The Myth about the Digital Divide

I found this article about the myths of the digital divide from a trade publication to be very interesting because it talked mostly about the “second level” to the digital divide. While many sources I looked at blamed race, education, and socioeconomic class for the cause of the divide, this suggests otherwise. The gap is said to begin when people own old technology which leads to connectivity and online skill problems, and the inability to use the Internet effectively. Current technology is now almost critical. Students who do not own updated technology are limited because they are unable to access or run software on their computer that is essential for their studies. Also there are situations where broadband access is not available leaving users with an outdated dial up connection which in turn hinders their ability to effectively use the internet. This article would be useful for readers because it explains different causes of the digital divide and though some people own computers and have dial up access to the Internet, they are not necessarily successful users of technology. The information in this article is very relevant to our class and I can draw many parallels between the two. Without updated technologies we would not be able to access the applications that we use in class defeating the course’s purpose of technology literacy.