What do we mean by ‘digital divide’?

                           Digital divide is a term that refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology, and those that don't or have restricted access. This technology can include the telephone, television, personal computers and the Internet.

                             The digital divide typically exists between those in cities and those in rural areas; between the educated and the uneducated; between socioeconomic groups; and, globally, between the more and less industrially developed nations. Even among populations with some access to technology, the digital divide can be evident in the form of lower-performance computers, lower-speed wireless connections, lower-priced connections such as dial-up, and limited access to subscription-based content.

                                                                      

                                                                           Source: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-divide 

                                 The digital divide often refers to two distinct issues: first, the gap in availability of broadband infrastructure (usually between densely populated urban areas and sparsely populated rural areas); and second, the gap in broadband take-up between certain demographic groups, with socio-economic factors often being key drivers.

                                     Many governments and organisations in Europe are developing broadband policies to address the digital infrastructure divide, by stimulating investment in high-speed broadband infrastructure in rural areas; for example, through the provision of public–private partnerships and structural funds.  The focus of this article, however, is on the options available for tackling barriers to the adoption of high-speed broadband services among lower socio-economic groups, to meet the European Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE), which proposes ambitious targets for high-speed broadband take-up.

                                           Only 2% of homes within the EU have taken up ultrafast broadband subscriptions while fixed broadband take-up is only 62%, meaning that 38% of households are still digitally excluded.

                                           The DAE targets are defined as: 100% basic broadband availability to European Union (EU) citizens by 2013; 100% 30Mbps (fast) broadband availability to EU citizens by 2020; 50% 100Mbps (ultrafast) subscriber take-up in homes by 2020. According to the EU Scoreboard,1basic broadband coverage is available to over 95% of EU citizens and fast broadband coverage is available to 54%. Yet only 2% of homes within the EU have taken up ultrafast broadband subscriptions – and this is the most relevant statistic to this article.

                                              Analysys Mason’s own research demonstrates that the extent of the digital divide is still quite significant in terms of the take-up of fixed basic, fast and ultrafast broadband services across Europe. Figure 1 shows that fixed broadband take-up is 62% for Europe, meaning that 38% of European premises do not have any fixed broadband connection.2

Figure 1: Broadband take-up among European households in 4Q 2012 [Source: Analysys Mason, 2013]

The primary barriers to broadband adoption can typically be classified as follows:

• lack of understanding of the relevance and benefits of broadband
• lack of skills or familiarity with information technologies, or confidence to use them
• affordability of connection and access fees, and devices with which to access broadband.

The first two barriers can be addressed through government programmes to implement education and demand stimulation initiatives such as the development of e-government, e-health, e-learning and e-business, aimed at encouraging the development and use of new broadband applications.

There is a clear correlation between the affordability of broadband services and the levels of broadband penetration, therefore presenting greater challenges in achieving the DAE's broadband take-up targets for 100Mbps services.

Addressing affordability requires other types of intervention. Our analysis shows a clear correlation between the affordability3 of broadband services and the levels of broadband penetration in a selection of European countries (Figure 2). Affordability will present an even greater barrier to adoption in achieving the DAE’s 100Mbps broadband take-up targets, as high-speed broadband usually consists of higher connection and monthly fees than basic broadband services

Sourcehttp://www.analysysmason.com/About-Us/News/Insight/Bridging-digital-divide-Jul2013/

Causes & Trends of the Digital Divide

 

                     In modern societies, the digital divide indicates the emergence of a new form of social inequality. To analyse this concept we study causes of private computer and Internet access with a three-fold model including human capital, family context and social context. The 1997, 2001, and 2003 German Socio-Economic Panel waves contain data on private computer and Internet use, as well as information on past and present socio-economic circumstances. In 2003, membership of technical generations and ethnic background to a large extent determined the use of new technologies.
                     By illustrating the importance of human capital and family context we are able to explain additional differences found for computer and Internet use. Effects of income, gender, and living in a single household are significant.
                     Our study shows that some of the long-term consequences of the 40-year German separation are diminishing with regard to computer use. 
                      We demonstrate that human and social capital are more important than economic capital in explaining private computer and Internet use. Indications for higher social classes to secure or even increase their favourable social positions exist.


