Digital Divide

The digital divide is the gap between those who have regular, easy access to digital technology and those who do not. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Larry Irving popularized the term digital divide in a series of technology reports in the 1990s. The term is primarily used to [Page 587]refer to the uneven distribution of Internet access, although other information technologies are sometimes included. The digital divide cuts across nations and across demographic groups within nations.

The digital divide generates great concern among governments, nongovernment agencies, and the private sector. In 2006, a Google search on “digital divide” turned up about 27 million entries. From an ethical perspective, the digital divide raises questions of distributive justice—the fair distribution of goods relative to demand. Many believe that the digital divide both represents and reinforces socioeconomic inequalities. Inadequate access to the Internet diminishes opportunities to conduct business, communicate, find employment, interact with government agencies, research health issues, join groups, engage in distance learning, and participate in political processes. For the world's rural poor, the lack of Internet access forms a barrier to vital information about agriculture, fisheries, forestry, health, nutrition, and other keys to rural development. Such structural links between digital access and socioeconomic inclusion mean that the digital divide feeds the disparities that created it. Consequently, many observers have voiced fears that the growth of digital technology will further marginalize the information have-nots.

While the starkest gap appears between those who have at least some Internet access and those who completely lack it, significant differences also exist among those who go online. For example, one study found that having a broadband (high-speed) connection more strongly predicted users' range of Internet activity than did their number of years of experience in using the Internet. Differences in usage patterns also appear between those who must visit a school, library, or community center to go online and those who have home computers plus smaller devices that permit Internet access nearly anywhere, anytime. Much attention has been paid to the “democratic divide” between those who use digital technology to participate in political life and those who do not.

Closing the digital divide would help realize the unique potential of digital technology, some observers say. Older technologies, such as print and television, traditionally allowed users to receive content produced somewhere else by someone else. Digital technology can enable users to produce their own content and deliver it locally or globally.

Critics question the terms in which discussions about the digital divide are typically framed. For example, some argue that the divide will go away on its own as wireless technologies become cheaper. Others see the concept of a digital divide as “welfarist” or mainly as marketing for Internet service providers and e-commerce retailers. Still another viewpoint stresses effective Internet use rather than mere access. From this perspective, ignoring such questions as “access to what” and “access for what” will lead to an elite group of producers using the Internet to deliver content to an expanding group of passive consumers. Effective Internet use would mean ensuring “e-readiness”—the knowledge, skills, and financial, legal, and other necessary supports so that individuals and communities can both consume and produce content to achieve their objectives.

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