It’s no secret that technology is seemingly integrated into every aspect of American life. After all, schools run on Chromebooks and Smartboards; offices run on emailing platforms and Office applications; and even day-to-day communication endlessly runs on messages and social media. The common theme here is access, specifically access to technology and the internet.
While such access may seem typical to much of American society, it is certainly not equally “typical” across much of the global world. In fact, “55% of households globally have an internet connection, but only 20% are in the poorest countries'' (Gitnux). This exemplified disparity of technology adoption and digital literacy across various parts of the world is coined as the “Digital Divide”.
While Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) tend to face the greatest lack of access, even throughout North America and Europe there is still a considerable issue in regard to technological access. All these factors are highlighted in the infographic above by William Lelong, where Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America/Caribbean all fall below 50% internet penetration. While living in a technological age where everything from healthcare, communication, information access, education, economic growth, and even identity is determined by our innovations, this shortfall of digital inclusivity and reach poses a significant hindrance to social and economic growth for countless communities.
Infographic credit: https://willlelong.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/the-digital-divide/
Taking India as an example, this divide further serves to increase its gender inequality traditions. According to BQ Prime, a news platform powered by Bloomberg, “India accounts for half of the world's gendered digital divide. A mere one-third of its internet users are women. Indian women are 15% less likely to own a mobile phone, and 33% less likely to use mobile internet services than men.” These shocking statistics clearly emphasize how this digital divide works in combination with several other issues such as poverty, gender inequality, and social opportunity
Causes?
Along with the geographical unevenness discussed earlier, factors that this digital divide increases, such as poverty and gender norms, also act as the divide’s causes. Other than this, in many places, poor infrastructure can result in less technology availability; thus, going hand-in-hand with problems facing less developed areas.
As a result, countless people across all generations miss the chance to grow socially and economically throughout their life.
What Can You Do
The first step to resolving the Digital Divide is raising awareness. Once the problem is understood and brought to attention, society can come together to bridge the gap for those without access to basic technological information. After that, donating money to organizations such as the ones partnered with TecBridge directly helps lower the in-need statistic since they all operate through various missions to resolve this issue. By working together, TecBridge and our readers can all make an impact to give everyone the opportunities they deserve.
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