Bridging the Digital Divide: A 2012 Status
Report
Presented at the South Carolina Media
Educators Association
Convergence and New Beginnings
Conference
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Columbia, South Carolina
Bill Clark
Claflin University
Abstract
Currently, a “digital
divide” exists that separates those with access to digital media from those
without. Alarming statistics reveal that
access to digital media is markedly influenced by demographics. Race,
geography, and income all influence one’s ability to send and receive
information via internet. The implications are far-reaching. The distribution of information nationally
and globally is predominantly accomplished digitally. Those without internet access
are left behind. A growing number of industries are delivering their
information primarily through digital media.
Education, media, employment, and social services are just a few
examples. There are efforts designed to lessen this gap. Educators,
communicators and global leaders realize that societies cannot fully develop
without access to information. The following
presentation is designed to promote a discussion of the implications of
technological inequities, and to provide an update on the status of the divide.
Bridging the Digital Divide
All members of our society do not have equal access to
digital technology. With the internet
emerging as the dominant medium for information distribution, this fact is
particularly disconcerting. This gap
between the technology “haves” and “have nots” has been labeled the digital
divide. As educators and communicators, we should all be concerned about the
limitations of information distribution. This condition is most prominent
regarding access to the internet. One of
the most disturbing aspects of the situation is that the gap is heavily influenced
by demographics. Race, income and geography all play a part in one’s likelihood
to utilize information technology.
A major function of communications is the distribution of
information. For the originator of
content, it is important to have information delivered to all intended
parties. For the consumer of content, it
is equally important to receive all desired information. There are, of course, a number of factors
that affect the timely completion of the information distribution process. The
advent of the personal computer in the 1980’s expanded exponentially the amount
of information available, and the speed at which it is delivered.
The PC and emergence of the internet as a communications
medium has made a boundless amount of information available to individuals
around the world at the click of a mouse. But, what happens when access to computers
and the internet is denied to certain groups within our society? This article will present a discussion on progress
toward equal access to digital information.
The implications for communications, education and society as a whole
will be examined. The efforts of
organizations to “bridge” the gap will be presented along with resources to
assist readers in getting involved in efforts to construct bridges to
transverse the digital divide.
With the development of the personal computer in 1980’s,
the internet has developed as the major communications medium. In 2008, business analyst Biz Report (Bizreport,
2008) stated that the majority of Americans utilized the internet as their
primary source for news and information.
The internet is steadily replacing traditional media such as radio,
television and newspaper. Many of media outlets that we have grown accustomed
to are now presented on the World Wide Web. As media practitioners, we are all
familiar with current trends highlighting increases in digital media. These trends are supported by personal
observation, and surveys of college students. Younger consumers are adept at
change, and often implement new trends, like digital communication, earlier
than the rest of society. The internet has emerged as a major
communications hub as well. Facebook is
the world’s leading social networking site.
Although the networking giant has suffered some recent setbacks, since
its 2004 inception, Facebook has surpassed the 50% penetration mark for U.S.
households according to Computer World
Magazine (Gaudin, 2012). Electronic
mail (e-mail) is now a common form of interaction for people of all ages, to
the extent that traditional communication delivery systems are threatened. We reference the U.S. Postal Office
here. Information has gone digital, and
will continue to develop extended applications.
In business, an increasing number of purchases are made
on-line. The music industry, for
example, saw on-line sales outpace in-store purchases for the first time ever in
2011. According to Rolling Stone Magazine,
more music was purchased on-line in a digital format than physical counterparts
(Perpetua, 2012). Banking, retail shopping, travel, and housing
are just a few examples of industries distributing information primarily
through the internet. Recent experiences have taught me that you cannot
complete everyday tasks without internet access. Applying for a job, checking a
bank account balance, accessing utility statements, and obtaining business and
governmental information routinely require internet access.
In education, courses are regularly offered on-line. Course information and communication with the
school are usually accomplished via internet. Many social services offered
through federal, state, and municipal governments are primarily distributed via
the internet. According to students in
my classes, wireless cellular telephones are their primary source for
information and entertainment. We now have cellular phones replacing PCs for
internet access. We will save an
extended discussion on cellular phones for another day. The world is becoming increasingly dependent
upon digital access to complete a growing number of tasks.
