Age Should Be The Primary Cause Of The Digital Divide

The Information Age, also known as the Digital/Tech Revolution is the third major revolution in the history of human civilization. This period in history is filled with modern technology that has advanced humanity in some form through a new-found ease in information sharing. Whether it’s through computers, cell phones, cable, digital photography, or another form of technology this season of time is continuing to have a major impact on the way individuals share with one another. The different aspects that make up this current period of time are quite extensive. From what influenced the creation of this revolution to what has been affected by the Information Age are all important in understanding what the Digital/Tech Revolution is.

Internet has become an indispensable tool in my daily tasks. Contrary; when I was a child, I recall myself going to the library for investigations as back then the use of internet was still on the road of gaining popularity. Nowadays, internet seems to have gained tremendous popularity among new generations to the point that if I were to compare my generation with future generations, I would say they will have even more advantages than the ones I had when I was a child. In addition, changes in population is a second normative history-grade influence as my generation tends to have less children than past generations due to the implementation of contraceptive methods and living cost increases experienced since the past few

The term “digital divide” was coined to define this growing gap between the people who do not have access to modern technology (more specifically the poor, rural, elderly, and handicapped) and the people who do (wealthy, middle class, and those living in urban/suburban areas). In urban areas especially, a common assumption made is that everyone has access to this modern technology. People see technology all around them and assume it is integrated into everyone’s life. Because of the simplicity technology offers, it has become the engine behind economics, politics, and communication. In rural areas, most people know the potential of modern technology, but don’t have the resources to achieve it. “It has been observed that households earning incomes over $75,000 are 20 times more likely to have home internet access than those at lowest income levels and 10 times more likely to have a

Evolution of concept of digital divide - According to Curtis Kularski [1] (p. 5) “the digital divide is composed of a skill gap and a gap of physical access to Information Technology (IT) and the two gaps often contribute to each other in circular causation. Without access to technology, it is difficult to develop technical skill and it is redundant to have access to technology without first having the skill to utilise it”. Kularski’s quote sums up the reiterative nature of the problem. More than two decades ago, apparent inequalities in Internet access gave rise to “concern that the new technology might exacerbate inequality rather than ameliorate it”, which resulted

Often times, the older generation gives the Internet a bad reputation. There are numerous articles claiming the Internet is generating a doltish society. Nicholas Carr is one of many writers who addresses the topic of our supposed intellectual decline entitled ‘Is the Internet Dumbing Us Down?’ According to Carr and multiple psychologists, the Internet can inhibit cognition. Because these people didn’t grow up with Internet, like the Millennials did, they fear the power of the World Wide Web. Like any great tool, if abused, the Internet can thwart progression. However, in this century, the Internet is an extremely popular and efficacious learning device. I cannot speak on anyone’s behalf but, the Internet was my first teacher, and it continues

Since the launch of the Internet as a global communication network and the boom in communication technologies, our world has been overwhelmed by a new phenomenon – digital divide. It has gradually turned into a major, constantly growing world issue, threatening to further increase the gap between advanced and developing countries. Yet, is digital divide really an unprecedented occurrence or a natural and unavoidable trend? “Divide” is certainly a word whose meaning could be traced back to the mere dawn of human history. It goes even deeper – to human nature itself: to sex and racial differentiation, to unequal physical and mental powers, to different

To demand a new way of teaching and learning involving technology. (Thomas, 2011, p. 4) These popular claims within the seminal literature on digital natives (for example, that digital natives possess a sophisticated set of ICT [Information and Communication Technologies] knowledge and skills or that they have different learning styles or preferences) are largely unsupported by research evidence (Bennett, Maton, & Kirvan, 2008, p. 777). However, using these claims, enthusiasts’ present digital natives as a part of a utopian vision of technology tied to an exoticized picture of liberated young people (Buckingham, 2011). Despite slight distinctions, the terms digital native, the Net generation, and Millennials are used interchangeably (Jones et al., 2010, p. 723). Digital immigrants are characterized as individuals born before 1980 who knew an analogueonly world and still rely on analogue forms of interaction. For digital immigrants, the communication changes happening via the introduction of digital technologies are supposedly learned and relearned, instead of easily becoming second nature (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008, p. 4). Problems are often identified not with the digital natives but rather with older generations of non-natives who display their “digital immigrant accent” (Prensky, 2001a, p. 3) when using new technologies. In this way, digital immigrants are portrayed as being tied to older media, unable to catch up (Buckingham, 2011), therefore embodying the antithesis

