Digital Divides

The Digital Divide (originally used to describe inequalities of access to the Internet between households in the USA or UK) usually refers to the uneven development of Internet access within a country. A more appropriate term to match those theories that go with globalisation, such as most in the modern day, is the term 'Global Digital Divide' (GDD) which, as you may have guessed, refers to unequal Internet access between countries.

Currently only one third of the worlds 7 billion people are online. Leading experts believe that, in 2011, only 35% of the worlds entire population were online. However, a rather shocking statistic from a recent report called The World in 2011: ICT Facts and Figures, published by the International Telecommunication in Geneva shows that of the 35% of the world who are online, the majority of Internet users are from Developing Countries, with China and India making up 47% of the total share of those developing countries. But is this really that shocking? Thinking about it - no. Because those countries are the ones which are developing the fastest, those are the countries that push technological boundaries and as a result, they use the Internet far more than expected. Furthermore, these countries that are developing understand the importance of technology and the Internet so therefore provide the necessary education to use the web efficiently and effectively. This has proven to be a key reason as to why the number of people who use the web is so high in developing countries. Recent studies show that those who understand how to use the Internet and its facilities are more likely to use it (hence why younger people generally use the Internet more than those in the elder generations) which proves that teaching the skills required is all part of providing access. The sooner those Internet-poor countries realise this, the sooner the GDD will fall to a level that is far more acceptable in today's society.


Sources;
The World in 2011: ICT Facts and Figures, International Telecommunication Union
www.digitaldivide.net