The digital divide - From week 2 Scarpbook

I think we should worry about the digital divide. Firstly, we all know that now a day the improvement of technology is no way to stop. Marvin says in his article “New electric media were sources of endless fascination and fear, and provided constant fodder for social experimentation.” By the time you read the newspaper, new technologies are coming out every years, every months or even every weeks, they are very frequently. Access to digital and information technology are the assets to catch up with the society. As a student in Canada, I become more relying on my laptop for daily social, online shopping and more convenient services. In school, professors are using PowerPoint, just like this course (ISTB01), we are told to complete weekly assignments on the internet service called Blog. It would be a nightmare if I do not have such a basic knowledge. Secondary, according to the ITU Digital Access Index (2003) from the lecture slide, one can see that particular countries have a very low internet usage rate, for example the bottom 5 are Guinea Bissau, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger with the lowest access rate over 178 countries around the world. It is not difficult to find some of the commons in these countries. Lowest GDP per capita and lowest literacy rates are the two commons from there. With technology, people can easily access to websites globally, fills their brain with useful information and open one’s eyes. All they need to learn before hand are internet safety, how to access and basic literacy. The main idea is to get improvement using the internet advantages. Internet may also provide the opportunity to trade with countries around the world as well. Why we should worry about the digital divide? It is because it seems countries are going towards the extreme ends.