                                                                                              Source:http://esr.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/4/409.abstract

Causes of Digital of Divide

         

           There are several major contributors to the global digital divide including differences in income, literacy, infrastructure, and even factors such as climate. As expected, the lower income developing countries have less access to the Internet. In countries where people worry about from where their next meal will come, internet access is less likely to be their major concern. Studies of the global digital divide often focus on both internet access and computer availability. Moves to expand computer availability to developing third world countries will help increase access to broadband and can thus help reduce the global digital divide.

             In order to bridge this Digital Divide, global organizations are making long-term investments to collect and distribute technological devices and teach people how to use technology.  Organizations such as the United Nations, World Bank, and other not-for-profit organizations are working toward closing the gap between the digital and non-digital worlds. On-line organizations and bloggers, such as "Bridge The Digital Divide," contribute to the efforts to diminish the Digital Divide by providing online sites where people can donate computers and volunteer to help.

                
        Source: https://sites.google.com/site/digitaldivide1234567890/home/causes-of-the-digital-divide

Factors that create the Digital Divide

Social factors that contribute to the digital divide include:

• age
• gender
• family structure
• education
• ethnicity
• motivation

Age - It seems to be that young people feel more comfortable with the new technology and are able to benefit from it more than older people.
Older people are less likely to have a computer and are less likely to be interested in using the Internet.



Gender - Boys use computers and the Internet more than girls.


Family structure - Families with children have more computers and Internet access than families without.


Education - In order to benefit from the digital technology people must know how to use it. ICT has become a major subject taught in most schools but many adults did not have the opportunity to learn how to use computers when they were in school.
Literacy skills are important for people to read web pages. Those unable to read well will not benefit from information on the Internet - they may only use computers to play games.



Ethnicity - Different ethnic groups have different attitudes to technology. Many deprived areas of large cities have high numbers of people in differing ethnic groups. This may have an effect on wealth and education.
If English is not a first language - this may cause problems.



Motivation - People may not use computers because they are not interested or they may not see any good reason to.
Some people have a fear of using computers. These people are called 'technophobes'. Their fear is usually due to poor ICT skills.


                         Source:http://vle.moirahouse.co.uk/studentwebsites/ict/theteacherict/ict/ict1_24.htm

Why does the digital divide matter?

It is particularly important to address the digital divide in order to meet the European Commission’s DAE, which proposes ambitious targets for high-speed broadband services.

Analysys Mason conducted the most comprehensive literature survey of the economic benefits of broadband for the European Commission4 and there is a growing consensus that a 10% increase in broadband penetration results in an increase in GDP growth of between 0.9% and 1.5%; therefore, broadband is important for Europe’s economic growth and development. Our study also highlighted the role of broadband in communities in improving education and skills, increasing employment opportunities, saving money by shopping online, reducing crime, and in improving general well-being.

Low-income groups in affordable housing are a target group towards which interventions can be targeted. Affordable-housing providers may therefore consider subsidising broadband infrastructure or service provision to encourage take-up among tenants.

UK statistics5 show that almost half of the UK’s adult population who do not use the Internet live in social housing6 and are in lower socio-economic groups. Although this statistic will vary across Europe, affordable housing tenants present an easily identifiable target group towards which interventions can be targeted. For providers of affordable housing, it has become increasingly important to make a channel shift in how they communicate with tenants and receive payments electronically, in order to increase efficiency and protect rental income. Affordable housing providers may therefore consider subsidising broadband infrastructure or service provision to encourage take-up among tenants.

Without a robust digital inclusion strategy to address the digital divide, lower socio-economic groups will face increased marginalisation and social exclusion. However, with an ever-increasing reliance upon high-speed broadband communications in our daily lives, addressing the digital divide could be the opportunity to develop future-proofed fibre solutions targeted to lower-income groups.

