The Digital Divide

 

Schoolwork in the time of COVID-19

In the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a great deal of discussion about the “digital divide,” particularly as it relates to kids in public schools and their access to digital learning. COVID-19 has forced many schools to adopt a virtual learning or hybrid model due to contagion, illness, quarantine or teacher shortages. The global pandemic saw public school systems scrambling to get access to virtual learning for students quarantined at home.

It seems there are a countless number of articles looking at the impact of the digital divide on students and how the lack of access to computers and high-speed internet is creating a learning gap between more affluent, urban students and low income, minority and rural students. A 2019 National Center for Education Statistics’ Condition of Education report said that in 2017 only 49% of families making less than $20,000 a year had home internet access - meaning three million students do not (King, 2019). Studies have shown that students need to be able to create and learn with technology in order to develop an identity as a technology user, which affects their continuing use of technology and digital literacy (Degennaro & Brown, 2009).

However the concept of a “digital divide,” a term coined in the late 20th century to refer to systemic inequities that occur with some Americans' lack of access to computers and the internet (Rogers, 2016), is not just about students, but adults as well. Over time, the term has evolved to encompass not just the lack of technological access but also a lack of digital literacy among Americans. Aside from students, marginalized communities, women, and older Americans seem to be groups heavily impacted by the digital divide.

The Digital Divide is an Income Divide

A 2021 Pew Research Center survey illustrated a sharp divide between Americans with lower and higher incomes in regard to internet use, broadband adoption and smartphone ownership (Vogels, 2021). This disparity was particularly stark in households with incomes below $30k, with 24% of respondents sharing that they did not own a smartphone and 41% not owning a computer or having access to broadband services (43%). Researchers have pointed out that the smartphone, once touted as the panacea of the digital divide since broadband is not required, is not actually a cure-all. Smartphones are difficult to use for activities such as employment applications or taxes, access to superior tools and data are available only on the more expensive smartphones, and smartphones can be difficult for the digitally illiterate to use, especially the older generation. (Bernard, 2011)

Women and Digital Literacy

A professional women’s organization I belong to has an interest in discussing public policy issues that impact women and girls, specifically in terms of economic equity and education. A few months ago we gathered for a conversation about the digital divide. As we discussed the digital divide, we realized that the gap isn’t just one of access to the internet and computers or smartphones, but also one of digital literacy, and that gap may impact women more so than men. For example, a former schoolteacher who had been out of the workforce for twelve years raising her children re-entered the workforce by substitute teaching. She discovered that she was hopelessly out of step with the digital literacy that is now second nature to teachers, from using smart boards to crafting assignments through apps on tablets and of course, using Zoom. The pace of technology is fast, and for women who step out of the workforce to raise children, they may find themselves digitally illiterate compared to their peers.

Older Adults and Information Communication Technologies (ICT)

“In a society where technology progresses at an exponential rate, older adults are often unaware of the existence of different kinds of information and communication technologies,” (Wu et. al, 2015).

Digital illiteracy which is often seen as a socio economic issue, is also certainly a generational issue. I am someone who, though comfortable with technology, is irked when I have to adapt to change in that technology, as with Windows or Iphone updates. I get used to the way something works, and get annoyed when I have to adjust to a new way of doing something. My thirteen year old son, on the other hand, has been taught to embrace changes in technology - he ardently looks forward to upcoming updates to the Minecraft server for example - to him, change is expected, change is celebrated, change is good.

The rapid acceleration of current technologies and rate of change demands adaptability from technology users, and that adaptability is not so easily taught. In essence, you are teaching people that they have to continually keep learning, and can never rest on their laurels - knowing something today does not necessarily mean you know something tomorrow. Anyone working in marketing or communications today knows that if you are not ahead of the power curve in terms of the technology you are using, you will quickly be behind. Campaigns have to be continually adjusted as the parameters of when and how you can deploy technologies change due to software updates, privacy law changes, new capabilities, etc.

This posture of adaptability to continually changing technologies is not easy to teach to the older generation. One study introducing new technologies to older adults found that participants had numerous barriers to using new technology, including anxiety, lack of familiarity, and age-related cognitive difficulties. One study respondent stated that the mentality required for operating in the digital environment was different than how their generation thought, and that “the young have a digital mind” (Wu et. al., 2015). With so many aspects of modern life dependent on technology and ICT in particular, it is sobering to think of the impact disassociation from technology could have on elderly people, who might need to navigate online to access their social security checks, or schedule grocery deliveries, or understand how to set up a telehealth video call with their doctor.

Bridging the Divide

There are many programs in place in different communities attempting to bridge the gap of the digital divide. PHL ConnectED in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a public private partnership that as of 2021 had provided over 18,000 internet connections to low-income families with children in Philadelphia public and private schools (Graham, 2021). One of the more robust initiatives today is in North Carolina, where Governor Roy Cooper has announced a $1 billion investment in digital equity through a program that addresses the digital divide through new infrastructure, increased access and affordability and digital literacy (The Digital Divide | ncbroadband.gov, n.d.).

North Carolina has the right idea. In order to address the issues of the digital divide, we have to look at both access to technology and education for the older generation, for those returning into the workforce, and those whose socioeconomics may have left them behind in terms of digital literacy.

References

‌ Anderson, M., & Perrin, A. (2017, May 17). 2. Barriers to adoption and attitudes towards technology. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech; Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/barriers-to-adoption-and-attitudes-towards-technology/

Bernard, S. (2011, August 8). Crossing the Digital Divide: Bridges and Barriers to Digital Inclusion. Edutopia; George Lucas Educational Foundation. https://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-technology-access-inclusion

Degennaro, D., & Brown, T. L. (2009). Youth voices: connections be tween history, enacted culture and identity in a digital divide initia tive. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 4(1), 13–19. doi:10. 1007/s11422-008-9108-y.

Graham, K. A. (2021). A year into PHLConnectED, Philly has made 18,000 internet connections. Https://Www.inquirer.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.inquirer.com/news/free-internet-students-philadelphia-comcast-digital-divide-20210816.html

King, D. K. (Taylor). (n.d.). T-Mobile for Business BrandVoice: It’s Time To Close The Digital Divide. Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmobile/2020/05/22/its-time-to-close-the-digital-divide/?sh=5ef4d21619b5

The Digital Divide | ncbroadband.gov. (n.d.). Www.ncbroadband.gov. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.ncbroadband.gov/digital-divide

Vogels, E. (2021, June 22). Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/22/digital-divide-persists-even-as-americans-with-lower-incomes-make-gains-in-tech-adoption/

Wu, Y.-H., Damnée, S., Kerhervé, H., Ware, C., & Rigaud, A.-S. (2015, January 9). Bridging the digital divide in older adults: a study from an initiative to inform older adults about new technologies. Clinical Interventions in Aging. https://www.dovepress.com/bridging-the-digital-divide-in-older-adults-a-study-from-an-initiative-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CIA

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