The Digital Divide in US seems to be diminishing due to increase in the usage of cyberspace and consciousness about the benefits of the engineering. Furthermore the US authorities is supplying internet entree to hapless countries of the states. This can be asserted from the fact that there are 2 million new cyberspace users each month in US. ( Dickard. 2002. pg. 1 ) But at the same clip the technological divide between the cultural groups is still at that place. The internet entree to inkinesss and Hispanics is half that of Whites and Asians.
This is because Hispanics come from hapless backgrounds with less income and less entree to instruction. Therefore they lack the basic computing machine skills to take avail the chances of the technological age. However recognizing the great possible market that Hispanics provide. sellers are now concentrating their attending on this section and this has resulted in high internet incursion among Hispanics. Yet. affordability and accomplishments to utilize the engineering still remains a job for this section.
The degree of instruction is besides an of import factor in US in separating between digital rich persons and haves non. Merely a few of the people from those who didn’t pass high school had internet entree but about half of the alumnuss have the digital entree and this figure increases with the degrees of makings. The degree on income besides has an impact. Harmonizing to a survey merely 25 % of the hapless US families are on-line compared to 80 % of the rich families. ( Whipp. 2005 ) Digital Divide in the World There is broad digital divide between rich and hapless states of the universe.
The western universe including America. Europe and other northern provinces have broad entree to information engineering whereas this entree is limited in southern parts of the universe like Africa. India. Pakistan and other parts of South Asia. The ground for this digital divide among so states is that the hapless states are already burdened with multiple economic and societal jobs like debt. hungriness. hapless wellness and instruction construction and hence can non profit from the technological promotions. These states can non afford the high cost of investing in engineering and its care.
Their already limited resources are spent in carry throughing their basic demands. ( Ryder. 2003 ) However economic facet is non the lone cause of digital divide issue. The instruction degrees and illiteracy is another account for the digital spread. Third universe states lack the accomplishments to utilize the digital engineering due to hapless educational background. Majority of the people in this portion of the universe are illiterate and want easy solutions to their jobs and frequently find the new engineering excessively confusing and complex to utilize. ( Rossi. 2007 )
The digital spread besides exists because people do non take full advantage of the engineering even if they can afford it and are literate plenty to utilize it. They are merely non interested to utilize it. For illustration many people still prefer to travel to physical shops for shopping even though on-line shopping option saves them money and clip. ( Nielsen. 2006 ) Bridging the Digital Divide One major solution to contract down the digital spread is to cut down cost of engineering which includes apparatus cost and care costs and besides the monetary values of Personal computers.
This would ensue in more people holding entree to information and engineering as they would be able to afford the entree to internet. Another factor which is of import is the development of engineering accomplishments and increasing engineering literacy so that people know how to utilize the engineering in right manner even if they can afford it. But this can merely be done if basic literacy is given through proper instruction construction. Another solution is supplying content for users that are far off from technological entree like Hispanics and South Asians.
There is really small content online for many minority groups. Not merely supplying content for such users but besides content that is in their local linguistic communication. ( Carvin. 2000 ) Many 3rd universe states who are already fighting for basic demands do non welcome engineering as they do non see it supplying their basic demands and alternatively happen it complex. To get the better of this engineering must be implemented so that it can assist in their development and references their basic demands. Savishinsky. 2000 ) Get the better ofing this planetary digital spread is merely non the function of one group. Public and Private organisations and NGOs need to work together to bridge the spread. Government needs to supply basic instruction construction to better the literacy degrees and besides supply chances for technological investings. Private organisations and NGOs need to assist in supplying digital entree to rural countries where people can non afford the engineering and are non mastered plenty to utilize.
They can make this by support schools and families and turn outing basic technological accomplishments. Role of IT Companies and Professionals IT companies and professionals can play an of import function in bridging the digital spread. IT companies can concentrate on supplying engineering in low income and low literacy countries of their society. This can be done by supplying technological devices at lower costs. Besides IT professionals can develop local people in utilizing the engineering and make high quality content that caters to the demands of the community.
Conclusion Digital Divide is one of the greatest challenges faced by the authoritiess of the universe. On one side information and engineering is assisting the portion of a society that afford digital entree but on the other manus the other portion of society is continuously being deprived of the benefits of engineering. Digital Divide due to economic and educational divide seems to be widening. Therefore stairss must be taken to contract this spread so that everyone can use the benefits of the new digital age.
