By: Joy DuPont

and Group

The Digital Divide

I. What is the digital divide?II. Who is affected by the digital divide?III. How are they affected by the digital divide?IV. Who takes responsibility for the digital

divide?V. What does the digital divide mean for

information professionals?VI. What is being done about the digital divide?VII.What can be done about the digital divide?VIII. Bibliography

Contents

Those who cannot afford computers, those who are computer illiterate and need to use computers, and those who need assistance with computers. The issues are with access and availability. Global vs. localFactors- location, money, or

education

What is the Digital Divide?

Who is affected by the digital divide?

The poorThe elderlyThose who have lower educationMembers of ethnic and racial

minoritiesThose who live in rural areasThose who live in economically

disadvantaged countries

Who is affected by the digital divide?

Who is affected by the digital divide?

Koch, K. (2000). The Digital Divide: Should Internet access for the poor be subsidized?. The CQ Researcher, 10(3), 41-64. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from https://sn2prd0202.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=n6lFLPoykEOYRu-satUiE938Dmogm88Iwt9PQP5vO88B-PudtEifleWhtG0MT7pQrcj782EBibY.&URL=http%3a%2f%2flibrary.cqpress.com.proxy.lib.utk.edu%3a90%2fcqresearcher%2fdocument.php%3fid%3dcqresrre2000012800

Who is affected by the digital divide?

Main Reasons for No High-Speed Internet Use at Home

Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2004, September 30). A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age | NTIA. Home Page | NTIA. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2004/nation-online-entering-broadband-age

The rural poor are lowest in terms of computer penetration – (4.5%); those with computers and modems are 23.6% as opposed to 8.1% and 44.1% in urban areas, respectively.

Rural senior citizens (55+) posses lowest computer penetration (11.9%), followed by seniors in central cities (12%)

Who is affected by the digital divide?

NTIA. (1995, July). Falling through the net: A Survey of the “have nots” in rural and urban America. Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fallingthru.html

Limited or no access to important information resources

Increasingly limited access to government formsExamples:

Tax formsSocial SecurityDriver’s License forms

Limited or no access to furthering educationLimited or no access to job listings and

applications

How are the people affected by the digital divide?

If it’s an access problem… This “may imply that

those who can provide or help subsidize the technology, particularly government and/or corporations, are responsible for function infrastructure and increasing access” (Epstein, Nisbet, & Gillespie, 2011)

But…

This may “suggest that responsibility lies in the hands of individuals and educational institutions, those who could help pursue the necessary ‘digital literacy’” (Epstein, Nisbet, & Gillespie, 2011)

But…

Who is responsible for the Digital Divide?

If it’s a skills problem…

From Wei & Hindman (2011), there is an “ongoing consensus that simply being connected will not necessarily solve potential sources of inequality”

Providing access isn’t enoughWhat’s the next step for info

professionals?

What does this mean for information professionals?

Wei, L., & Hindman, D.B. (2011). Does the digital divide matter more? Comparing the effects of new media and old media use on education-based knowledge gap. Communications and Society, 14, 216-235. Doi: 10.1080/15205431003642707

Staff members of libraries are helping their patrons to become more computer literate, whether it is by holding workshops or working one-on-one with patrons.

What is being done to amend the situation?

The Idaho Commission for Libraries created a program to train 12 “new Americans” how to use library tools and how to train others to use them as well. The library has workshops and coaching sessions as well.Helped with finding jobs, education, family and

health information, access to e-government services, and computer and internet literacy

New Americans and the Digital Literacy Gap. American Libraries [serial online]. November 2012;43(11/12):20-21. Available from: Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 20, 2012.

What is being done to amend the situation?

GrantsVolunteers to teach workshops and

work in communityPatient, helpful librarians

What needs to be done to bridge the gap?

Benton Foundation. (2001). Digital divide network. Retrieved from http://www.digitaldivide.network.org.

Epstein, D., Nisbet, E., & Gillespie, T. (2011). Who’s responsible for the digital divide? Public perceptions and policy implications. The Information Society, 27, 92-104. Doi: 10.1080 / 01982243.2011.548695.

Howard, P.N., Rainie, L., & Jones, S. (2001). Days and nights on the Internet: The impact of a diffusing technology. American Behavior Scientist, 45, 383-404.

Koch, K. (2000). The Digital Divide: Should Internet access for the poor be subsidized?. The CQ Researcher, 10(3), 41-64. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from https://sn2prd0202.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=n6lFLPoykEOYRu-satUiE938Dmogm88Iwt9PQP5vO88B-PudtEifleWhtG0MT7pQrcj782EBibY.&URL=http%3a%2f%2flibrary.cqpress.com.proxy.lib.utk.edu%3a90%2fcqresearcher%2fdocument.php%3fid%3dcqresrre2000012800.

Bibliography

Korupp, S. E., & Szydlik, M. (2005). Causes and Trends of the Digital Divde. European Sociological Review, 21(4), 409-422. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from http://esr.oxfordjournals.org.proxy.lib.utk.edu:90/content/21/4/409.full.pdf.

Marshall, S., Taylor, W. J., & Yu, X. (2003). Preface. Closing the digital divide transforming regional economies and communities with information technology (pp. iv-xvii). Westport, Conn.: Praeger.

New Americans and the Digital Literacy Gap. American Libraries [serial online]. November 2012;43(11/12):20-21. Available from: Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 20, 2012.

NTIA. (1995, July). Falling through the net: A Survey of the “have nots” in rural and urban America. Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fallingthru.html.

Bibliography

Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2004, September 30). A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age | NTIA. Home Page | NTIA. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2004/nation-online-entering-broadband-age.

Wei, L., & Hindman, D.B. (2011). Does the digital divide matter more? Comparing the effects of new media and old media use on education-based knowledge gap. Mass Communication and Society, 14, 216-235. Doi: 10.1080 / 15205431003642707.

Zickuhr, K. (02 F). Pew internet. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Generations-and-gadgets/Report/Desktop-and-Laptop-Computers.aspx

Bibliography