Page 140 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

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resolve itself without government involvement and spending. The positions we
take on this debate depend upon our understanding of how new technologies
spread throughout society, whether we think Internet access is a frill or a necessity,
and our vision of whether government can and ought to help broaden access.
Concerns over the digital divide, and the origins of the term itself, stemmed
mainly from studies of who used computers and the Internet that were con-
ducted in the mid-1990s by the U.S. government. This research found dramatic
inequalities of access to digital technologies at a time when the Internet was
being popularized and the U.S. economy was emerging from recession. The dig-
ital divide sparked concerns about whether broad participation in the economic
and educational benefits of the information age would be possible. In response,
President Bill Clinton’s administration, local governments, and private charities
invested in efforts to make Internet access widely available in schools, libraries,
community centers, and health care facilities. Within a few years, critics of this
investment argued that the digital divide had never been a large problem and
that it had shrunk so quickly that it no longer required public attention.
Although the terms of the debate over the digital divide have changed, the
controversy itself remains relevant. As late as 2005, around 1 in 5 Americans
had never accessed the Internet or used e-mail (Pew Internet & American Life
Project 2006). Many people around the world lack access to basic information
and communication technologies, so the divide is not simply an American phe-
nomenon, nor is it merely about access to the Internet. In addition, as high-
speed broadband Internet service was introduced in the United States and other
developed countries, inequalities arose between Americans who could afford
this enhanced service and those with slower dial-up Internet service. High-
speed service became a necessity for making full use of what the Internet had to
offer—video, audio, telephony, games, and so on. Because ongoing technological
innovation is likely, the debate over unequal access to these technologies will
probably always be with us.
The digital divide may be defined as the gap between those who have access to
information and communication technologies and use them effectively for edu-
cational, economic, civic, and cultural needs, and those who do not. Effective
use involves not only the ability to receive information, but also to adapt it to
one’s needs, and to create and communicate one’s own knowledge and views
to others. Advocates for equal access see the abilities to send and receive infor-
mation via new media as necessary conditions for full participation in society.
Thus, those who are concerned about inequality tend to call for digital inclusion
for those who are least likely to have high-speed Internet connections, or any
access. These underserved groups include people with less education, those with
lower incomes, African Americans and Latinos, people with physical disabili-
ties, the elderly, and rural residents.
Given the many factors that shape Internet access, advocates for digital inclu-
sion argue that it requires more than simply providing computers and Internet
service. Offered the bare physical resources that allow one to get on the Internet,
many people will be unable or unwilling to use it, or to use it to its fullest poten-
tial. They also need training in how to use computers and navigate the Internet.