Topic 1: The Digital Divide This week you read Digital Divide in a Global Econom
ID: 391177 • Letter: T
Question
Topic 1: The Digital Divide
This week you read Digital Divide in a Global Economy by Jack Lule
Discussion:
More than just a tool for information transfer, the Internet has become a conduit for a globalized workforce. However, as the Internet has become integrated into daily business life, a digital divide has emerged. Some derive the benefits from Internet access, but many others do not.
Questions:
Could the digital divide change the way people think about themselves in relation to the rest of the world? Provide experiences, observations, or references.
What barriers exist that make it difficult to close the digital divide in developing economies like India and China? What barriers exist in a developed country such as America?
Explanation / Answer
Yes, the digital use of internet varies from country to country, as on people’s perception and ability to comprehend and use it for good or bad of the society they live in.
Example- In Small countries like Nepal/ or African countries, generally people are less educated, they don’t understand full fledge use of internet and digital activities going on social media and how to use them for education/ professional uses. Mostly they only to run facebook or chat messengers for communicating.
While developed countries like US/ UK, people are far capable in thinking and use internet on highly advanced level for their personal and professional needs. Meaning, they are very fast and adaptive.
Barriers with India and China are that most of the population is still under developed on in category of poor economy. Hence, they are able to get the benefits of using internet for any purpose or draw very less usage to become modern or competent, compared to rest of the educated/ elite population. In rural areas, people are fond of movies, songs to find on internet, where as Urban people are highly innovative and use for business and official purposes to conduct business needs, generate leads, share information, connect people for all uses.
In US, digital divide is minimum, only people who are remotely located or in rural areas, they use less internet activities, compared to Urban/ sub urban population. For them basic daily work is enough and face to face, societal connections are enough to live life, whereas, for urban folks, digital activities are the backbone of their life. In today’s modern work, urban people can’t survive without a digital life, as it is now a part of their personal and professional lives on huge scale.