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WHAT IS PARTICIPATION AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ?

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WHAT IS PARTICIPATION AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ?

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In the digital world, there are limitations on some people’s participation and accessibility to digital devices. A couple of reasons could be due to financial reasons, personal reasons or living in a rural area it has been quoted by (Bentley, 2014) that, “currently one in five Australians are not accessing the internet.”

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Updated July 03, 2014 13:20:56

As we become ever more reliant on the digital world for communications, information and commerce, a new divide is opening up between the haves and have nots.

The cost of hardware such as desktop computers, laptops and smart phones has come down exponentially in recent years - so much so that basic equipment is within most people's reach.

Access to affordable and reliable broadband, though, still eludes a significant segment of society.

It's been dubbed "digital exclusion" and a variety of groups are trying to address the yawning chasm between the haves and have nots.

Currently one in five Australians are not accessing the internet.

That is a concern for David Spriggs, CEO of technology and social justice group Infoxchange.

"There's a whole range of aspects of our lives these days you just can't connect with unless you're online," he said.

He said government services, job advertisements and home education are examples of what people can't access if they don't have the internet.

Infoxchange has been working with social housing estates in Melbourne to connect them with cheap, reliable internet.

A social housing trial in Melbourne's east installed a shared wireless connection for a fixed price per household of $10 per month, significantly cheaper than what's available from retail providers.

Pensioner Liz O'Neil said the program had a huge impact on her and her neighbours.

"It allows me to keep in touch with family overseas - my son in London - and I can speak to him through the computer every day," said Ms O'Neil.

"Older people here said it widened their world so much, they loved it."

The cost of connecting to the internet has come down in recent years but it is still a big expense for people on fixed incomes.

Bill Boledziuk is treasurer at Computerbank, an organisation that refurbishes computers for people on low incomes.

He's become increasingly concerned that the most vulnerable are being left behind in the digital revolution.

"Very often, you even get situations where people say well, you've given me this device, it works, I presume I can connect and they don't understand that they've got to pay a provider," Mr Boledziuk said.

"A lot of the people are saying, 'look I can afford very little, I really can't afford this and $20 or $30 is a lot of money to me every month.'"

In Europe for example, access to the internet is now deemed a human right

David Spriggs, CEO of Infoxchange

Mr Boledziuk has questioned why communications giant Telstra doesn't offer a more affordable option through its Access for Everyone Program.

Telstra spent more than $160 million in the last financial year on its low income communications program, but admits getting broadband to more people at low cost is still a work in progress.

The company says people with a disability, on a low income, who are single parents and people in public tenancy often do not have internet access.

"How that should be addressed is a work in progress," Telstra's Group Manager of Consumer Affairs, Robert Morsillo said.

Studies show there could be a benefit to the economy from more Australians getting online.

UK research suggests government services can process 100 online transactions for the same price as one face-to-face transaction.

CSIRO researcher Clare Mason said Centrelink alone spends a billion dollars annually delivering payments and services.

"Obviously there are hundreds of millions of dollars [in savings] you can achieve by getting more people using online government services," she said.

The shift from viewing the internet as a mere novelty to an essential service is already happening according to Infoxchange's David Spriggs.

"In Europe for example, access to the internet is now deemed a human right and there's quite a groundswell of support for that to be adopted more globally."

Topics: internet-technology, community-organisations, melbourne-3000

First posted July 02, 2014 16:17:22

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disadvantage digital divide nbn broadband poverty access

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Updated July 03, 2014 13:20:56 As we become ever more reliant on the digital world for communications, information and commerce, a new divide is opening up between the haves and have nots. The cost of hardware such as desktop computers, laptops and smart phones has come down exponentially in recent years - so much so that basic equipment is within most people's reach.

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The divide inhibits the people that are not able to access digital devices from being able to participate in the digital world, for example, sending emails, banking, studying, and more.

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Because we are living in such a digital world and a lot of what we do requires a computer and the internet, this can make this challenging for people that are not able to access these resources; this is called a digital divide. 

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Because we are living in such a digital world and a lot of what we do requires a computer and the internet, this can make this challenging for people that are not able to access these resources; this is called a digital divide. 

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A short animation of the definition of digital divide

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Because of the various levels of digital participation and digital divide this could be challenging for teachers in the classroom. This could be because of their own lack of involvement and access to digital devices which may affect the ability to teach a broad range of digital teachings to children. It is the same for children as some children may have had a lot of experience with digital devices and some may have had very little to no experience, and this would mean because of the variation levels of experience with digital devices this means some children may need more assistance than others. 

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Because of the various levels of digital participation and digital divide this could be challenging for teachers in the classroom. This could be because of their own lack of involvement and access to digital devices which may affect the ability to teach a broad range of digital teachings to children. It is the same for children as some children may have had a lot of experience with digital devices and some may have had very little to no experience, and this would mean because of the variation levels of experience with digital devices this means some children may need more assistance than others. 

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Even in the richest countries on the planet such as the U.S., not everyone has easy access to this cornucopia of connectivity, the Internet.

The Internet is a tremendous growth engine, responsible for 21% of economic growth in the more advanced countries in the world, according to a McKinsey study.

While those of us in the United States complain about how we have to pay more for Internet service that's slower than those of other first-world countries, within the United States there's a gaping chasm between the haves and the have-nots.

In this infographic by OnlineITdegree.net, an ad-free website describing itself as "an online informational resource for individuals looking to pursue IT degree of related education and careers," you'll find surprising information about the differences in Internet access in the United States.

There are vast gaps between Internet accessibility in cities and rural areas, racial disparities in Internet access (which isn't as pronounced as it was a decade ago), and the growing gap between rich and poor and its influence on who goes without computers or Internet access.

Beyond that, you'll see more information about how the U.S. lags behind other countries in Internet technology, broadband speed and access. This is the part that has us scratching our heads. Why do you think the United States lags behind less-wealthy countries when it comes to Internet access? Do find that as frustrating as we do?

What do you think should be done about this persistent digital divide? Let us know in the comments.

Infographic courtesy OnlineITDegree.net

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Digital Divide: If You're Reading This, You're One of the Lucky Ones [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Even in the richest countries on the planet such as the U.S., not everyone has easy access to this cornucopia of connectivity, the Internet. The Internet is a tremendous growth engine, responsible for 21% of economic growth in the more advanced countries in the world, according to a McKinsey study.

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Also, another issue is digital resources within the school; some schools may have variations in the number of digital resources they have, this may be challenging for teachers in finding ways of teaching children with digital devices. 

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Also, another issue is digital resources within the school; some schools may have variations in the number of digital resources they have, this may be challenging for teachers in finding ways of teaching children with digital devices. 

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Digital revolution in the classroom - Education Talks

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In the article (Harvey, 2014) it includes some ways teachers can overcome this, in the article it suggests to bring your own device plan, Leasing programs, and computer labs. These are some options here that teachers may be able to implement to reduce the digital divide, these options are beneficial for teachers and students as it gives opportunities in participating and learning in the digital world.  

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In the article (Harvey, 2014) it includes some ways teachers can overcome this, in the article it suggests to bring your own device plan, Leasing programs, and computer labs. These are some options here that teachers may be able to implement to reduce the digital divide, these options are beneficial for teachers and students as it gives opportunities in participating and learning in the digital world.  

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Video on Digital Classroom and YouMedia.