (2)
Do you think the current economic and social

system that can allow the democratization of
technology?
QUESTION (3)
Do you think the divide will fade in time?

QUESTION (4)
What do you think will happen if internet as we

know cease to exist?
ROBIN, MARIA, DANA, JIHYE, MIKEL

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THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

ROBIN, MARIA, DANA, JIHYE, MIKEL

"Digital Divide" refers to the gap between those

The digital divide is deepening where it has stopped widening.

Younger generations are differs from older

The reasons for that:

2000-2004 access increased by 47% for people over age of 65.

One of the main

GLOBALIZATION was possible due to many factors:

This led to an INTERNET-BASED ECONOMY and INTER-

The only way to be part of this “Internet Society” is

1 - Other forms of production become destructured.

- DIGITAL DIVIDE itself is not the cause for the Social

- It may be a reflection of the. GLOBAL

- This way, DIGITAL DIVIDE is an indicator and also a

Global investment policies. Multinational companies

They invest, only if rentable.

(i.e INTEL- One Child, One Computer)

What are the causes and the effects of the

Do you think the current economic and social

Do you think the divide will fade in time?

What do you think will happen if internet as we

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