Essay outline draft 1

Main area:
Intergeneration digital divide in Singapore

Main problem identified:
Worsen the inequality and discrimination of aged people in a technology dominated society. (social and economic exclusion)

Proposed solution:
Subsidised upgrading for elderly with emphasised on literacy and digital literacy. (classes can focus more on practical use of technology where elderly can use at workplace to increase their employability)

Proposed thesis:

Singapore is moving towards a more productive workforce through the use of technology to reduce the amount of manpower needed.  However, in this fast-paced society, most aged workers who are equipped with manual labour skills would have incompatible skills in the high tech labor market. The proposed solution for this issue will be subsidised upgrading for aged workers with emphasis place on workers' employability and integration in the society.

Reader Response Draft 3

Reader Response Draft 3

In “World wakes up to digital divide”, Wakefield (2010) asserts that digital divide is a worldwide issue. Research by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) states that digital divide within a country correlates with its economic status. To solve this issue, governments of poorer countries built infrastructure to introduce network for less developed areas. Digital divide not only exists in developing countries but also in developed countries. Accordingly to New America Foundation’s (NAF) study, disparity exist in America where only a significantly small proportion of Native Americans use Internet. However, it has shown that Internet not only help minorities keep alive their culture, but also improve their standard of living. Through the study, America should be the role model, where technologies are taught how to use rather then simply providing them which shows the need for a change in strategy to resolve the problem of digital divide

In the article, Wakefield (2008) gives examples of success in the Wi-Fi Villages in Hungary, but also mention the concern that the technology could be too advanced for the villagers. This is also my concern when I first come across the term “Wi-Fi villages” in the article.  The government has attempted to solve the digital divide by providing Wi-Fi infrastructure and cheaper computers.

However, I would like to question if this strategy could holistically resolve the issue of digital divide. According to Fink and Kenny (2003), digital divide is not just because people do not have access to technology, but is also due to the differences in ability to use, actual usage and impact of usage (Beltran & Fontenay, 2008). I will explore how the digital divide can be narrow by using this definition, as the government seems to overlook the gap in the people’s ability to use Wi-Fi technology by just simply providing technology and expecting that people would reap the benefits.

In my opinion, there are barriers to overcome before people have the ability to fully utilize the technology. Firstly, the government would have to resolve the problem of language barriers. The Government is targeting villagers living below the poverty line where many villagers could be illiterate and require education. Also, poverty would be barrier for people to fully utilize the technology. Even though the government is providing cheaper computers to cater to the needs of poor people, it is unlikely that villagers having difficulties making ends meet would splurge on computers which may not necessary improve their lives. As a result, even with access to Wi-Fi technology, the villagers may not have the ability to use. Therefore, perhaps the government should consider the correlation between digital divide and the economic status mention by ITU and resolve the issue of poverty first.

Next, we have to acknowledge that there will always be a digital divide and the role of the government would be to narrow it. After the implementation of the technology, the government has to ensure that it is fully utilize, and not become a white elephant infrastructure. Even though improving connectivity in the rural villages would naturally lead to comparative advantage and attract foreign investments, villages may not be knowledgeable in incorporating technology into their businesses. Also, villagers may not utilize Wi-Fi like a city dweller, but it could be incorporated into their lives by the government to ensure actual usage. One interesting success in Africa was how technology improved the lives of previously marginalized villages and improved their lives significantly. African farmers were able to consult experts on their crop failure and through the advise they saved their crops and livelihood (Treisman, 2014). As long as there is actual usage and the people are able to feel the impact or benefit after using technology, the divide of actual usage and impact of usage could be narrowed.

I feel that the government’s “Wi-Fi villages” can be successful even though the technology may be too advanced for the villagers. The government had taken the first step to provide the technology and with policies to educate the villagers, they could harness the technology to improve their lives. This example of Wi-Fi village is particularly relevant to Singapore’s digital divide due to our greying population. Similar to the villagers, we cannot expect elderly to utilize Internet technology like the younger generation and digital natives. However, through the technology we could improve the healthcare quality provided for our elderly (Tham, 2014). In all, I feel that the main aim of resolving the digital divide will be to ensure that people are not left out from the benefits of technology, which can marginalize them from the society as well as economy.

