Digital Divide

Question 1

What’s the digital divide?

Answer 1

Complex and growing issue. Technology divide between countries, demographic groups (particular sections of the population) and economic area (areas defined by their production and use of goods and services).

Question 2

Why’s a lack of tech an issue?

Answer 2

Because of the range of benefits that technology can provide.

Question 2

Groups affected by the digital divide.

Answer 2

• People living in cities v. people living in rural areas
• People educated in using technology v. people uneducated in using technology
• Older people versus younger people
• Areas that are more industrially developed versus areas that are less industrially developed
• Different socio-economic groups.

Question 2

How is d.d. nationally?

Answer 2

Caused by skills and access.

Question 3

How is d.d. internationally?

Answer 3

Caused by development.

Question 3

What’s the main problem of City v Rural Living and why?

Answer 3

Access to the internet. Rural areas don’t often have the infrastructure available for broadband and high-speed internet. Also mobile telephone internet services. In a rural location, they have limited connection to 3G or 4G connections, or may struggle to get any connection at all.

Question 3

Why don’t rural areas have infrastructures?

Answer 3

It’s linked to the concentration of people living. The potential customer base for broadband providers is much greater in a city. Both government and an internet service provider are able to recuperate the costs of implementing more advanced infrastructure far quicker in urban areas than in rural areas.

Question 4

Consequence of City v. Rural d.d.

Answer 4

Reduced level of enjoyment of online entertainment, which leads to isolation.

People in rural areas may not be able to use the services offered by some online television broadcasting companies. Therefore, they may find they have other friends and family that are able to watch television shows and films they do not have access to, due to their rural location.

Question 5

Reducing d.d. in City v Rural

Answer 5

• Improving quality of infrastructures (Govs are working on it)
• Satellite technologies, since effectivity of high-speed internet infrastructure is challenging. They limit the amount of infrastructure needed.

Question 6

Why’s technology challenging?

Educated v Uneducated

Answer 6

They have different interfaces and methods of use.

Question 7

Why’s people not educated?

Answer 7

• They do not have much access to technology and therefore do not have much experience in using it.
• Do not have an interest in using technology

They are sometimes forced to use it to be able to access certain products and services.

Question 8

Consequence of ed. v uned.

Answer 8

Missing opportunities for not knowing how to use. Many companies are starting to use online services which are very convenient.

Question 9

How can we reduce the divide with technologically uneducated?

Answer 9

• Provide accessible technology courses (free/low cost) in local communities (colleges/schools/libraries).

People will learn with others who are of a similar level to them, so they do not feel uncomfortable. They can also have a teacher or leader who will help them with any problems they have.

Question 10

How does the fast pass of technological development affect people?

Answer 10

Technology has developed much in the last 50 years. This means that some people have grown up with technology as an integral part of their life, and others have witnessed the development of technology, along with experience of the world without it.
It causes a divide in the ability of a younger and an older generation to communicate.

Question 11

How confident do the different ages feel about technology?

Answer 11

Young people see tech as their og to resource 8entertainment, research, communication).
Older people are used to older outdated methods. They feel unconfident since they think tech. will make the task harder (don’t see advantages).

Question 12

How can we reduce the digital divide between younger and older people?

Answer 12

• Beat their fear of it (they think they are too old to learn how to use technology).
• See benefits (for ex., as they become less mobile and they can feel isolated. W social media, they can have regular contact with their family and friends.
• Incentives like ‘gift your old tech’ schemes, allow people to give up their old products to enable them to be given to older people to remove the need for older people to spend money on a device which they feel they may not use.
• Offer free access to resources and teaching to older people through night courses at colleges and schools.

Question 13

Developed Areas.

Answer 13

Europe and northern Asia.

Question 14

Undeveloped Areas.

Answer 14

Africa, India and southern Asia.

Question 15

Why don’t undeveloped get access to tech?

Answer 15

They use their financial resources to provide more important services and do not have the funds available to concentrate on the development of their technology services. Start-up costs are high.

Question 16

Consequences of d.d. in undeveloped countires.

Answer 16

• Puts them at both a competitive and economic disadvantage.
• They don’t have the ability to trade using modern technologies and therefore cannot access the same customer and supplier base as businesses in developed countries.
• Low ed level, there may be a wealth of information unavailable to them that is accessed using the internet.

Impacts education and the skill level of people in those countries and prevent them from competing on an international level.

Question 17

How to reduce d.d. in undeveloped areas.

Answer 17

• Satellite technology give remote areas to access the internet. Large companies are planning to do it.
• Governments promote the business and products that they could offer if they had better infrastructure and access to the internet so other countries invest and help the country to build the necessary infrastructure.

Question 18

What does digital divide between socio-economic groups often revolve around?

Answer 18

Cost (richer people can afford high-speed internet connections and expensive advancements in technology - Better standard of living)

Question 19

How does lack of access to information impact the poor?

Answer 19

They could benefit from free online learning platforms can provide or any ed tool. This creates a greater digital divide between the rich and the poor.

Question 20

How can we fix d.d.for people in a bad socio/economic position?

Answer 20

Greater access to online learning platforms . Education in poorer communities can often be an important way of improving the socio-economic circumstances of the people who live there.

Question 21

Reducing the digital divide in different socio-economic groups.

Answer 21

• Provide technology at a subsidised rate or even for free to those in poorer communities. This is helping close the digital divide by giving those who would not normally be able to afford those technologies access to the advantages that the technologies can provide.
• One Laptop Per Child