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You may have heard about this new social issue called “the digital divide.” But what does this really mean?
Generally speaking, the digital divide is a growing trend that shows certain demographics are more competent, interested, engaged, and utilize the internet and modern technologies more than others. The concern is that as different demographics grow further and further apart in their understanding and adopting of these technologies, a great social chasm with form.
Rural-Urban
One of core factors determining the digital divide is the overall access to the Internet through service providers. The further one moves into rural America, the less access one has to these technologies and reliable services.
But the geographic divide then splinters into age, wealth, and educational gaps. Older generations are more likely to remain in rural communities as younger generations move toward cities, meaning there are less people to help aid older generations in learning these new technologies. (TAKE A POLL: Are You Concerned About Political Corruption?)
As younger generations move into cities, they are more likely to earn more money, have greater access and normalization to technologies, and likely increase their education around these products and services.
Focus On Broadband
The U.S. government claims its main focus in closing the digital divide is by providing all Americans with access to high quality broadband internet. But does this really matter when people can’t afford to pay for services provided by these technologies? (TAKE A POLL: Do You Trust Your Local Government Officials?)
“Broadband is critical to everyday activities like work, school, and health care. Yet, despite the importance of this technology—and the many federal programs designed to improve access to it—millions of Americans either don’t have broadband available to them or can’t afford to pay for it,” the government notes, but doesn’t seem to address the actual affordability problem.
“Nearly a third of Americans who do not have broadband say the reason is because it costs too much. There are federal programs designed to help. For example, the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program offers monthly discounts on broadband service to eligible households. As of September 2022, more than 14 million households had enrolled—about a third of the estimated eligible households. We looked at this disconnect and found that the FCC could strengthen the program with better consumer outreach (including to those with limited English proficiency) and better fraud protection,” the Government Accountability Office reported.
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