The Digital Divide
by - 29.09.2005 18:24
So what the heck is the digital divide? In our post-dot-com times the phrase has become one of those empty buzzwords people constantly use but rarely know what they are talking about. But, here is our attempt at TWM (Third World Majority) at a definition In the U.S., the digital divide refers to the gap between people and communities who can make effective use of information technology and those who cannot. The digital divide, however, is also a continuance of already existing divides of race, class, and gender disparities that are firmly institutionalized in the U.S. and other Western nations rather than a new and isolated phenomenon. These disparities stem from histories of colonization, slavery, and dispossession as well as other forms of violence. Media such as commercial Western cinema and network news intensifies these various forms of violence, as do new digital media such as the Internet.
In this information age, the lack of universal access to telecommunications and resources such as computers extends the routine violence that shapes the lives of individuals and entire social communities. According to the recent study, "Falling Through The Net II: New Data On The Digital Divide," conducted by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Hispanics and Blacks lag far behind Whites in their levels of telephone penetration, PC-ownership, and on-line access. The report reveals a striking divide among races for PC ownership and online access. White households, for example, are more than twice as likely (40.8%) to own a computer than Black (19.3%) or Hispanic (19.4%) households. Similarly, Whites (21.2%) are nearly three times more likely to have online access than Blacks (7.7%) or Hispanics (8.7%). The NTIA report concludes that the digital divide between racial groups has increased since 1994.
These statistics are alarming because communities that lack basic telecommunications services, such as a home telephone and a personal computer with Internet access, cannot engage in the global market economy. Nor can such communities participate in political discourse and interact within other communities within the global village. If people cannot participate in social debates and political discussions, there cannot be an organized collective effort to challenge and reform these sectors.
Thus in our minds at TWM, addressing the digital divide requires us to consider the social, historical, and political forces shaping U.S. society from the perspective of those most marginalized. That means women of color and our communities, queer and LGBT people, and the poor. Further TWM organizes from the perspective that marginalized communities need to create and participate in the structures that run their communities - and this includes technology.
So what does this mean, on the ground for normal people like us? At TWM we think its about the fact that one we are surrounded by technology that we barely comprehend, and as organizers we are forced to adapt and integrate this technology so that our communities don't get left behind. But, as its been said before, "You can't dismantle the master's house with his own tools." And so as a movement we work against ourselves when we don't look at our relationships in our communities with technology in this same way. Thus, we have to look at technology critically and understand the social, political, and economic forces that went into creating the technology that we use ( and mostly likely built) and then look at how the voices and visions of all of our peoples, can be in the center of building long-term sustainable models for technology that contribute to the movement for global social justice.
http://www.cultureisaweapon.org/digitaldivide/mainframe.php3