Digital Divide and Digital Equity
The digital divide refers to the gap between populations and regions with access to modern information and communication technologies and those that do not have limited access. These technologies can include the telephone, television, personal computers, and the Internet (TechTarget Contributor,2014). The digital divide typically exists between urban and rural populations, between the educated and the uneducated, between socioeconomic groups, and, on a global scale, between the more and less industrially developed countries.
“For those who are in an urban or suburban area, where the cable company wires it right into their home and they’re accustomed to the speed, they just assume everyone has what they have.” — Jeff Smith
The market reality of separation is problematic due to the rise of services such as video-on-demand, video conferencing, and virtual classrooms, which require the use of high-speed, high-quality connections that are unavailable and unaffordable to the lesser-served side of the digital divide. While smartphone adoption is growing, even among low-income and minority groups, the rising cost of data plans and the difficulty of performing tasks and transactions on smartphones continue to inhibit the closing of the gap. Proponents of bridging the digital divide include those who believe it will increase literacy, democracy, social mobility, economic equality, and economic growth(TechTarget Contributor,2014).
Lack of Internet access is a problem for urban and suburban households as well as rural communities. And it is especially devastating when it comes to education. Overall, some 12 million students nationwide are affected by this digital divide, putting their futures at risk.COVID-19 shows us that the digital divide is unsustainable if we want everyone to have a fair chance at success (Gissela Moya,2020).
Digital equity ensures that people have equal access to devices and the Internet to become total participants in society, democracy, and the economy. It is about ensuring that students have equal access to devices and the Internet to participate in classroom instruction fully and have an equal opportunity to be good digital citizens. However, many students do not have the same equity outside of school walls. According to e-Stewards, 96.5 percent of students are required to complete homework assignments online (Tierra Leustig,2020). Yet, one in five Americans remains disconnected and unable to participate in the digital environment and economy due to the high cost of computing devices and services (Tierra Leustig,2020).
