Information Technology AS Level

Chapter 5 : The Digital Divide

5.01 What is the Digital Divide

Demographic: ​a particular section of a population

Economic:​ relating to a country in terms of their production and consumption of goods and services

The term digital divide was first popularised in the 1990s. It describes the technology divide (or gap)
between countries,​demographic​ groups and​ economic​ areas. It is a technical, social and economic issue,
which covers the difference in availability and use of modern technology. The divide that people
experience can depend on many aspects, such as age, status and location.

Many people believe that the digital divide refers merely to internet access,but it can refer to access to
several forms of modern technology, including telephones, television, personal computers (PCs) and the
internet.

All countries experience a digital divide at one level or another. At a national level, the digital divide
describes the difference between those in the population who have regular access to modern technology,
and those who have the necessary skills to make good use of the technology.At an international level, the
digital divide describes the difference between developed and developing countries.

5.02 What can cause a Digital Divide

Broadband: ​a method of faster data transmission that can carry several channels of data at once
Infrastructure:​ the physical structures that are needed for a service or operation

There are many factors that can create a digital divide and they can do this for a great number of reasons.

City Versus Rural Areas

A person’s geographical location can have an effect on their access to technology services. One location
aspect that can affect this is whether they live in a city ora rural area.
Access to high-speed internet services can differ greatly between city and rural areas. The availability of
broadband ​services is expanding in most countries, but not at the same rate for those who live in rural
areas, compared to those who live in cities.

People who live in cities have much greater access to high¬ speed broadband. This mainly occurs fortwo
reasons:
• The infrastructure needed is mostly in place and just needs to be improved or expanded in order to
provide high-speed broadband services.Therefore, the cost implications are not as great,as the current
infrastructure can be used.
• The concentration of people, and therefore potential customers, in a city is far greater. Therefore, there
is a greater chance of quickly recuperating the costs of building the infrastructure needed for the
high-speed access.

People who live in rural areas have less access to high-speed broadband. This is mainly because the
infrastructure is not in place to provide the high-speed access, therefore the cost of building the required
infrastructure would be very expensive. As the concentration of people living in a rural area is much less
than in a city, the amount of potential customers is far fewer. This means that it would take a lot longer, if
ever, to recuperate the costs of building the infrastructure. For this reason, many broadband companies do
not look to provide high-speed access to people in the countryside.

This means that the experience of using the internet, in terms of speed, differs greatly between a user in a
city and a user in a rural area. Because of this people living in rural areas may find that they are not able
to use internet services such as film and television streaming because they cannot get an internet
connection that will support it. Even if they are able to get a connection that will support streaming, they
may be limited to standard,rather than high definition,quality, as this would be the only capability of the
connection.

Another service that can be affected depending on a person’s location is access to mobile telephone
internet services. Theirlocation will determine whether their connection is 3G or 4G, or if they can get any
connection at all.

2G technology allowed people to make telephone calls and send text messages, but accessing the internet
was very slow and cumbersome.The invention of the 3G network made it possible for users to access the
internet with their mobile telephone at a reasonable speed.The development of 4G has made internet
access using mobile devices much quicker.The 'G Refers to the generation of network presently
available.The availability of 4G and also 3G will depend on whether a person lives in a city or a rural
location.

In a city, network masts will tend to be close together, but in smaller towns and villages they may be
much further apart. Many rural areas do not have access to the 4G network, and sometimes have little
access to the 3G network. This greatly limits the internet services that can be used with a mobile
telephone.

More Versus less industrially developed Areas

The parts of the world that have greater access to modern technology are the USA, Europe and northern
Asia. These areas mostly consist of developed countries. Areas where access is more restricted are in
some parts of Africa, India and south Asia.
These are areas that consist of countries that are less industrially developed. This is possibly because the
less developed countries are having to use their financial resources to provide more important services
and do not have the funds available to concentrate on the development of their technology services. The
start-up costs for these countries to build the infrastructure would be very great. This could put them at
both a competitive and economic disadvantage. They may not have the ability to trade using modern
technologies and therefore cannot access the same customer and supplier base as businesses in developed
countries. It may also affect the level of education that can be provided as there may be a wealth of
information unavailable to them that is accessed using the internet. This can have an impact on both the
education and the skill level of people in those countries and prevent them from competing on an
international level.

Ecommerce:​ b​ usiness that is conducted electronically

Socio-economic groups

The rich/poor digital divide can also occur in more developed countries. Richer people are able to afford
access to high-speed internet connections and expensive advances in technology. The poorer members of
society may not be able to afford access to these services and levels of technology. This can have an
impact on their level of education and ​ecommerce​, essentially creating a greater divide. A great number
of companies are moving their business to the internet and new businesses are being developed that
operate using only the internet. There is a wealth of information available to users of the internet and
avast social network exists. The inability to access the internet creates a significant divide between rich
and poor people and between countries across the world.

A great number of companies are moving their business to the internet and new businesses are developing
that operate using only the internet.

Bandwidth:​ ​the amount of data that can be transmitted at One time

High Versus low performing technologies

A digital divide can also occur between people who have higher and lower performing technologies.
Those who are able to afford mobile devices with high performance capabilities may be able to enjoy a
better experience than those who have lower performing technologies.

They may be able to watch movies and stream music without interference and at a much higher quality
than those with technologies that do not have the processing power to handle the high level of ​bandwidth
needed for this.
An increased level of experience when using technology may lead to a better lifestyle for those who can
afford high performance technologies
Examples or Case Studies

1. Digital Divide in the United Kingdom

2. Digital Divide in the South Africa
3. Digital Divide in the Singapore

5.03 The Future

The digital divide tends to increase when new technologies become available. Younger generations tend
to embrace technology more quickly than older generations. As new technology is usually initially
expensive, it is taken up more quickly by those who have wealth rather than those who do not. For
example, in 2013, 3.7 million smart watches were sold. By 2014, sales had risen to 6.8 million. Virtually
all these sales were in developed countries.In 2015, Apple made its smart watch available to customers in
just nine countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, FlongKong, Japan, the United Kingdom
and the United States.The populations of developing nations tend to get left behind when new
technologies emerge, although the divide lessens as these technologies become more widespread and less
costly.

Access to technology, or often a lack of it,is one of the biggest contributors to the digital divide. Flavinga
digital device that is connected to the internet allows access to educational resources, ecommerce, online
banking and entertainment, amongst other things. Many people who do have access are being encouraged
to allow their older technologies to be refurbished and given to those who currently have no access.

For those who do not understand how to use the technologies available, there are courses being run in
many areas to help people learn the skills needed. There are also many countries that are funding
community teaching programs, especially for those in poorer areas.

In less developed countries there is a drive to set up cybercafes to make technologies available to
communities and increase their chance of a better education and access to facilities such as ecommerce.

The digital divide will exist in many different ways for a long time yet but each initiative that is put into
place will help to close that divide a piece at a time. There is hope that this will eliminate a culture of
digital divide and create a culture of digital inclusion.

5.04 Summary

The digital divide is the technology divide between countries, demographic groups and economic areas. It
is a technical, social and economic issue about the availability and use of modern technologies. It refers to
more than just the internet and can include technologies such as telephones, televisions, PCs and the
internet.
The digital divide can occur for many reasons, including a person’s age, status and location. There are
many things that can be affected by the digital divide, including a person’s access to ecommerce, their
education, employment opportunities and entertainment experiences.

A divide can occur between countries that are more developed and those that are less developed, between
people who live in cities and those that live in rural areas, between different socio-economic groups and
amongst those that have higher and lower performing technologies.

**​CP5 END**