Media and Technology - Technological Inequality

Media and Technology SOCI 1306 Technological Inequality No one has equal access to any advancement in human civilization. In particular, advancements brought forth by technology frequently result in ever-widening disparities. That is, the distance widens more quickly. Because of this technology divide, there is a renewed emphasis on making sure that everyone has greater access. Two types of technical stratification exist. The first is the digital divide, which is the unequal access to technology depending on class. The second type of separation that has resulted from this digital divide is known as the "knowledge gap," which is exactly what it sounds like—a persistent and widening information gap for individuals with less access to technology. Put simply, compared to children in underfunded schools, pupils in well-funded schools are exposed to technology more often. More exposure to technology results in greater competency among pupils, which divides our society into those with and without technical expertise. This makes them significantly more employable in an increasingly technology-based employment market. The inability to sift through, comprehend, and digest knowledge is a clear e-readiness gap that we have not addressed, even as access has improved (Sciadas 2003). Social science scholars have attempted to draw attention to the digital divide—the unequal access to technology that exists between various racial and socioeconomic groups and geographic regions—since the year 2000. When Vice President Al Gore used the word in a speech in 1996, it became well known. At this time, the number of people using personal computers increased significantly, from 300,000 in 1991 to over 10 million by 1996 (Rappaport 2009). The issue of the digital divide was partly caused by the fact that communities that benefited from infrastructure improvements that made high-speed Internet connection possible were mostly wealthy urban and suburban areas, leaving out vast regions of the nation. For those whose communities could afford it, access to technology was also a major component of education around the end of the 20th century. Wealthier households had personal computers at home and connected classrooms in schools early in the new century, whereas impoverished areas had little to no access to technology. However, the cost of entry-level computers began to decline significantly in the 2000s, and it seemed that the digital gap was closing on its own. Although the majority of studies concur that there is no difference in the amount of time that adult men and adult women spend on the Internet, research shows that technology use and access to the Internet still vary greatly by race, class, and age in the United States. According to data from the Pew Research Centre (Perrin 2019), there appears to be an additional split emerging. A greater proportion of people in some demographics, such African Americans and Latinos, use cell phones instead of desktop computers to access the Internet and do associated tasks. Approximately eight out of ten White individuals reported possessing a computer, compared to approximately six out of ten Black and Hispanic individuals. Also, the likelihood of broadband, or high-speed Internet, in a home was higher among white individuals. However, a significant portion of Black and Hispanic individuals—roughly one in four—reported using smartphones only for Internet access; this percentage much exceeds that of White individuals. Despite the impression that the Internet is the Internet, there is a significant distinction based on how you access it. Compared to a large-screen PC at home, tasks like updating a resume or completing a job application are far more difficult on a cell phone. Therefore, the digital gap may indicate a lack of access to computers and the Internet, but it may also indicate a lack of access to online technology that enables empowerment rather than merely amusement (Washington 2011). The kind of neighbourhood a person lives in is another factor contributing to the digital divide. According to census statistics from 2018, 78 percent of American households had access to the Internet between 2013 and 2017. However, families in rural and low-income regions had access to the Internet at a rate that was 13% lower than the national average. County-level data collection revealed that "mostly urban" counties far outnumbered "mostly rural" counties. The lowest rates of residential Internet use, at around 60%, were seen in "completely rural," lower-income regions (Martin 2019). Reduced access to computers and the Internet at home may have the unintended consequence of underrepresenting particular communities in computer-related degrees, courses, and occupations. Some school districts try to address this part of the digital divide by giving computers to individuals in need, either for free or at a reduced cost, sometimes with the aid of government grants or corporate sponsorships. A number of groups, including Code.org, Black Girls Code, and Black Boys Code, strive to close the gap by providing camps and programmes for computer science education, collaborative instruction with nearby school districts, and—possibly most importantly in the long run—teacher training initiatives. Because of this, both the proportion of Black and Hispanic students majoring in college and the number of students taking courses like Advanced Placement Computer Science have climbed significantly in recent years. The digital gap as a whole is not without criticism. Some people wonder why it persists even after it was discovered over 20 years ago. Some argue that it doesn't exist at all and provide evidence to back up their claims (American Press Institute 2015). But most experts concur that the COVID-19 outbreak showed that there is still a digital gap, especially in education. Millions of students were forced to attend classes from home or remotely, although they differed in terms of Internet connection, computer hardware and software knowledge, and self-sufficiency in handling technological problems (PRB 2020). The quality feature of unplanned distant education persisted even after governments and educational institutions made changes to the access and technological situation: Many teachers and students find that interacting primarily via computer displays hinders their effectiveness. In attempting to strike a balance between the concerns of student mental health, teacher safety, educational quality, and safety, politicians encountered difficult decision-making procedures and heated discussions when it came to education.