Background

North America is in general ahead of the UK in respect of both PC use and Internet connectivity. It is not therefore surprising that concern over a potential digital divide originated there. According to research conducted by Booz Allen & Hamilton (in a report sent to the Prime Minister) Britain’s Internet population, as for that of North America, exhibits clear demographic and socio-economic lines and in consequence faces a similar digital divide.

Consequences of the Digital Divide

The primary concern is exclusion; social and otherwise. Each year, being digitally connected becomes ever more critical to economic, educational, and social advancement. Those without the appropriate tools (in terms of PCs and Internet connectivity) and applicable skills will become increasingly disadvantaged.

In North America the Internet has been defined as no longer a luxury item but rather a resource used by many (see reference).

As ICT becomes ever more pervasive those elements of society without access will be further disenfranchised in terms of:

• Fewer employment opportunities
• Restricted access to information and support
• Increasingly basic facilities such as email, consumer services, financial services, etc.

Reasons behind the Digital Divide

At the most basic level the digital divide arises where individuals or groups of individuals have no or inadequate access to PCs connected to the Internet. It follows that addressing this problem by providing access should be a constructive measure in terms of reducing the divide. That being said the underlying causes of the divide are in all probability more complex. Research in the USA has identified the following issues:

• Income differences. There are wide disparities amongst income groups. The better off are far more likely to have PCs and Internet connections than others. Those with income in excess of $75K are 20 times more likely to have Internet access than those at the lowest income level.
  
  
• Education. The better educated are statistically more likely to have and use connected PCs. In particular those with college degrees or higher are ten times more likely to have access. Only 6.6% of people with an elementary school education or less use the Internet.
  
  
• Location. Rural areas relative to cities generally experience lower levels of connectivity. Rural areas in particular lag behind cities in terms of broadband access.
  
  
• Age. People over the age of 50 have been less likely to use PCs and the Internet. Less than 30% of this group were “connected” in 2000. Those over 50 and in employment are three times more likely to have access than individuals not in employment.
  
  
• Single parent families. Two parent families are more than twice as likely to have Internet access than single families. Further, the oportion in respect of female-headed single families in cities is significantly lower.
  
  
• Disabilities. Although 25% of the able bodied have never used a PC the proportion for the disabled rises to 60%. In general the disabled are half as likely to use PCs and have Internet access. Among those with a disability, people who have impaired vision and problems with manual dexterity have even lower rates of Internet access and are less likely to use a computer regularly than people with hearing and mobility problems. This difference holds in the aggregate, as well as across age groups.
  
  
• Race and ethnic groups. Large gaps exist regarding Internet penetration rates among households of different races and ethnic origins. Further, large gaps remain when measured against the National average for Internet penetration.

Differences in income and education do not fully account for this facet of the digital divide. Estimates of what Internet access rates for this group would be had they had income and education levels in line with the Nation as a whole show that these two factors account for approximately 50% of the differences.

Additional Factors

Home access

To the extent that the digital divide is a function of PC and Internet access it is appropriate to question the qualitative aspects of “access”. Internet kiosks for example may provide cheap Internet access and whilst appropriate for certain tasks they arguably provide a less satisfactory experience for other Web activities. The real question therefore becomes whether the type of access provided lends itself to the full range of activities available to “connected” users. It is possible that the divide will not be bridged unless home access becomes fully available. To the extent that this is impracticable an alternative would be to provide common access points capable of providing an “appropriate” experience.

Broadband

The digital divide is not just a function of access; speed of access is also important or is likely to become so. Until recently for most users the speed of access has been limited to traditional modems. Although modem technology has increased significantly over the last ten years and is now capable of offering data throughput of up to 56K bits per second that speed is a small fraction of what is likely to be required in the next few years. Unless this factor is recognised there is a danger that the current digital divide could be reduced merely to find that it re-opens due to a vast difference in speed available to some but not all users. In short the digital divide of the (not too distant) future may be one of access speed.

Closing the Gap

As indicated above, measures to provide appropriate access are likely to have a beneficial impact. Indeed US data from August 2000 claims that schools, libraries, and other public access points continue to serve those groups that do not have home access. The use of those facilities however is not uniform and they are more likely to be used by some groups than other.

Equally given the complex nature of the underlying problems it is unlikely that improved access will of itself provide the whole answer.

With respect to the UK it would be inappropriate to assume that the same underlying factors creating the divide in North America obtain albeit that there are likely to be strong similarities. Research is necessary (if it has not already been undertaken) to identify the true causes. Once identified targeted action can be taken by addressing the detailed needs of specific groups in particular locations.

If, following research, home access was found to be significant element of the divide new strategies would need to be formulated to address that requirement. For example "cut-down” or recycled PCs could be offered in conjunction with community based Internet access lines.

Summary

The digital divide is a serious issue confronting society. At the most basic level it arises from a lack of appropriate access for certain sections of society to PCs and Internet connectivity. The underlying causes however are more complex. Improving access is likely to help but it is possible that the beneficial effect would be greater if the causes were clearly identified and the required action appropriately customised.

Author: Chris Fleetwood

Copyright: This article may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission of the author. July 2001.

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