The Dangers Of The Digital Divide

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

To introduce the arguement, not everyone has the opportunity to have internet access where they live. For example, www.techtimes.com states,"Today, 2.7 billion people, or around one-third of the Earth's population, have access to the Internet.”

The digital divide that is prominent in today’s society is sky rocketing daily, especially in Canada. Unfortunately, Internet will never be a free service and we never expect it to be; but, Coalition member ACORN Canada, a national organization of low- and moderate-income families, is calling on the CRTC to mandate that $10 per month high-speed internet packages be made available to families and individuals living below Statistics Canada's low-income measure (Goodyear, 2016). Some solutions consist of higher-earning Canadians paying a little extra on their own internet bills - about a dollar a month - to subsidize access for those who can't afford it. (Goodyear, 2016). I personally believe that this solution is risky because it would unfair if other Canadians have to pay

Income inequality is the unspoken truth of American life. Millions of Americans live in poverty while the minority holds the majority of the wealth. This problem has become more severe in recent years, with the wealth gap increasing exponentially. While innovation drives economics in the free market, recent innovations have caused the wealth gap to become skewed. Broadband Internet is one particular innovation that has spurred economic growth but has hurt the lower class. Broadband Internet can be defined as “768 Kbps download and 200 Kbps upload” (Dunbar). Although there are many varying classification of broadband Internet, this definition will be utilized for the purposes of this paper. The non-adoption of broadband Internet by those living

As technology becomes a vital component to many people’s lives, CN believes that broadband access for individuals increases the quality of life, and allows communities the opportunity to compete universally. Connected Nation looks to identify service apertures, and bridge the digital divide.

run into these problems: some families don’t have enough money to pay for internet service,

There are many fundamental infrastructures in America that we rely on day to day. When I hear the word infrastructure, the first thing that comes to mind are networks of transportation such as roads, bridges, highways, rails, and airports. But infrastructure is so much more. From the water infrastructure that provides a clean supply of water as well as the removal of water waste, to the generation and distribution of power infrastructure, or even gas for those who need to heat their homes and cook on stoves. All of these have their respective purposes and functions in society, but the focus of this is going to be on the telecommunications infrastructure. The internet is a powerful system and infrastructure that many people and their technology depend on. Even many other infrastructures have the internet woven into its core in order to effectively operate. Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the world wide web, once said, “I myself feel that it is very important that my ISP supplies internet to my house like the water company supplies water to my house. It supplies connectivity with no strings attached.” Sadly, connectivity to the telecommunications infrastructure is showing symptoms of splintering urbanism in many American cities.

The gap extends far beyond school districts or rural United States. The divide surpasses borders and affects societies on a global scale. Four billion people from developing countries remain offline, representing 2/3 of the population residing in developing countries (ICT Facts and Figures, 2015). Of the 940 million population of least developing countries, only 89 million use the Internet—only a 9.5 percent penetration rate (ICT Facts and Figures, 2015). In under developed countries, only 7 percent have Internet access—well below the world average of 46 percent (ICT Facts and Figures, 2015). If a vast majority of citizens do not have access to communication technologies, how would a country be able to continue developing? If the country’s people are not growing intellectually, the country itself is at a standstill. Without assistance in development, development is extremely slow, flawed, or stopped

The internet has developed into a colossal necessity in many schools over the past decade. Since the internet is used for school work or even just jobs, having to pay for the internet just seems like an unjust thing for anyone to need to waste money on. The internet is already expensive enough for people who pay for internet access at home, but consider the people who don’t (“Everyone, No Matter Income Level, Should Have Access to Internet.”). The people that don’t have internet access at home have to actually pay a greater deal go money if they want to use internet, they have to pay for transportation and then pay for the use of the computer each time they go somewhere for internet. Getting cheap access to the internet is hard for school kids, as some of them don’t have the money to pay for stuff such as internet.

Imagine a world divided by those who can afford technology and those who cannot. Those that have access to technology are the richest in the world, and those that do not are stuck in poverty with no way to improve their economic status. It sounds like the starting lines of a Hollywood movie but it is a growing issue in America and abroad. The digital divide is the divide or gap between people who have access to technology and those that do not. The divide is creating problems for schools who require more and more assignments to be done on a computer. Also, having the internet is having the power of information and knowledge that not everyone has the ability to access. Other countries suffer from the digital divide at a staggering percentage compared to US, UK and Europe. (Crawford)

The digital divide marks the gap between those who have access and utilize Information communication technologies and those who lack access or ability (reference). Causes for this division have traditionally stemmed through economic circumstance. Due to the existing disproportions between countries economic situations, a large global dimension exists within the digital divide. Socio-demographic factors also significantly affect ones positioning on the spectrum of the digital divide. Through examination it becomes clear that the gap in some senses is showing signs of narrowing. On

The digital revolution is truly changing the world in a rapid progression. Over the years many analog methods and products have been turning digital. We live in a mostly digital society compared to about 60 years ago, around when the digital revolution started. In the 1960s computers started to become popular in a business setting. Technology has sculpted today’s society. There are many ways that the digital revolution has impacted society. Education, businesses, medical sciences, law enforcement, manufacturing, news, children, and many other parts of society have been impacted the digital revolution. Everywhere you look there is new digital technology, ranging from mobile devices to digital speedometers in cars. There are much faster and more efficient ways of communication with others and there are both pros and cons with this degree of technology.

“Today, Internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity” (Barrack Obama). The internet has

The access to the internet is still not cheap for some customers and still inconvenient for many potential customers such as those customers living in the remote villages.

Economic forces present opportunities for CNO when operating during high unemployment rates. It is beneficial to CNO for having a larger pool of candidates to select future employees from, but also increases their competitors’ selection. CNO’s earnings have potentially detrimental effects from inflation due to individuals not being able to afford the services offered. Therefore, CNO needs to ensure the continual offering of competitive rates within the insurance industry.