People must find balance when using technology. Learning when it’s appropriate to use the internet, and when it's more productive to use paper and books. The world is always evolving. The human population tends to worry when a new abnormal tool is introduced. We must learn how to use technology as an advantage. I feel that older generations are more hesitant about the internet because they see younger generations using technology in “negative” ways. Teenagers these days struggle to go through an entire meal without a glance at their phones. Carr talks about how the obsession with texting, video games, and social media is currently so common. In my opinion, there is a simple solution. Little by little, people should try to “disconnect” from the world. It’s amazing what a difference it makes to just turn a phone on silent during an outing can

He looks at the relationship between the wage of the job, the education required and its probability of computerization. The author evaluated around 700 jobs and ranked them based on how likely they are to be computerized. What was found showed that the low risk occupations were ones that either required the person to be very educated, or required a vast amount of social interactions. And the high risk occupations were the ones that required little knowledge and low social interaction. Low risk jobs ranged from therapists, to healthcare workers, and high risk ones like library technicians, data entry keyers, production labor, transportation, and telemarketers. Frey believes that this takeover will happen in two stages. First, computers will start replacing people in the vulnerable fields, then the rate of replacement will slow down due to bottlenecks in the harder to automate fields. This “technological plateau”(38) will be followed by a second wave of computerization, but this will depend on how advanced artificial intelligence becomes. The second wave will put jobs in management, science, engineering, and the arts at risk. Overall the author concluded that 45 percent of American jobs are at high risk of being taken by computers within the next two

It is apparent that there have been significant advances in technology over the past thirty years. In the 1987 the first mobile phone was launched, with only 4% Australians actually owning one compared to 98% in 20162. It’s no secret that technology forever growing phenomenon however, during the 1980s it was not part of youth’s daily life. Rather teenagers passed time by “…going out to coffee shops with friends or participating in sporting activities” in comparison,”…97% of youths were using the internet/ soggcial media in their everyday lives – their lifestyle, their productivity and the ways they interact with their family, friends, education and their workplaces”2..

Since its introduction on a public scale in the 1990s, the internet has been associated with many changes in social experience. Many aspects of social life such as education, work, commerce and even personal relationships have changed through the internet. However, researchers have found that, at least in the early years, access to the internet is shaped according to gender, class, ethnicity and education. During the 1990s the typical information technology user was a white, male, professional with a background in IT. This bias in internet access was named the ‘digital divide’ to point out the implied social inequalities. It was said that the internet was

In Urs Gassers and Jon Palfreys, Born Digital, both authors take a sociological approach on analyzing and interpreting the new phenomenon known as the emergence of Digital Natives, or the part of society born after 1980. The main thesis for Born Digital that Urs Gassers and Jon Palfrey were trying to transcend, was how individuals who are Born Digital are transforming the world we live in. Digital Natives are transforming our world because of their interactions and intuit with technology and the web. Those born after 1980 have grown up in a networked world and are different, in sometimes enigmatic ways, from those born before them. In Palfrey and Gasser's view, the digital natives promise to make astonishing contributions to society,

In a world where technology is being constantly innovated, there are some people who are bound to fall behind. Particularly because information and communication technologies have brought significant changes to improve countries across the globe politically, economically and socially and over the past few decades, there has been r in people’s reliance and use of the Internet. The gap between those who do and those who do not have access to the Internet is known as the digital divide. This is a major issue internationally because information and communication technology can empower and benefit society socially and economically to share facts and express their values, virtues and other opinions. Some countries that are greatly impacted by the

Michael had grown to be an old man, a man of distinction, character and knowledge…features that were more subtlety displayed to the world than his full head of silver hair. It had come to the point in life that he felt he needed to pass on the ageless “when I was your age” speech to his grandchildren. He decided to center this speech on the progressive transformation of the internet, what life was like and how it had changed. He felt it was important for them to know what life was like when business to business and business to customer interaction was predominantly limited to forms of over the phone, face to face, and through the postal mail. A time where pizza had to be ordered by the telephone, and when Dominos promised delivery of 30 minutes or less or your pizza was free or else the NOID would have his way.

Technology is the foundation of a teenager’s everyday life. It is hard for them, and myself, to imagine our lives without it. I am always on my cell for either work, communication, or entertainment, but sometimes it feels as if I am addicted to my cell phone, and I would say that my friends may even be worse. Even though I may be connected with everyone on social media, it’s hard to say I have a real connection with them in real life. Technology is unarguably one of the greatest achievements in history, but I think it has limits and restrictions on people’s social lives, including millennials. Technology hinders millennials from developing deep, meaningful relationships, gives them a false sense of reality, and creates impatience and lack of focus.