Al Gore may not have invented the internet, but I believe
that he is due recognition as a cornerstone figure in the discussion on the
digital divide. In 1998 the U.S.
government engaged in many discussions on telecommunications policy. Among the issues was universal access to the
information super highway. Leaders
sought to assure that all Americans had access to information distributed by
broadband and the emerging internet (NTIA, 1998). Al Gore is credited with initiating an
analysis of telephone and computer use across demographic lines.
At the request of Vice President
Al Gore, The Commerce Department ‘ National Telecommunications and Information Administration(‘NTIA’)
has analyzed telephone and computer penetration rates across the United States
to determine who is, and who is not connected.
The Administration has made it a fundamental goal to connect all
Americans to the information infrastructure.
To address that goal, NTIA held a conference in February 1998 on “Connecting
All Americans. “ The data in this report
sheds greater insight on recent trends in telephone and computer usage, which
should assist policy makers as they consider steps to connect all Americans to
the Information Superhighway. (NTIA.
1998, p.2)
The NTIA report identified contributing factors to a lack
of access to information technology.
Race, income, age, geography, and education were all factors in telephone
and computer ownership (NTIA, 1998). The
discussion on equal access to information technology has been around for years.
The questions persist. How do we insure
that all Americans have the necessary resources to communicate in the digital
age?
African
Americans and Latinos were less likely to own computers. Households with higher incomes were more
likely to own computers. Urban dwellers
were more likely to have digital access.
Surprisingly, by today’s standards, younger members of the population
were less likely to own computers.
The
1998 NTIA report clearly illuminates the existence of a digital divide. A subsequent study done by the NTIA in 2010
reinforces the status of the technology gap, with U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State, Strickland stating “the report
underscores there is no simple one size fits all solution to closing the
digital divide. A combination of
approaches makes sense, including targeted outreach programs to rural and
minority populations . . . “(NTIA. 2010)
The conclusions that can be drawn here are that the
digital divide does exist, and that advances in digital technology have made the
issue more critical in our information driven society.
Access to information in the digital age is not all equal. Some have regular availability to computers
while others do not. There exist groups
of informational “haves” and “have nots.”
A “global disparity” (Ginsberg, et al, p. 27) In technology exists affecting efforts not
only to inform, but to educate the world’s population? These differences in access to information
technology are heavily influenced by demographic factors. With these
conditions, how do we develop systems to fully educate and communicate?
Low
income populations are less likely to have access to the internet. African-Americans and U.S. Latinos are less
likely to have regular access to the internet.
And, members of rural populations are often deprived of digital
communication.
There have been a number of efforts to address the digital
divide initiated by the U.S. government, international organizations and the
private sector. The E-Rate program is maintained by the Federal Communications Commission
with the goal of equalizing information technology for all schools and libraries
(FCC, 2012). The
Universal Service provisions that were a part of the 1996 Telecommunications
Act of 1996 establish funding guidelines to insure technology access to rural
and disadvantaged communities (FCC, 2012).
While
the E-Rate program has contributed to increases in information technology in
lacking schools, inequities in the development of quality learning environments
persist (Park et al. 2007). A number of individuals have overcome a lack of
computer ownership by utilizing computers at public libraries (Oder,
2002). Libraries serve as media centers
providing internet access and assistance in information gathering. Educational
institutions have developed technology centers to insure that their students
have full access to the internet and critical information. Media centers and computer labs are fairly
common in today’s middle schools and high schools. These centers are critical on the college
level. Likewise, a number of community
technology centers emerged in the 1990s to address the closing of the digital
divide (Kaiser, 2005). These centers
provide computers and training to assist the local community in efforts to
access information. A growing number of schools also provide laptops or tablet
computers to make connection to the internet possible. Many schools are also developing as wireless
“hotspots” assuring that students on campus can browse the web. But, as the discussion on internet resources
proceeds we must restate that some schools and commutes have the resources to
invest in technology while others do not.
There are examples of resource-challenged schools adapting to find
solutions. There are pilot programs surfacing that integrate smart phones into
classroom activities having students research reports, and access course
information using the handheld devices (Schachter, 2009). The new “smartphones
are a solution for some. Educators are
finding ways to address the divide, often through the creative use of
information technology.
