Global digital divide

The global digital divide is a term used to describe “great disparities in opportunity to access the Internet and the information and educational/business opportunities tied to this access … between developed and developing countries” (Lu 2001 p. 1). Unlike the traditional notion of the "digital divide" between social classes, the "global digital divide" is essentially a geographical division.

The Global Digital Divide versus the Digital Divide

The "global digital divide" is distinguishable from the "digital divide", a phenomenon wherein the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, at least with respect to technology, as the gap between the technological haves and have-nots widens. The concept of the digital divide was originally popularized with regard to the disparity in Internet access between rural and urban areas of the United States of America.

Unlike the case in many classical economic analyses of income disparity, there is no claim in this case that the developed nations' advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have fed off the labor or resources of developing nations. Conversely, there is generally no claim that developing nations are faring absolutely worse because developed nations are doing better.

The geographical divide

It is argued that developed nations with the resources to invest in and develop ICT infrastructure are reaping enormous benefits from the information age, while developing nations are trailing along at a much slower pace. This difference in rates of technological adoption has been blamed for widening the economic disparity between the most developed nations of the world (primarily Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Western Europe and Australasia) and the underdeveloped and developing ones (primarily Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia), thus creating a digital (that is, digitally fostered) divide. This global divide is often characterized as falling along what is sometimes called the north-south divide of "northern" wealthier nations and "southern" poorer ones.

The promise and potential of the Internet

The Internet has been hailed as a “great equalizer” (Brynjolfsson and Smith 2000), a revolutionary technological tool that enables efficient transfer of information on a global scale. This global information could be used for international trade, online digital libraries, online education, telemedicine, e-government and many other applications that would solve vital problems in the developing world.

The fundamental commonality of this class of problems is the realization that the developed nations have in abundance many of the resources that the developing ones could use to solve some of their problems, but geographical, political, philosophical, ideological, and cultural barriers exist that make it difficult or impossible for these solutions to be transferred effectively.

Other proposed solutions that the Internet promises for developing countries are the provision of efficient communications within and among developing countries, so that (global) citizens can effectively help each other to solve their own problems. Sources of widespread public information such as television broadcasting, telephone services, educational institutions and public libraries are taken for granted in developed countries. In developing countries, however, such infrastructure is seriously deficient, and this cripples citizens’ ability to gather information and coordinate with each other to solve their problems. Through its ability to promote the efficient dissemination of information, the Internet promises huge improvements to internal communications in and among developing countries.

Obstacles to overcoming the global digital divide

However, before all these promises can be realized, basic obstacles must be overcome. There is the initial problem of actually buying and deploying computers inside developing nations, as well as assorted networking and communications technologies. All these machines require parts, and may have to be regularly maintained by trained technicians. Though much cheaper than in the past, bandwidth must be paid for if peering agreements cannot be negotiated.

Users must be trained to use computers efficiently to find information on the Internet. If information is not in the users' native language, it must be translated or the users must be educated to basic proficiency in a language in which information is widely available, like English.

Computers, although preeminent to connectivity to (inter)networks, are only one element of the global digital divide. Access to handheld devices and portable technologies (i.e., cellphones), digital cameras and industrial technologies equally present obstacles to be overcome.

Needless to say, completing all of the above requires enormous investments of money, in countries where money is scarce and is often drained by corruption and inefficiency. The diffusion of innovation is another compelling challenge once the 'hardware' and 'software' are physically in place. Innovation diffusion is a well studied field that presents unique obstacles within different cultural contexts.

Concrete examples of the global digital divide

In the early 21st century, residents of First World countries enjoy many Internet services which are not yet widely available in Third World countries, including:

* Affordable and widespread Internet access, either through personal computers at home or work, through public terminals in public libraries and Internet cafes, and through wireless access points;
*E-commerce enabled by efficient electronic payment networks like credit cards and reliable shipping services;
*Virtual globes featuring street maps searchable down to individual street addresses and detailed satellite and aerial photography;
*Online research systems like LexisNexis and ProQuest which enable users to peruse newspaper and magazine articles that may be centuries old, without having to leave home;
*Price engines like Google Product Search which help consumers find the best possible online prices, and similar services like ShopLocal which find the best possible prices at local retailers;
*Electronic services delivery of government services, such as the ability to pay taxes, fees, and fines online.

Solutions

There have been many projects and solutions worldwide.

One example, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the IMARA organization (from Swahili word for "power") sponsors a variety of outreach programs which bridge the Global Digital Divide. Its aim is to find and implement long-term, sustainable solutions which will increase the availability of educational technology and resources to domestic and international communities. These projects are run under the aegis of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and staffed by MIT volunteers who give training, installed and donated computer setups in greater Boston, Massachusetts, Kenya, Indian reservations the American Southwest such as the Navajo Nation, the Middle East, and Fiji Islands. The CommuniTech project strives to empower underserved communities through sustainable technology and education. [Cf. Fizz and Mansur, MIT Tech Talk, June 4, 2008] [ [http://imara.csail.mit.edu/ IMARA Project at MIT] ]

ee also

*World Summit on the Information Society
*$100 laptop
*ICT for Development
*Overcoming the digital divide

Notes

References

* Brynjolfsson, Erik and Michael D. Smith (2000). The great equalizer? Consumer choice behavior at Internet shopbots. Journal article, July 2000. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
*Citation
last1=Fizz
first1=Robyn
last2=Mansur
first2=Karla
title=Helping MIT neighbors cross the 'digital divide'
newspaper=MIT Tech Talk
date=2008-6-4
publisher=Cambridge: MIT
url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/techtalk52-28.pdf
year=2008
pages=3
* Lu, Ming-te (2001). Digital divide in developing countries. Journal of Global Information Technology Management (4:3), pp. 1-4.
* Norris, P. (2001) [http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~pnorris/Books/Digital%20Divide.htm Digital Divide : Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide] , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Resources

*Telecom use at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Emerging Asia, LIRNEasia: http://lirneasia.net/projects/2006-07/bop-teleuse
also see http://lirneasia.net/projects/2008-2010/bop-teleuse-3

* Free statistics on global adoption of ICTs from the International Telecommunication Union: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/index.html