References:

Bourdeau de Fontenay, A. & Beltran, F. (2008). Inequality and economic growth: Should we be concerned by the digital divide? ITS Montreal 2008. May, 1-37. Retrieved http://www.imaginar.org/taller/its2008/37.pdf

Tham, I. (2014, March 17). Bridging the digital divide. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/bridging-the-digital-divide-20140317

Treisman, L. (2014). Access to information: bridging the digital divide in Africa. The Gaurdian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/jan/24/digital-divide-access-to-information-africa

Reader Response Draft Two

In “World wakes up to digital divide”, Wakefield (2010) asserts that digital divide is a worldwide issue. Research by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) states that digital divide within a country correlates with its economic status. To solve this issue, governments of poorer countries have built infrastructure to introduce network for less developed areas. Digital divide not only exists in developing countries but also in developed countries. Accordingly to New America Foundation’s (NAF) study, disparity exist in America where only a significantly small proportion of native Americans use internet. However, it has shown that internet not only help minorities keep alive their culture, but also improve their standard of living. Through the study, that there is a need for a change in strategy to resolve the problem of digital divide, giving the example that America should be the role model where technologies are taught how to use rather then simply providing them.

In the article, Wakefield (2008) gave examples of success in the Wi-fi Villages in Hungary, but also mentioned the concerns that the technology could be too advance for the villagers. This was also my concern when I first came across the term “Wi-fi villages” in the article.  The government has attempted to solve the digital divide by providing Wi-fi infrastructure and the cheaper computers. However, it is questionable that this strategy could holistically resolve the issue of digital divide. According to Fink and Kenny (2003), digital divide is not just because people do not have access to technology, but is also due to the differences in ability to use, actual usage and impact of usage (Beltran & Fontenay, 2008). The government seems to overlook the gap in the people’s ability to use Wi-fi technology by just simply providing technology and expect that people would reap the benefits of the technology.

In my opinion, there are barriers to overcome before people can fully utilize the technology. Firstly, it would language barriers. The Government is targeting villagers living below the poverty line, many villagers could be illiterate and require education. Also, poverty would be barrier. Even though the government is providing cheaper computers to cater to the needs of poor people, it is unlikely that the villagers whom have difficulties making ends meet would splurge on computers which may not necessary improve their lives. As a result, even with access to Wi-fi technology, the villagers may not have the ability to use. Therefore, perhaps the government should consider the correlation between digital divide and the economic status mentioned by ITU and the nib the problem at its buds by resolving the issue of poverty first.

We have to acknowledge that there will always be a digital divide and the role of the government would be to narrow it. Even though the villagers may not utilise Wi-fi like a city dweller, it can still be incorporated into their lives. After the implementation of the technology, the government has to ensure that it is fully utilise, and not become a white elephant infrastructure. Even though improving connectivity in the rural villages would naturally lead to comparative advantage and attract foreign investments, villages may not be knowledgeable in incorporating technology into their businesses. The government would still have to aid the process of integrating technology in to the lives of the villagers and not just stop at the implementation. This would ensure that there is actual usage of the technology. One interesting success in Africa was how technology improved the lives of previously marginalised villages and improved their lives significantly. African farmers were able to consult experts on their crop failure and with the advises they saved their crops and livelihood (Treisman, 2014). As long as there is actual usage and the people are able to feel the impact after using technology, the divide of actual usage and impact of usage could be narrowed.

I feel that the government’s “Wi-fi villages” can be successful even though the technology may be too advance for the villagers. The government had taken the first step to provide the technology and with policies to educate the villagers, they could harness the technology to improve their lives:)

Week 4 Reflective Post

After reading the title, I had a hard time thinking of a significant event, as there seem to be various events that shaped my character and attitude towards life. Hence, I decided to explore some of the unique experiences that were significant. Eventually, after hours of reflection, one significant event that had shaped my life and the person I have become was my father’s mini supermarket business venture when I was primary one.

