What is the digital divide?
The term "digital divide" has been used to describe variations in Internet access and Internet-related technology (such as computers) available in different countries and even within developed countries. As the internet has become more ubiquitous in many countries around the world, there is still considerable variation in the amount of access people have to that resource. There is a clear trend line that correlates the countries where poverty is most prevalent with the lack of internet access and the underdeveloped technological infrastructure in those countries.
The existence of a digital divide separating developed and underdeveloped countries does not imply that the evolution of the internet has somehow led to inequality in the world. In fact, the digital divide generally follows historical patterns of technological development and usage between advanced countries such as Britain, the United States and Japan versus more primitive countries such as those in Africa and South America.
However, one thing becomes clear when you consider what the internet has to offer. Those who have constant access to the Internet, of course, have more opportunities to communicate, learn, do business, and access the global network of resources in general. A study published in 2014 showed a high correlation between average household income and average internet speed.
How does the internet create opportunities?
An example from Honduras
The internet offers countless ways to overcome poverty and create opportunities. As I write this article, I am in Honduras helping a non-profit charity teach their students internet marketing skills. An important part of our school fundraising program includes building an online dental store that will be operated by students. They will learn how to use search engine optimization and social media marketing, order fulfillment, customer service, technical writing and other skills that would not be available to them without the opportunity that the internet offers.
Education
Access to information and the education that comes with it is perhaps the most crucial part of making the Internet accessible to the largest possible proportion of the population. Learning has certainly evolved over the past twenty years. Rather than relying on face-to-face classroom lectures made up of tuition-requiring programs and flexible schedules, YouTube, Wikipedia, and other online learning resources have brought education to anyone who can access their pages.
Business
The ability of companies to market their products on the Internet has leveled the playing field, making profitability a great opportunity for those who want to spend time learning how to set up the Internet to attract their customers. Techniques for attracting customers are described in detail for free or at low cost on inbound marketing tutorial sites all over the internet.
Thanks to the internet, a market has emerged for entrepreneurs building their businesses from home, including mom bloggers who sell ads, YouTubers who profit simply by filming what they do every day or filming demonstrations of themselves opening toys, e-mail owners. trading companies that ship products that they market through online stores, and lots of other creative ways to create an internet-based revenue machine.
inference
While the digital divide has not led to the wealth inequality between developed countries and laggards, expanding the internet to make it more available in places that cannot yet access it could significantly change the playing field, leaving it otherwise a lower class or impoverished people. can take advantage of the opportunities currently being used to create wealth among the population with access to the Internet.
