According to the ITU, the least digitally-developed counties are Guinea Biseau, Chad, Mali, Burkino Fasso, and Niger. A selection of reasons for the digital divide are as follows:
- Income differences - The richer a country is, the more (digital) technology it has, and vice versa; those with an income tax of $75,000 are twenty times more likely to have internet access than those at the lowest income level, which explains why people in poorer countries are less likely to use computers.
- Education - Better educated people are more likely to have / use digital technology since they are more likely to come from a rich country; only 6.6% of people with a public school education or less use the internet.
- Location - Rural areas are likely to experience lower levels of connectivity, and lagging behind cities in terms of broadband access.
- Age - People aged 50+ are less likely to use the internet - less than 30% of this group were "connected" in 2000; furthermore, those of that age group and in employment are three times more likely to use computers than individuals not in employment.
- Single parent families - Two parent families are more than twice as likely to have internet access than single parent families; in addition, the proportion in respect of single parent, female-headed families in cities is significantly lower.
- Disabilities - Although 25% of able-bodied people have never used a computer, the proportion of disabled people using PCs has risen to 60%.
- Race / ethnic groups - Large gaps exist regarding households who have internet access in different races and ethnic origins; furthermore, large gaps remain when measured against the National average for internet penetration.
- Language - If you do not speak the language with which most websites and made then you will find it increasingly difficult to navigate the web and use a computer if you don't understand.
Activity 2 - Data response:
- In the article - Women and information technology in Sub-Saharan Africa - an infrastructural reason that there is a lack of effective ICT is that the majority of the population are subsistence farmers and developing ICT skills is not a priority when you have to worry about growing enough food to survive. Furthermore, one in every two women in Sub-Saharan Africa is illiterate which would inhibit the use of computers further.
- The most pressing need for Africa (in terms of ICT) is identified as increasing women's participation in ICT by making ICT training and career opportunities more accessible, or to advance their ICT careers.
- Computer-aid projects have been unsuccessful for the most part, although some basic courses help women learn to use email and other software, which would allow them to get better jobs and a higher pay.
- They have been unsuccessful since women from priveleged families are more likely to attend the courses while the women who are really being seperated due to the digital divide - the subsistence farmers who are trying to grow enough food so that they and their families can survive - do not attent the courses and so learn no ICT skills, causing them to be left even further behind the modern world.
- The computer skills identified as lacking are that women do not know how to use basic word processors or emails, which would allow them to keep up with the modern world and world save money too, (i.e. pens / paper wouldn't need to be bought if emails were used more frequently and, since the article is about a very poor country, this would help no end).
- Certain business skills that are lacking are the fact that women don't know how to make business cards or brochures, so no one knows about the business and they will not make any money, which is a major problem.
Activity 3 - Investigate the impact of access to telecoms:
low-powered radiotelephone communication
|
government-owned network | |||||||
good domestic telephone service
|
multiple privately-owned TV stations and 1 publicly-owned TV station
|
|||||||
excellent domestic facilities
|
state controls broadcast media
|
|||||||
In large, densely populated countries, there are many more telephones, both landline and mobile, and many more internet users and hosts. An example of this is that the UK has a population of 63,047,162 people, has 33.32 million landlines and has 8.409 million internet hosts.
On the other hand, the Central African Republic has a population of 5,057,208 people, has 2,300 landlines and 20 internet hosts.
However, Iran is a poor country and yet, with its 78,868,711 people, it has 56.043 mobile phones and 8.214 internet users.
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EXTRA:
Population
|
Main telephone lines
|
Mobile subscribers
|
Internet users
| ||||||
000s
|
000s
|
%
|
000s
|
%
|
000s
|
%
| |||
Central African Republic
|
5,057,208
|
|
0.05
|
1.124 million
|
22.23
|
22,600
|
0.45
| ||
Costa Rica
|
4,636,348
|
1.491 million
|
32.16
|
4.358 million
|
94
|
1.485 million
|
32.03
| ||
Singapore
|
5,353,494
|
1.984 million
|
37.06
|
7.307 million
|
136.49
|
3.235 million
|
60.43
| ||
United Kingdom
|
63,047,162
|
33.32 million
|
52.85
|
80.799 million
|
128.16
|
51.444 million
|
81.59
| ||
Iran
|
78,868,711
|
27.767 million
|
35.21
|
56.043 million
|
71.06
|
8.214 million
|
10.41
| ||
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Conclusion:
I think the gap caused by the digital divide is growing since the countries that have with ICT technology can develop so much more quickly than countries that do not have that option, leaving them further behind.
The gap is being bridged by computer-aid projects, like the one in the article mentioned above, that aim to educate people on ICT and get more computers for people to use.
We power the world to have internet access using solar power, wind turbines and other renewable sources of energy. However, you can also get wind-up laptops if they have built-in modems with internet available nearby, so you would not need an electricity source.
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Websites I used:
http://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/digitaldivide/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
http://www.irma-international.org/viewtitle/32485/
http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/hq69/Protected/Features/Digital%20Divide.html
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