It was a significant event as the business affected my family’s everyday routine. Both my parents spent more time working, and less time with my siblings and I. In order to spend more time with us, my parents resorted to bringing the three of us to the shop whenever we were alone at home. At only the age of seven, I started “working” at my father’s shop, which was a really memorable experience. From young, I helped in all types of miscellaneous work in the shop like cashiering, stock replenishing, stocktaking, cleaning, etc. With the experiences, I have grown to be a more resilient and responsible person.

However, things were not that all smooth sailing. I had to sacrifice my weekends to help out at the shop and sometimes stayed up till past midnight as the shop opened till late at night. As I was only in primary school, I recall throwing tantrums because I was tired. Yet, my parents were always patient and never reprimanded me. They even tidy up a room in the shop for me so I can rest whenever I am tired.

This experience have not only helped me grow into a stronger person, but also made me cherish my family even more due to the times we spent together at the mini supermarket. (All the hard work, late night suppers, movies and family time) Without this experience, I would have led a completely different life and consequently became a different person. Even though there were unhappy memories but I am thankful for all that I have been through which really brought my family closer together. I love my familyJ<3 

Reader Response Draft 1

In the BBC article “World wakes up to digital divide”, Wakefield(2010) asserted that digital divide is a worldwide issue. Research by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) states that digital divide within a country correlates with its economic status. To solve this issue, governments of poorer countries have built infrastructure to introduce network for less developed areas. Digital divide not only exist in developing countries but also in developed countries. Accordingly to New America Foundation’s (NAF) study, disparity exist in America where only a significantly small proportion of native Americans use internet. However, it has shown that internet not only help minorities keep alive their culture  but also improve their standard of living.The report author of NAF, Mr Meinrath, contend that that there is a need for a change in strategy to resolve the problem of digital divide, giving the example that America should be the role model where facilities are taught how to use rather then simply providing them.

In the article, Wakefield(2008) gave examples of success in the Wi-fi Villages in Hungary, but also mentioned the concerns that the technology could be too advance for the villagers. This was also my concern when I first came across the term “Wi-fi villages” in the article.  The government has attempt to solve the digital divide by providing Wi-fi infrastructure and cheaper computers. However, it is questionable that this strategy could holistically resolve the issue of digital divide. According to Fink and Kenny (2003), digital divide is not just due to people not having access to technology,  but is also characterised by the differences in ability to use, actual usage and impact of usage (Beltran & Bourdeau de Fontenay, 2008). Hence, the government seems to overlook the gap in the people’s ability to use wi-fi technology by just simply providing technology and expect that people would reap the benefits of the technology. 

In my opinion, there are barriers to overcome before people can fully utilise the technology. Firstly, it would language barriers. The Government is targeting villagers living below the poverty line, many villagers could be illiterate and require education. Also, poverty would be barrier. Even though the government is providing cheaper computers to cater to the needs of poor people, it is unlikely that the villagers whom have difficulties making ends meet would splurge on computers which may not necessary improve their lives. Hence, even with access to wi-fi technology, there is a gap in actual usage. Therefore, perhaps the government should consider the correlation between digital divide and the economic status mentioned by ITU and the nib the problem in the bud by resolving the issue of poverty first. 

Although there are loopholes in the government’s policy, improving connection in the rural villages could present great opportunities. By increasing the connectivity, it would be easier for people to set up businesses and expanding it through the internet, and attract more foreign investments. Most importantly, we have to acknowledge that there will always be a digital divide hence the main focus should be to narrow it. Even though the people living in the villages may not utilise Wi-fi like a city dwellers, it can still be incorporated in their lives. One way would be through information transfers to previously marginalised communities. One interesting success in Africa was how through technology, farmers were able to consult experts on their crop failure and through the advises they were able to save their crops and their livelihood (Treisman, 2014). Therefore the government should do more than building the infrastructure; ensuring that technology they provide is relevant to the livelihood of the villagers.

References:

Bourdeau de Fontenay, A. & Beltran, F. (2008). Inequality and economic growth: Should we be concerned by the digital divide? ITS Montreal 2008. May, 1-37. Retrieved http://www.imaginar.org/taller/its2008/37.pdf

Treisman, L. (2014). Access to information: bridging the digital divide in Africa. The Gaurdian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/jan/24/digital-divide-access-to-information-africa