Source:http://www.analysysmason.com/About-Us/News/Insight/Bridging-digital-divide-Jul2013/

Educational Consequences

• Computer and Internet use in the nation's schools is ubiquitous. „ 
• Nearly all instructional classrooms in U.S. public schools have computers with Internet access, with an average of roughly 4 computers per classroom. „ 
• E-rate program provides discounts to schools and libraries for the costs of telecommunications services and equipment ($2 billion per year) „ 
• Several state, local government and private programs provide laptop computers to schoolchildren (e.g. Maine, $40 million) „ 
• Extensive literature focuses on the effects of computer use in classrooms „ 
• The increasing reliance on computers and the Internet for classroom instruction, delivering educational content, and completing homework assignments suggests that disparities in home access to technology or the so-called Digital Divide may have implications for educational inequality.
• “Home Computers and Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the NLSY97 and CPS,’ (with Daniel Beltran and Kuntal Das)

                                       Source:http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/257344/Fairlie_presentation.pdf

Why Do We Care? Potential Consequences of the Digital Divide „

• Education „ 
• Labor Market
• Communications
• Politics
• Consumers „ 
• Health Information „ 
• Community Involvement „ 
• Government „ 
• Emergency Information

                                                            Source:http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/257344/Fairlie_presentation.pdf

Strategies to Connect the Unconnected

The cost of high-speed broadband services is relative to the large investment in infrastructure that must be recouped by operators. By reducing the cost of providing infrastructure to lower-income groups, it may be possible to tailor lower-cost broadband products that bridge the affordability gap. Subsidies from public-sector bodies, affordable-housing providers, or operators’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets may help to bridge this gap further.

It may be possible for operator- and public-sector-led subsidies targeted at affordable-housing communities to reduce the cost of broadband provision to lower-income groups, through demand aggregation or through direct investment in infrastructure.

There are a wide range of options available to improve the affordability of high-speed broadband services, with a particular focus on affordable-housing communities. We have summarised these into three broad categories as shown in Figure 3, with further explanations provided below.

Sourcehttp://www.analysysmason.com/About-Us/News/Insight/Bridging-digital-divide-Jul2013/

Relationship between Affordability and Fixed Broadband Penetration

Sourcehttp://www.analysysmason.com/About-Us/News/Insight/Bridging-digital-divide-Jul2013/

Millennials Will Bridge the Digital Divide

Millennials have called it the great problem facing their generation: How to introduce the rest of the world to a technological culture so billions are not left behind? Digital natives want a networked planet — and they are mobilizing to make it happen.

Jeff Gulati, associate professor of Political Science at Bentley University, has researched the global digital divide. His work shows that more than half of countries had either no fixed-line broadband subscribers or they were less than 1 percent of the population in 2009. Access was concentrated in high-income countries and remained rare in the developing world and the world’s poorest countries.

“The millennials are very concerned about social responsibility,” says Gulati. “We may see that as more millennials move into leadership positions they’ll place positive pressure on government and organizations to use their resources to expand broadband access. I don’t think millennials could understand how people could survive without it.”

In the U.S., the push to draw citizens to the Internet is shared by a determined national government and massive telecommunications companies. As Gulati suggests, millennials here face a challenge that is infinitely smaller than the one looming in other countries across the world. 

Here the digital divide is shrinking, according to a 2014 report released this month by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The number of households that used broadband at home in 2012 inched up to 72 percent from 69 percent in 2011. Twenty-eight percent of households still did not use broadband at home as of two years ago.

The remaining divide is largely based on race, age and geography. Seventy-six percent of white American households use the Internet, compared with 57 percent of African-American households, according to the report, which is based on data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. Slightly more than half of Americans 65 and older use the Internet, compared with well over three-quarters of those under 65. 

Internet use is lowest in the South, particularly in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas, it said. Rural areas certainly suffer a lack of high-speed Internet access. While about 88 percent of urban households in the United States have access to high-speed cable Internet service, only 40 percent of rural households do, according to the Federal Communications Commission and the Commerce Department.

Poverty is a major issue. For more than a quarter of non-users — 7 percent of American households — high costs or low income present significant barriers to going online. And members of some ethnic minorities were far more likely to cite expense as a reason for not using the Internet: 41 percent of Hispanic respondents and 37 percent of African-American respondents said so, compared with 22 percent of whites and 26 percent of Asian-America, said the report. Half of young householders age 15 to 24 cited expense.

The Obama administration has poured billions of dollars into expanding the reach of the Internet. Government interest is in the amount of fixed broadband connections rather than mobile. In a digital economy, people need broadband access to jobs, government services, health care and education. Students need early access to broadband so they can learn computer science and coding at a young age and compete for the workforce of the future, say politicians and activists.

