The Digital Divide
As someone who just completed a full year (and a half) of online school, access to the internet and reliable information were never great concerns of mine. I am incredibly fortunate, but millions (if not billions) of people around the world are not so lucky. In a society that is widely centralized around the media and internet, we are often blinded to the fact that so many others have different realities than we do, for a variety of reasons. This is contributed by the digital divide and varying degrees of digital equity.
The digital divide and digital equity should not be mistaken for each other. According to a publication from SAGE, “The digital divide generally describes the disparity that exists among individuals and communities around the world with varying degrees of access to digitally mediated information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ability to benefit from digital resources,” (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015). On the other hand, digital equity, “Ensures all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services,” (The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, 2016). Put more simply, the digital divide describes the gap, and digital equity describes what the closing of that gap looks like.
The digital divide and its effects, no universal digital equity, has incredible effects on our society. According to Stanford University, the digital divide is heightening the effects of socioeconomic divisions in the United States. However, arguably the most profound effects of the digital divide are felt in the United States education system, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of December 2020, the estimated number of K-12 students that are affected by the digital divide is 12 million. 12 million kids who had to rely on the internet, or lack thereof, to further their education. This unfortunate number signifies the importance of closing the digital divide. As time goes on and the more digital our society becomes, the more impact this number will have. This is not a call to action (maybe it should be), but rather a note that we need digital equity now more than ever.