The 'Digital Divide' is a reference to the simple fact that there are those who have access to computer technology and those who do not. The digital divide has both global and national implications. On a global scale, measurements and results are used to compare the people of one nation to the people of another in terms of who does and who does not have easy access to computing technology. For example, a quick look at the CIA World Factbook tells us that 73% of Americans are classified as Internet users; 18% of of China's population are classified as such (2009). On a national scale, we might use statistics garnered from public schools to show that 83% of American school students in 2003 accessed the Internet at school; 17% of students in the U.S. were, of course, without access (Carvin 2006).
By comparison, the concept of 'Digital Inequality' is more complex. Demographers and researchers studying digital inequality certainly pore over studies concerning the technological "haves" and "have-nots", but they tend to focus more on the variations within the "haves" group. They examine the percentages of men versus women regularly accessing the Internet; the likelihood of African-American teens in urban schools regularly using computer technology to complete their assignments versus Caucasian teens in rural settings; or the preponderance of Latino families accessing the Internet at home versus Native American families.
The difference between the two concepts is important to understand. CNN correspondents or economists working in the field of development economics are far more likely to frame their research and discussions in terms of a digital divide among people living in nations with a sophisticated technological infrastructure and people living in nations that are lacking such an infrastructure. Trends within U.S. public schools show an increasing percentage of American students with regular access to the Internet at school. Close to 95% of American public school children had regular Internet access at their schools as of 2005, up sharply from a decade earlier (Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools...). For those of us interested in educational policy in the U.S., a focus on the concept of digital inequality is far more useful than a relatively simplistic focus on the issue of the digital divide.
Once defined, the concept of 'Digital Inequality' must be measured. Here, an analysis of Internet usage among all Americans can be helpful. In a 2004 review of the academic literature devoted to measuring the degree of digital inequality in the U.S., for example, DiMaggio etal. found that significant disparities exist with respect to Internet usage among: African-Americans versus non-African Americans; people of lower income levels versus people with higher income levels; people with a high school degree versus people with a college degree; as well as people between the ages of 18-25 versus people over the age of 55. The inequalities are out there.
Addressing such inequalities is perplexing task, involving a myriad of local, state, and federal officials, interested parties, and institutions. The DiMaggio etal. study found, for example, that more survey work and study is required (2004). Their findings may not set well with parents of school-age children in 2009! In the latest version of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Education Finances, the Bureau indicates that average per-pupil expenditure for students attending public elementary and high schools was $9666 (2009). It would be easy to imagine the redirection of perhaps $250-$500 of that per-pupil expenditure towards purchasing every public school student a mini-laptop computer, for example. With every public school student in possession of laptop technology at all times during the school day, digital inequalities would be lessened. But such a proposal would require massive state-wide investment in creating and sustaining a wireless infrastructure for all public schools. Teachers and administrators would need intensive training on teaching in a 1:1 laptop environment. School budgets would swell in order to accommodate IT staffing positions and computer repair bills. So even a simple solution, such as purchasing a laptop for every public school student in the U.S., becomes a complicated endeavor.
Despite the complications, a few conclusions are apparent: a) a focus on the concept of a digital divide in the U.S. is too simplistic; b) shifting focus in the U.S. towards a model of addressing digital inequalities seems quite appropriate; c) measuring the degree of digital inequality in the U.S. will require ongoing academic study; and d) effectively addressing digital inequalities will require the coordinated efforts of officials, institutions, and other interested parties (including private corporations) at all levels within the U.S. educational system. The task of appropriately addressing digital inequalities will not be an easy one.
References
CIA World Factbook. (2009). Country Comparisons:: Internet Users. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved (2009, September 12) from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2153rank.html.
Carvin, Andy (2006). New Govt Report Exposes the School-Home Digital Divide. PBS Teachers: learning.now, Retrieved (2009, September 12) from http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2006/09/new_report_exposes_the_schoolh.htm.
DiMaggio, P., Hargittai, E., Celeste, C., & Shafer, S. (2004). From unequal access to differentiated use: A literature review and agenda for research on digital inequality. Social Inequality, 355-400. Retrieved (2009, September 12) from http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/dimaggio-etal-digitalinequality.pdf.
U.S. Census Bureau. Public Education Finances, 2007. (2009). Retrieved (2009, September 13) from http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/07f33pub.pdf.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2005.
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