Youth & Digital Access, Week 5, Blog#2

Before reading the article and film, accessibility to digital media/internet was something I didn't think too much about. Digital divide is something that is prevalent in less developed and developing countries. Access to digital media such as devices that can access the internet is something we take for granted in the United States and more highly developed countries. 

The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communications technologies (ICT's) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activies (Bargh, 2004).  Socio-economic levels that consist of poverty deprives many students of technology at home as well as school. The deprivation of access to technology translates into limited job skills for children in the future. 

The focus to addressing the issues of youth, digital access and digital divide is an important to the economic development and survival of less developed and developing countries. 

Technology has the potential to greatly contribute to the prosperity of developing areas. By bridging the digital divide, it is possible for poverty-stricken regions to enhance communication with other countries, therefore offering economic, social, and political opportunities (Bargh, 2004). Accessibility to mobile phones and internet services will ultimately contribute to economic success by way of expanding the knowledge base for children and expand small businesses scope of communication and increase the number of transactions made. 

References:

Bargh, John A.; McKenna, Katelyn Y.A. (2004), "The Internet and Social Life", Annual Review of Psychology 55 (1): 573-90.

van Dijk, J.A.M. (2006). Digital divide research, achievements and shortcomings. Poetics, 34(4-5), 221-235.