An Introduction To Digital Skills – The Digital Divide
In The Previous Issue, I Mentioned The Topic Of Digital Literacy. In This Issue, I Deal With A Topic That Is Closely Related To It.
The digital divide is the border or distance between people who have stable Access to modern processing and communication tools such as high-speed Access, laptops, smartphones, optical fibers, etc., and those who do internet access to them or do not have enough Access to them.
One of the critical issues in defining the digital divide is not mentioned, but it is there, is the skill of using digital tools. Nowadays, almost all people in Access have at least Access to mobile phones and mobile lines; But it is not so. Half of the Access population still lacks regular communication and processing facilities. People who can use the Internet for communication, such as through social networks, may not be able to use the Internet for educational or work purposes. Usually, these do not have enough income and have less benefit from other blessings of life.
What I referred to in the previous edition as “digital literacy” is visible in the discuss digital divide discussion modern digital tools are used in a group or society. Users have learned the skills to use these tools. Still, groups and communities without Access to these tools often lack these skills. Thus, the digital divide Accessncludes a kind of scientific gap or skill gap.
Societies whose people have adequate Access to digital tools also naturally learn digital literacy. GenerallyAccessr, organizations, especially in their educational system, there is still no widespread use of digital tools, have problems in the field of digital literacy, and the digital divide is more profound in them. In 2003, Lloyd Morrisett defined the digital divide as the “difference in access to technology resources between socio-economic groups.” are deprived.
In sum, two critical components can be considered in defining the digital divide :
- It is The opportunity to access digital technologies, including processing and communication tools such as computers and high-speed Internet.
- It is The ability to use the above tools to do life’s affairs and the Internet with the necessary literacy and skills.
Different forms of the digital divide
The digital divide manifests itself in different forms: the digital divide between groups, geographical areas, genders, etc.
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Social groups: Some social groups have a better situation in using high-speed Internet than others. Low-income families and social groups are at the Internet this gap, while high-income social groups are at the top of the table.
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Geographical areas: Generally, people in cities, especially metropolises, use the Internet and digital tools more than in villages. Although today many ruInternets in the world and Iran have Internet, in some places, the Internet is still not suitable for doiInternetssional work and still in Internet, businesses, universities, and offices, relatively, they have much more internet usage than villages. Access to modern tools is also different between different continents and accessories. One of the most prominent digital divides can be seen between developed and developing countries. In North America, the internet penetration rate is 93.4%, while in Africa, this figure is 46.8%. In Table 1, the statistics of different continents, in terms of population, the ratio of people to the total population of the world, the number of users, the penetration rate of the Internet, the percentage of growth from 2000 to 2022, and the percentage Internetcontinent’s share of the world Internet are given.
Table 1
On the other hand, for several decades, the competition between countries has increased with each other over the expansion of telecommunication infrastructure and data communications. This competition is not only limited to hardware infrastructure; training people in the community to use these tools effectively is also on the agenda.
In countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, North America, and most parts of Europe, infrastructure has been provided in a suitable form. They have received enough training from the population to use them. Still, in African countries, details of South America, and parts of Asia, neither the necessary infrastructure nor an acceptable percentage has been provided yet.
- Gender: In most societies, the digital divide takes on a gendered color; In most countries, women have less Access to the Internet and laptops than men.
- Age groups: In most societAccessspeciallInternetping societies, young people use the Internet more than adults and the elderly. This gap causes different ages Internet to face problems understanding each other in work and life and transferring experiences.
Effects of the digital divide
The digital divide can have significant effects on groups and societies. These effects can be examined from several aspects.
Sustainable Development
While many daily tasks are gradually being done online in urban and Internet-enabled communities, many rural areas still do not have sufficient Access to do their work online. Only 15% of rural people in India have Access to the Internet. In comparison, 42% of this country’s citizens have Internet access. It can have many effects on the development anAccessme to thInternetparts of this country. 2
It should be noted that nowadays, most Accessctors affectingInternetable development, such as education, industrial action, environment-based agriculture, trade, etc., all work based on digital tools. A country with high-speed Internet and digital literacy problems cannot be among developed countries. At the same time, the deepening of the digital divide can marginalize countries with less Access to high-speed Internet.
PolitInternet social backwardness
Countries with deep digital divides cannot grow socially because the people of these societies are at different levels of literacy, culture, and compliance with social standards. They cannot have a common understanding of themselves and their society, which affects social solidarity and stability.
Gender development
The gender gap can prevent the flourishing of talents and, ultimately, the use of women’s work capacities and knowledge. The source mentioned above indicates that the number of women with Access to mobile Internet in India is 50% less than men. SuchAccessuation has Interneticant distance from sustainable development.
The language of science
About 80% of Internet content, especially scientific content, is in English, which significantly impacts the deepening of the digital divide and, ultimately, society’s level of progress and development. Therefore, those who speak non-English languages are naturally deprived of a considerable part of the content of the Internet. If they want to use the scientific, philosophical, and artInternetntent of Internet, they have no choice but to learn English.
Ways out
ConsiderinInternetlitical and economic conditions governing the world and countries, as well as the astonishing speed of the growth of digital technologies, it may not be possible to find a way to fill the digital gap at the moment ultimately. Still, it is possible to reduce the depth and, simultaneously, the extent of this gap. The digital divide is a product of social and economic conditions, so the dimensions of this gap can be reduced by improving these conditions.
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Reducing the income difference in different social groups is one way to follow this path. It is evident that when societies set minimums for their members in terms of income or Access to essential life resources and stick to them, we can expect that access lowest income levels can have the minimums. Theimportantial resources include Access to computers, the Internet, and mobile devices.
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I was teaching digital Accesscy as a principle Internet accepted in education and other educational institutions. Without digital literacy, even high-speed Internet access won’t cure the pain.
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Using mobile networks, landlines, Wi-Fi, optical fiber, etc., high-speed and, at the same time, affordable Internet should be provided to all people and groups.
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It is possible to Internet the culture of using the Internet for shopping and business by passing new laws or using existing Internet, increasing people’s trust in doing electronic business. Due to the abuses that some have done in cyberspace, some people’s faith in this field has been damaged. Regulatory and judicial authorities can return this trust by being equipped with up-to-date knowledge and sufficient supervision and encouraging people to do online business.
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Considering the problems in our country’s environment and energy and water supply, the use of modern communication and computing tools can be viewed as a unique help to solve or reduce the scope of these problems. Unfortunately, computer and communication equipment prices have become a nightmare for users due to the high dollar rate and tariffs. The lack of digital tools or their expensiveness makes it challenging to implement concepts such as e-commerce, e-government, e-education, and e-banking.
“Precision agriculture” is a concept that by using satellite communications to know the land and its moisture level or the minerals available and needed in each part of the land, along with mobile networks, helps farmers to use the scarce resources of water, seeds, and fertilizers for every Consume a small portion according to the needs of that portion and at the right time.
Such a possibility makes water resources not used indiscriminately in the same way for the whole land. While saving water needed for agriculture, it also preserves water resources for industrial and domestic use.
- All these factors can help to solve the digital divide when we can attract the participation of users and the public for the optimal use of digital resources. It will not be possible unless people see the benefits of using such methods and their examples in other parts of the world. Radio and television, press and internet sites, and social networks can play an essential role in this transfer of experiences.
