The Digital Divide

Running Head: Digital Divide

Digital Divide

Tameka Douglas

INF103: Computer Literacy

Instructor: Scott Mann

August 25, 2012

Running Head: Digital Divide

As a young child, I never thought that there were people that were not afforded the same opportunities as I was. As an adult, it is clear that there are people who are considered the "haves" and the "have-nots" of this world, and this is where the digital divide comes into play. According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (2000), the digital divide is term coined for the disparity between the "haves" and the "have-nots" in the technology revolution. The digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not. This divide has been called different things by different leaders. The Reverend Jesse Jackson called the digital divide "classic apartheid," the NAACP's Kweisi Mfume called it "technological segregation," and President Bill Clinton urged a "national crusade." Although there are many who cannot access the power of the Internet, recent reports from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, (2011), suggest that this divide is narrowing, rather than expanding.

Running Head: Digital Divide

Many people believe that the digital divide is an emergency, but the Department of Commerce (2002), helps to clarify why the digital divide is not an emergency that places society in very strong need of more government help. The Department of Commerce shows the rapidly growing use of new information technologies across all demographic groups and geographic regions. Not only are many more Americans using the Internet and computers at home, they are also using them at work, school, and other locations for an expanding variety of purposes.

Figure 1-3: Individuals Using the Internet from any Location,

Selected Countries, 1999 and 2000

According to the Department of Commerce (2002), "more than half the population of the United States is now online, an increase of 26 million people in 13 months, and the number continues to grow." The graph below also shows that Internet use is continuing to increase for

Running Head: Digital Divide

everyone regardless of income,

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