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
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