Reaching Across
There are a number of things that we all can do to address
the digital divide. If we share the goal
of universal access to information, we can take steps to connect as many people
as possible to information via digital connections. In this discussion on the digital divide,
history has shown that gaps in access continue.
Some will argue that the situation is getting worse. What does the
future hold? No one really knows. I
would surmise that technology will continue to develop. Cellular phones and like personal
communication devices will increase in their dominance of the communications
industry. Discussions on bandwidth and
broadband will be critical in the next wave of communications entrepreneurs.
Please check out www.broadband.gov and examine how the
government is handling spectrum allocation and other broadband issues. The best that we can do as educators and
communicators is to pursue positive social change by engaging in practices that
support the distribution of the most information to the most people. In 2012,
this means D-I-G-I-T-A-L-Y.
The following are initiatives that I would like for you to
consider in your development of future communications and education programs:
-
Participate in the recycling of computers and
cell phones
-
Develop more computer literacy programs for communities
and schools
-
Find creative ways to use technology to
distribute information
-
Become an advocate for Information technology
-
Appreciate the notion that you are on this side
of the digital divide
Bill Clark (wilclark@claflin.edu) is a mass
communications instructor at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
APPENDIX
Sources
for Information on the Digital Divide
U.S. Broadband (www.broadband.gov.)
Digital Divide Institute
(www.digitaldivide.org)
Digital Divide network (www.digitaldivide.net)
International Society for Technology in
Education (www.iste.org)
Minority Media and Telecommunications
Council (www.mmtconline.org)
National Telecommunications and Information
Adminstration (www.ntia.doc.gov)
The Wireless Association (www.ctia.com)
2012 Digital Divide Statistics
Those who do not have access to high-speed internet tend to have less opportunities for higher education, lower income levels and will have trouble competing with those who do have access to high speed internet in today's global economy.
2012 Digital Divide
Infographic Highlights:
- The Internet is responsible for
21% of economic growth in developed nations.
- Over 6,000,000 students in the
US are taking online classes.
- 80% of teachers in the US feel
that e-learning increases the quality of education.
- 100,000,000 houses in the US
still lack high-speed internet access.
- Almost half of the
poorest households in the US do not own a computer.
- Only 4% of the riches households
in the US do not own a computer.
- Minorities in the US have
significantly lower rates of internet access than whites.
- Rural households are 2 times
more likely to have dial-up internet than urban households.
- The United States is ranked 12th
in terms of internet access penetration worldwide.
- The United States is ranked 14th
in terms of broadband internet penetration worldwide.
- 96% of Americans have 2 or fewer
internet service provider (ISP) choices (lack of competition).
- Emerging technologies are
costing Americans a lot more money than citizens of other developed
nations.
- The FCC has launched a
"National Broadband Plan" to help increase interent penetration
in the United States
Source:
ansonalex.com
References
Biz Report. (2009). Retrieved from www.bizreport.com
Federal Communications Commission. (2012). Retrieved
from www.fcc.gov
Gaudin, S. (2012). Study shows Face book starts
to struggle once network hits 50% market penetration.
Computer World. Retreived from
www.computerworld.com
Ginsberg,
M. B., & Wlodkowski, R. J. (2010). Access and participation. In C. E.
Kasworm, A. D. Rose, & J. M.
Ross-Gordon (Eds.), Handbook of adult and continuing education (pp.
25–34). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications
Kaiser,
S. (2005). Community technology centers and bridging the digital divide. Knowledge and Technology.10 (2). pp. 83-100
National
Telecommunications and Information Administration. (1998). Falling through the
net: New data on the digital
divide.Retreived from www.ntia.doc.org
National
Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2010). Exploring the
digital divide. Retrieved from
www.ntia.doc.gov
Oder,
N. (2002). Digital divide:No place for libraries? Library Journal. 127(12) pp.20-32
Park,
E., Sinha, H. & Jing, C. (2007). Beyond access: An Analysis of the
influence of the e-rate program in
bridging the digital divide in American schools. Journal of Information Technology.vol.
6 pp.387-406
Perpetua,
M. (2012). Adele performs on stage at the 28th annual MTV Video Music
Awards. Rolling Stone. Retreived from www.rollingstone.com
Schachter, R. (2009). Mobile devices in the classroom. District Administration. 45 (10/11) pp.
30-36
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