Reflections: Digital Divide

Last weeks class was all about the digital divide: what is it, why it happens, who it affects, where it is in effect, and how we can  overcome it.  The concept of a digital divide is not a new one to me, but I learned much more about it through the lecture.

The most interesting part of the class, to me, was the wealth of statistics that were shared concerning the digital divide. I appreciated seeing up to date data on internet and broadband access, but I wasn't surprised by the information: generally, lower income and rural people have less/slower access than their wealthy/urban counterparts (that's what the digital divide is).  There were some statistics, though, that I wouldn't have predicted.  First, while households with householders over 65 use the internet significantly less than younger age groups, the householder age ranges of 16-44 and 45-64 have relatively the same access.  This shows that perhaps computers & internet have become a necessity for younger and older Americans alike, and that we may see more people having access in the coming years just due to the fact that those who use the internet now are getting older.

One statistic that was particularly interesting concerned the reasons for not having home internet access.  It seems that one of the assumptions behind the digital divide discussion is that internet access is a good thing that people should have and that if people don't have internet access it is because of some barrier to access that must be overcome.  Most would guess that the primary reason people don't have home internet access is because of the cost (especially given that lower income Americans have a much lower rate of internet access).  However, 47% report that the main reason for not having internet access is because they don't want it or don't need it.

What does this do to the basic digital divide discussion?  Does this mean that we (as information professionals or at least those who do have internet access) need to change their perceptions?  Is that part of the goal?  I do believe that everyone can be better of with internet access, but I feel it is presumptuous to try to force technology on people.  Or is this not the case?  Is the goal then not to achieve 100% internet access for everyone, but to achieve roughly 92% usage and 8% who don't want it?  I guess, practically, the goal is for everyone that wants access to have it and eventually those who don't want it will "see the light", eventually leading to 100% access.