The Digital Divide

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the "digital divide" that exists in the United States. First, the author defines this term as referring to the disparity in learning and earning potential based on income, race, geography, ethnicity and many other social factors. Next, the Internet is shown to be a measure of this problem. Third world countries are also considered in terms of the "digital divide." Finally, the paper suggests ways of overcoming this problem and the role of IT professionals in finding a solution.

From the Paper:

"There is a significant digital divide in the United States, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, and throughout both westernized and third world nations too. The digital divide is a term that refers to wide disparities in the availability of information and technologies that are instrumental in learning and earning more over a lifetime. The Internet has become an indispensable tool for gaining greater knowledge and skills through distance learning. Due to the digital divide, the potential to advancement out of poverty for those in low-income regions of the U.S. and the world greatly diminishes their ability to break the cycle of poverty in their families. The digital divide is defined as the disparity in learning and earning potential based on income, race, geography, ethnicity and many other social factors."

Sample of Sources Used:

• ESRI (2006). Environmental Systems Research Institute. Retrieved from the Internet on February 14, 2006. (www.esri.com)
• Gates Technology Foundation (2005). Interviews and on-site visits with GIS planners and network technicians while donating servers, laptops, and desktop computers for a major PC manufacturer. Onsite interviews in Seattle, Washington. April, 2005.
• HHS (2006). Federal Register Data on Poverty Line Statistics by size of household. January 24, 2006. See table 1 of this document.
• Pew Center for Internet Research (2006). Key statistics downloaded from the Internet on February 14, 2006. http://people-press.org/
• World Bank (2005). Global statistics on poverty. Retrieved from the Internet February 14, 2005. http://www.worldbank.org/

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