DIGITAL DIVIDE AND EQUITY
If we don't take care of the disparities they could grow into bigger gaps as the reliance on technology will continue to grow, and without dealing with this disparities or coming up with other solutions it could leave those with lower SES in the dust. An article on the pros and cons of the divide by Steel, C, mentioned that “the digital divide widens the separation between people.. Poor and with extended further” (Steele, 2018). I completely agree with Steel. For example, take something as simple as the news, while it starts changing over to live feeds on websites and onto communicative technologies, how will the people who can't afford all the access know or be informed on what's going on in the world? The rich will continue to grow in education and knowledge that will be essential to live, while those who can’t afford access to the internet may keep getting further and further behind. It is the way people communicate. I hear people mention memes and refer to them and I’ve seen it bring groups of people together when they all understand what the person is mentioning, and the people who do not understand are not involved That is just a small scale example but I think could be used for bigger scales such as the economy.
Digital divide is explained by Danica Radovanovic as a new divide in “opportunities in experience of education, social, economic, and political life,” and it being due to such things as lower SES communities and not having high speed internet. She mentions that connectivity and access are necessary to keep up with as it is a constantly growing community with a new messaging app arising every month (Radovanovic, 2011). I would agree with Danica Radovanovic, the digital divide is a difference in how people can access, connect, and understand technology. Without constant access to informational and social technology in a world that is starting to revolve around it more and more, the divide between those who gain knowledge about society's growing economy, politics and general communication as simple as memes and those who are completely out of it. College classes are necessary to have a stable connectivity as that is where grades and assignments are due, even outside of the classroom, and those who can’t afford it can suffer with grades if they can’t access the resources they need.
Digital equity defined by NDIA was explained as, “ a condition in which all individuals and communities have the technical capacity for full participation in our society democracy, politics , and economy. It is necessary for civic/cultural participation, employment, and lifelong learning” (NDIA, 2019). I would agree with the way that the world is going, with our President Tweeting, having instant access to an article 10 minutes after an event and live streaming from multiple sources, instead of waiting for the television news to catch on and waiting until their air time comes on to get knowledge of ongoing events. It is necessary if one wants to keep up with the world and the direction it is going technologically. However, when INDIA said “our society and democracy,” I would argue that it might be important for all societies to an extent to have access and connectivity, but that it isn’t essential if they choose not to. There are older adults that live comfortably on a lake and have their small communities that live off their own livestock and gardens that don’t use much technology other than their ways of transportation and a phone to communicate with family. If that is what someone is comfortable with and it isn’t interfering with society I don’t think it would be necessary to push technology into their life. If a community's preferred lifestyle is to be disconnected and they have the resources they need to live, I do not think it is necessary for complete equity. However for the younger generations especially starting with millennials, times are changing, and for future life long learning and access to services and to participate in a vast majority of cultures and places it will be necessary. Life will heavily or completely rely on communication and information technology and will be crucial to have full technical capacity for all.
The term digital divide and equity are related to one another because they both view importance on how much is done online, every aspect of life can be enhanced by having unlimited knowledge from the internet and being able to communicate through it. Both are trying to close the gap of divide and create equal access. Stable access to information and communication technology could help create equity and close the divide. Gonzales, Calarco & Lynch explained that both could be possible by “achieving access, sustaining access, and coping with disconnection”(Gonzales, Calarco, & Lynch, 2018) Once access is stable making sure not to much of an intake where it becomes a distraction to daily life as well is also important. However, colleges could work on providing coping with disconnection. Gonzales, Calarco, and Lynch also mentioned the issue of maintenance of keeping up with technology breaking or data being an issue, especially those of a lower socioeconomic status. If colleges provided all access maintenance, wifi libraries, and easy transportation to these services. This could lead to creating a closer to equal technological society.
Other Useful Articles on information on why we need the digial equity act could be found here,
https://medium.com/@PattyMurray/why-we-need-the-digital-equity-act-bce13eed8345
As well as information on the quarter of the nation without broadband, which is a digital divide
https://time.com/4718032/the-digital-divide/
References:
Gonzales, A. L., Calarco, J. M., & Lynch, T. (2018). Technology Problems and Student Achievement Gaps: A Validation and Extension of the Technology Maintenance Construct. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650218796366
NDIA, Definitions. (2019, April 16). Retrieved July 22, 2019, from
https://www.digitalinclusion.org/definitions/
Radovanovic, D. (2011, December 14). Digital Divide and Social Media: Connectivity Doesn't End the Digital Divide, Skills Do. Retrieved July 22, 2019, from https://blogs.scientifi
camerican.com/guest-blog/digital-divide-and-social-media-connectivity-doesnt-end-the-d
digital-divide-skills-do/
Steele, C. (2018, December 17). The Pros and Cons of Digital Divide (Advantages & Disadvantages). Retrieved July 22, 2019, from http://www.digitaldividecouncil
.com/digital-divide-the-pros-and-cons/