The+Digital+Divide



an essay I previously wrote with some additions

The Digital Divide
The Internet is an integral part of society today. However, there are some groups of individuals that have not been able to compete with this arising evolutionary technological innovation due to various reasoning. The ‘gap,’ called, ‘The Digital Divide’ refers to inequalities in Internet usage (Carvin, 2002). It is an important issue as it explores the issue of inaccessibility of certain groups in this technological era. This paper discusses the issues regarding accessibility and web experiences among individuals in a nation, and further explores advancements in this area that have changed the quality of life for such individuals. Income, age and disability are three relevant issues that will be discussed in this paper.

There are many cases in which the Internet is not accessible to everyone. Low-income families are not able to afford proper connection because they simply cannot afford to do so. The cost of the computer alone is a barrier for low-income families. A report by NTIA indicates that only 20 percent of families with income less that $15, 000 have access to a computer at home and less than 13 percent have Internet access. In contrast, close to 50 percent of those with incomes greater than $25,000 own computers, and more than 45 percent have Internet access. The same report indicates that high bandwidth costs at least $35 a month, while Internet access over general phone lines may be free or cost as little as $10 a month (Quay 2001). New sites on the web use more complex and advanced features that require high bandwidth, however the cost could act as a deterrent for low-income families. Thus it ends in lesser or no access for such individuals. In a report called Online Content for Low-Income and Under Served Americans, published in March 2000, the organization notes that lower income groups are less likely to use the Internet on the job, which results getting less exposure to the skills needed to use it effectively (Quay 2001). Lesser exposure results in lesser experience, which results in such individuals to not be able take advantage of the web.

Certain schools are also a victim of the income divide, as they are not able to provide students with equal access. In an annual report conducted by the Department of Education in United Sates it was determined that schools with large poor and minority enrollments were still less likely to have classroom Internet connections than mostly white and wealthy schools (Ed, 2002). Not everyone has equal access to the Internet due to an income divide, which results in some groups having lesser access over others. Some individuals don’t have proper access to the Internet, which is not fair on a social level as this revolutionary technology should be helpful for everyone. The Internet was invented to be used by everyone; such divides take away the rights of freedom of information.

Age is an important factor in the divide. A lot of the aged population has or might encounter problems with the web. Older folks may be new to computers, and not have the required experience or technological background to help them understand the web. A recent survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in United States revealed that less than one third (31%) of individuals in the United States aged 65 years or older have ever gone online, including e-mail use. But 70% of Citizens in the age of 50-64 have actually used the Internet. However only 21% of the 70% individuals that went online were able to find any relevant information (Voelkar, 2005). Such alarming statistics show that the needs of such individuals were not satisfied and they suffered from the age-divide. However, in this revolutionary era it is integral Old-age citizens that use computers rarely might find them hard to use because they are not familiar with them.

Inequalities also tend to exist in disabled population trying to access the web. Trouble exists for users that have visual, hearing, motor and cognitive disabilities. Users who suffer from blindness, colour blindness or low vision might have trouble reading small text, coloured text or visuals. Users who are deaf or hard of hearing may have problems perceiving information that is presented as sound. Users that suffer from motor disabilities such as inability to use a mouse, limited control also have trouble using the web. Cognitive disabilities such as inability to remember or focus on large amounts of information can also cause certain users to have difficulty using Internet features (Web Aim).

However issues in accessibility have been dealt with commendable solutions. Certain web pages allow the text and graphic content to be enlarged, which makes it easier for people with low vision to view the page. Also, contrasting colours are used to make the text more visible. Text equivalent allows images to be accessible for users that may not be able to see them (Web Content Guideline). Some newspapers also publish their content online in screen reader software. These software programs read text out loud so that individuals with visual impairments can use computers and access any text content through the computer. Also, if pictures are provided, good description is given so that people who can’t see pictures can still read about them (Valdez, 2004). By using style sheets to control font styles and eliminating the Font element, HTML authors have more control over their pages, make those pages more accessible to people with low vision, and by sharing the style sheets, will often shorten page download times for all users. Eye-tracking software allows users to use a computer with nothing more than eye movements. People who are hard of hearing can read online transcripts of important speeches, or view multimedia content that was not made available earlier. As well, online charity organizations such as U Can Do IT (based in London) provides at home training to enable deaf, blind and physically disabled people to take advantage of the Internet in their homes (Disability and Digital Divide). Most importantly laws have been implemented by United States, Australia and UK to ensure that all government websites are accessible to the disabled (Yu, 2002)

In the advancement of web technologies, some individuals are not able to use or access such technologies as successfully as others. Internet accessibility and usability are an important issue in society today. Every individual has a right to knowledge and information, and such rights should be the similar for every national. Even with its shortcomings the issues of have and have-not’s are being taken care of through various interfaces and innovations. A universal web design will allow for universal access available at all times to everyone.

Works Cited

"An Employers' Forum on Disability Briefing for CSR Practitioners." Disability and the Digital Divide. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:HgA_sQLTiIMJ:www.accountability21.net/uploadstore/cms/docs/Disability%20and%20the%20Digital%20Divide.doc+digital+divide+%2Baccessibility+issues&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=15/>.] Carvin, Andy. "Perspective: Digital Divide Still Very Real." Cnetnews.Com. 1 Apr. 2002. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://news.com.com/2010-1071-872138.html>.] ED. 2002. “Classroom web access rising, but poor schools lag: Report on education.” ED, 34(21), 2-3. Carvin, Andy. "Perspective: Digital Divide Still Very Real." Cnetnews.Com. 1 Apr. 2002. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://news.com.com/2010-1071-872138.html>.] "Half the World." Economics and Culture, Media and Community, Open Source. 3 Sept. 2002. International Telecommunication Union. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://www.shirky.com/writings/half_the_world.html>.] "Introduction to Web Accessibility." WebAim. Utah State University. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://www.webaim.org/articles/>.] McLaren, Jennifer, and Gianni Zappala. "The Digital Divide Among Financially Disadvantaged Families in Australia." First Monday. 25 Oct. 2005. 9 Nov. 2006 <[|http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_11/mclaren/>.] "Usability and Accessibility of Web Design." New Media Monthly 10 May 2001. UDIT. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://www.udit.jp/english/web/outline.html>.] Valdes, Leo. "Accessibility on the Internet." United Nations Enable. 31 Mar. 2004. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disacc00.htm>.] "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0." W3C Recommendation. 5 May 1999. 10 Nov. 2006 <[|http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/>.] Yu, Holly. (2002). Creating choosers - Information, the digital divide, and the propensity to change schools. Library Hi Tech, Vol:20, Issue:4 pg 406-419.