Explain what the digital divide is; in your answer discuss the advantages and disadvantages of improving the digital divide. Essay

Submitted By Amy-Su
Words: 1714
Pages: 7

Explain what the digital divide is; in your answer discuss the advantages and disadvantages of improving the digital divide.

1. Concept of digital divide:
Since mid-1990s in the developed countries, the growth internet use has raise a new technology for information sharing and communication, and it is called Information and Communication Technology. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) lies as the media of most of activities around the neighbourhood and community. The use of ICT in digital TV, mobile and internet are now main way to accessing with health, local government and business services. This ICT use is based on a few technologies and economic requirements.It is expected to keep activities in the communities and contribute to development of human. But in fact it enlarge the inequalities between developed and undeveloped regions; old and young; educated and limited educated people; rich and non-rich; and also races. And now the access to ICTs is unequal is along lines of socioeconomic status, gender, age, race and geography. (Seong J. M., 2010)
The digital divide brings numbers of disadvantages for groups who lack at accessing ICT. With the development of ICT and digital divide, will the poor, old, uneducated people who poor at ICT access become less relevant in the digital revolution?
The current situation of digital divide is not likely going to disappear. (Robyn B. and Theo P., 2013)demonstrate that Victorian Government in Australia discover although the level of computer usage and internet uptake has increased significantly in the last 5 years, there are still people and places that are being left behind and creating a digital divide.
2. Effect of digital divide
ICT is now commoner use in education, social media, jobs and research. Accessing ICT allow parts of people plunge into technology and also parts of people has been left behind. Identify the effects of digital divide in society is necessary for minimising the information and technology gap between people.
2.1. Education
Students are born into a digital age struggle with basic skills such as saving time to researching for information and organising leather notes. At a time when diffusion of technology and it is becoming a global use, student who cannot afford computers at home and don’t get enough time to use computer at school are not likely work efficient as students who access ICT. Somehow the digital divide in education is rising because there are more convenient devices are being used. According to the research Chicago (reference web 1), the term ‘digital divide’ used to refer to computer connect to internet, but now newer software programs require high-speed connections and as Wifi dependent devices such as tablets make their way into classrooms.
The accessing divide is marked by the barrier of access to what information are available on the internet, including databases, online library, YouTube, blogs and any resource students are able to use. Providing supplemental device to them could help them catch up, using online resource to gather information and narrow the knowledge gap between students.
On the other side it may cause new problem because the ICT is wide. Online information is not only knowledge or resources relevant to the education, but also entertainments and others. As most of teenagers does not have enough experience on time management or self-control, young digital immigration of ICT will be distracted by irrelevant informations.
2.2. Age
According to BBC statistics (reference web 2), there are 18 percent of adults who have never used the internet and 27 percent who do not have internet access at home. ONS figures record 99 percent of those aged 16-24 years old have used the internet, dropping to just 40 percent of those aged 65 or over. Which outline the age is now one of the major reason in digital divide.
The biggest barriers for the elder people is lack of confidents, consider it is useless and fear of technology.