Thursday, March 20, 2014

The Digital Inequality

Digital Age has begun more than a decade. However, according to the NEW YORK TIMES DAILY REPORT (2013), the Obama administration has poured billions of dollars into expanding the reach of the Internet, and nearly 98 percent of American homes now have access to some form of high-speed broadband. But tens of millions of people are still on the sidelines of the digital revolution, Edward Wyatt reports.

Digital Inequality in another word also means that there is the inequality toward the digital access by all the people. Some people got the internet access anywhere, anytime, but some still facing the problems of the internet access.

Beside the unavailable of the internet access, some digital inequality also means that some people doesn't know how to use the digital and the technology facilities. Compare with teenager, most of the golden citizen are not familiar with the digital technology. Teenager read news or do their finding in the webpage, however, golden citizen would prefer reading news through newspaper.

According to DiMaggio, Hargittai, Celeste, and Shafer (2001), there are four ways that the technology change may social change.

First, Competence destruction increases inequality. Second, New technologies reduce inequality by generating demand for more skilled workers. Third, New technologies influence inequality indirectly by altering the structure of political interests and the capacity of groups to mobilize. Fourth, New technologies enhance social equality by democratizing consumption.


Reference:

DiMaggio P.; Hargittai E.; Celeste C.; and Shafer S. (2001).  From Unequal Access to Differentiated Use: A Literature Review and Agenda for Research on Digital Inequality. Russell Sage Foundation.
http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/dimaggio-etal-digitalinequality.pdf

New York Times (August 19, 2013). Daily Report: ‘Digital Inequality’ Holds Back Millions in U.S. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/daily-report-digital-inequality-holds-back-millions-in-u-s/ (Last Accessed: 10 March 2014)
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4 comments:

  1. CXLingApril 28, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    The level of accessibility on internet in Malaysia is average for me. However, for the people who live in rural areas, they can hardly access the basic need, electricity, not to mention to get a computer and go online. The Kampung I have been during Gawai has no electricity at all, sadly the situation is linked to political issues. The residents there only have power generators and they need to use the generator frugally, in case of any contingency.

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    Replies
    1. Sia Teck ChaiApril 29, 2014 at 10:58 PM

      wow. After all, this can be linked to what we learn in Sociology Development class. The dependency theory. Government policy to promote rapid development has led to unequal prosperity and internal social and economic division in Malaysia. Prosperity occurs in the big city, and the underdevelopment locations are even more being exploited.

      Delete
  2. WennyApril 29, 2014 at 8:37 PM

    But actually nowadays, many golden citizen start to learn how to use smartphone. The grandpa of one of my friend even ask his son to buy a smartphone for him

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  3. MeiFong ErApril 29, 2014 at 9:48 PM

    Hong Kong has ranked the first place of the line speed in the world. South Korea to launch the 5G soon. But we Malaysian still facing the problem of unable to access to internet in certain areas and the turtle speed of 59 Mbps

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