There will be approximately 1.5 million STEM jobs — requiring a science, technology, engineering, or math-related degree — by 2020. These will be the second-fastest growing occupations, and are projected to grow far more quickly than the economy as a whole, says Fred Humphries, vice president of Microsoft.

“If we don’t address the opportunity divide and digital divide,” Humphries says, “young folks, particularly people of color, will be further behind, and the divide is going to be a greater gulf.”

The Student Net Alliance, a student-run digital rights organization, is rallying support to get all students access to broadband. “The Internet provides one of the purest forms of democracy today, allowing students to access a limitless supply of information, for relatively low cost and with great ease,” say organizers.

“When those valuable avenues for education and communication are threatened, the Student Net Alliance is ready to mobilize students worldwide to defend the Internet as a tool for everyone to use with equal opportunity.”

The Next Generation, an under-35 activist group within the Communication Workers of America, has helped launch the Speed Matters campaign, which aims to make high-speed Internet affordable and widely available to all Americans.

It is no surprise that millennials, often referred to as digital natives, believe Internet access is a right for all in the U.S. Now they are looking beyond our borders.

Less than one-third of young people around the world are digital natives, according to a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the International Telecommunication Union. Only 30 percent of people ages 15 to 24 have spent at least five years actively using the Internet, the criterion used to define digital nativism, said the 2013 report.

In many developed countries, more than 90 percent of young people are considered digital natives, with South Korea leading the way at 99.6 percent. But many developing countries lag far behind — all the way down to the Pacific island of Timor-Leste, where a mere 0.6 percent of 15- to-24-year-olds are digital natives.

A digital divide between rich and poor is nothing new, but the new study identifies an interesting twist on the phenomenon. It shows that in the developed world, there is hardly any generational gap anymore between Internet users. Most people in wealthy countries are online — more than 84 percent of the total adult population, both young and old, in South Korea, for example.

Yet there is a very real generation gap in many developing countries. In countries like Burundi, Eritrea and Timor-Leste, young people are nearly three times more likely to be Internet users than the overall adult population. In many other African, Asian and Latin American countries, the divide between digital natives and the rest of the population is also far more significant than in the developed world, according to the report.

As Bentley’s Gulati points out, this is a situation that ambitious young digital natives intend to change. The poster boy of the generation, 30-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is leading the charge. It is unacceptable that there are about 4.4 billion people on this planet who have never been online, according to a report based on research in collaboration with Facebook and written by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

Now Zuckerberg has put together a lab where a team of Facebook engineers will build flying drones, satellites, and infrared lasers capable of beaming Internet connections to people down here on Earth.

The project, Internet.org, was launched last year by Facebook and other tech companies.

“There have been moments in history where the invention of new technology has completely rewired the way our society lives and works.” Zuckerberg wrote in a Wall Street Journal July op-ed. “The printing press, radio, television, mobile phones and the Internet are among these.

“In the coming decades,” he added, “we will see the greatest revolution yet, as billions of people connect to the Internet for the first time.”

Online millennials everywhere are getting on board. At a Global Youth Summit in 2013, young people gathered in San José, Costa Rica, to shape the sustainable development agenda in the post-2015 era. Along with some 700 participants present, more than 3,000 young people around the world logged in virtually to contribute their ideas from 43 hubs or workshops in 25 different countries using a special crowd-sourcing platform and other social media channels.

Take a look at the Youth Declaration that calls for more measurable targets to monitor the digital empowerment of young people at national, regional and international levels.

“The spread of information amongst young people can directly foster empowerment and innovation on a global scale. The key to a new global development agenda is innovation. Old methods and systems are poorly suited to the transformed and interconnected communities we live in today,” said the declaration.

“We call on member states, civil society, and the private sector to foster innovation to build the future we want. A key barrier is a lack of universal, global access to information and communications technologies, platforms and devices and the underlying infrastructure to support them.”

Every generation intends to change the world. The millennials just might do it.

Meg Murphy is a freelance writer.

                                     Source:http://www.bentley.edu/impact/articles/millennials-will-bridge-digital-divide