The
first time I heard about the digital divide was in LIS 6010:
Introduction to the Profession. The digital divide was defined as the
gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” of Internet
access, with the “haves” generally defined as middle-class,
well-educated, white individuals with access to high-speed internet
at home and the “have-nots” as those with a low-income household,
low education, non-white background, and no home internet access. The
“have” and “have nots” definition was used as early as 1995,
as seen in the U.S. Department of Commerce's survey of the “have
nots” in rural and urban America – for the purposes of this
survey, the digital divide was measured by one's access to a modem
and personal computer (1995).
Current
definitions of the digital divide include references to digital
literacy skills, now that increased access to the latest technology
in the form of laptops, cell phones, and gaming systems has spread
among low-income families. Digital literacy, according to the
definition provided by the American Library Association's (ALA)
Digital Literacy Task Force is “the
ability to use information and communication technologies to find,
evaluate, create, and communicate information requiring both
cognitive and technical skills” (Visser, 2012). Even the
Federal Communications Commission, which is still focused on
increasing access to computing devices, recognizes the importance of
digital literacy alongside the issue of the digital divide (Richtel,
2012).
Older adults and people with a disability are still behind in terms of digital access. According to the Pew Internet's "Digital Differences" study (2012), senior citizens are one of the least likely groups of adults to have internet access. Adults living with a disability are less likely than adults without a disability to use the internet - in some cases, certain disabilities make it difficult/impossible to use the internet. The study found that the main reason non-internet users, such as seniors, avoid accessing the internet is that they are just not interested - access has little to do with it.
Public libraries in the United States offer public internet services, technology trainings, ebooks, and additional services that connect people and technology. Many public libraries also offer technology services to seniors and people with disabilities by providing assistive technology and trainings specifically for special populations, and making sure access to public computers and the library's website is ADA-compliant. Public libraries already do what they can to close the digital divide, and one of the steps libraries should take now is find ways to maintain or expand their technology services to seniors and people with disabilities despite the threats of budget cuts.
References
U.S. Department of Commerce. (1995). Falling through the net: A survey of the "have nots" in rural and urban america.
Richtel, M. (May 29, 2012). Wasting time is the new divide in the digital era. New York
Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/us/new-digital-divide-seen-in-
wasting-time-online.html?smid=pl-share
Visser, M. (2012). Defining digital literacy. Retrieved from
http://www.districtdispatch.org/2012/04/defining-digital-literacy/
Zickuhr, K., Smith, A. (2012). Digital differences. Retrieved from
http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_Digital_differences_041312.pdf
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