The Digital Divide

What is it? And Whats Being Done?

For people who use the internet everyday, it may be hard to imagine a world without Google, Facebook, YouTube, or any other website that provides us with the ability to socialize, research, and work. But for more than have of the world, this is a reality people face on a daily basis Website Source: Spectrum. The inability to access the internet puts people at a definitive disadvantage than those who are fortunate enough to have access to it. The internet provides its users with information, knowledge, and learning. There is an endless supply of knowledge on the internet, and users can learn about practically anything whether they learn through reading or through watching videos Website Source: Computer Hope.

Users of the internet can also connect and communicate with people from all around the world. This communication can happen in real time and can take less than a second to send. In a perfect world, everybody would have access to the internet and everyone could benefit from growing their spectrum of knowledge.


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So, how specifically are people not able to gain access to the internet and how can we as people help to bring those people online? Many countries in Africa such as Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, along with some countries in Asia, have a high percentage of citizens who are not online. In terms of internet penetration rates for Asia and Africa, citizens who are have access to the internet only account for 46.7% and 31.2% respectively, of their populations Website Source: World Stats. But why is this? There are four reasons which provide an answer to this question. The first one being problems with infrastructure. In 2016, it was recorded that 15% of people around the globe did not have access to electricity, and 31% of people live outside of 3G coverage. Communities need access to electricity in order to even begin thinking about gaining internet access. Furthermore, if 31% of people live outside of 3G coverage, that puts them at a strict disadvantage than those that do.

The next reason that contributes to the digital divide is affordability. 13% of people live below the international poverty line and only 29 countries around the world have broadband that is affordable to 100% of its people.


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Next, education and cultural acceptance can be considered an important factor in the digital divide. 15% of all adults are considered to be illiterate and the statistic that shocked me the most was that women are 50% less likely to be connected to the internet. For those interested in what is being done to encourage girls to learn more about the internet, I have provided a link to a short video filmed by MSNBC which looks specifically at young women in America and what the group Black Girls Code is doing to inspire young African American girls to pursue jobs in the tech industry Video Source: YouTube.

The last reason is availability and usage. 80% of all the content that is online, is only available in 1 of 10 languages, which is only accessible to about 3 billion people that can speak that language. All of these statistics can be referenced to Website Source: World Economic Forum.

Whats Being Done?

So what is being done to bring more people online and fix some of the issues that are causing the digital divide? Firstly, the U.S State Department announced in 2015 that they their goal is to bring 1.5 billion people online by 2020. To achieve this, the U.S State Department has some measures which can be taken, and have already been taken, to accomplish their goal of bringing 1.5 billion people online.


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Developing local content is a great start in helping to bridge the digital divide. Companies and technologists need to engage with local communities whereby these technologists and companies would determine how these communities would use internet access. By doing this, networks can be built that best suit the needs of the local community members. Developers and researchers are also seeing great success with apps and local sites that help people share content and communicate with each other in certain regions around the world Website Source: Spectrum.

Another way to bridge the divide is to start teaching ICT (Information Communication Technology) as a part of the school's curriculum. Furthermore, providing training to community members is another important aspect; however to do so, will require a public-private collaboration. In other words, governments, businesses, and community members will need to take the initiative to make it happen Website Source: World Economic Forum.

Overall, bridging the digital divide will take a lot of collaboration from both public sector and the private sector. The internet is full of information, and can be used as a source of education for everybody. Bridging the digital divide, in an ever evolving digital world, is key in gaining the life-changing benefits of connectivity.


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