Numerous studies have concluded that there is a “digital divide.” Meaning that there is a growing disparity between those that are able to benefit and access computers and the World Wide Web, thus creating an information have and an information have not scenario. These same studies often conclude that it is due to a lack of access to personal computers and the web that this “digital divide” exists. Thus giving way to the argument that if there were someway to provide everyone with access to a personal computer and the web then we can close the digital divide. However, making personal computers and the web more widely available is not the solution to solving the problem of the digital divide. Computers are now cheaper than they have ever been, and there are some Internet service providers who are willing to provide their services free of any monetary cost. It should be noted that people who choose to use these types of services must give up certain privacy rights and be bombarded with advertising from any company the internet service provider chooses, in order to benefit from this “free” access. Even if one doesnÕt want to invest in a personal computer or become a second-class citizen to get Internet access, one doesnÕt have to. Many libraries and lots of other community centers are providing the use of computers and web access for free, and yet the digital divide still exists. LatinoÕs, Blacks, and Americans with disabilities, and also those with low household incomes are still much less likely to use computers or access the web, which would keep them in the category of information have nots.
The reason the digital divide continues to exist in light of the fact that access is widely available is because access is only one barrier to the web. Solving the access issue doesnÕt solve any problems that arise from users of the internet not having the necessary education to use and benefit from the information one may receive from the web, the access issue also doesnÕt address providing more user friendly computer software and web pages for those in our society that have disabilities
Education as a barrier to the web and computers
The World Wide Web is full of information that can improve and enrich our lives. In order to benefit from all of this information it must exhibit some type of relevance to our everyday lives and one must also be able to read and interpret this information so that it is useful to us.
Use of Technology in Law Enforcement and Against Terrorism
Use of Technology in Law Enforcement and Against Terrorism
Technology has a definite impact not only on our everyday lives but also on the ideologies we pursue or abandon. This change can be clearly seen as society has progressed through from an agrarian culture through the growing pains of the industrial revolution, and into the current wave, the information wave. The role of technology was seen as a tool in the agrarian culture and also as a means for physical exploration of humanity’s surroundings. During the industrial revolution that tool, used to better the agrarian age morphed into a guiding force for social change, intellectual idealism, and scientific exploration. As the industrial age drew to a close, marked by increased warfare and frightening new discoveries, there was a backlash against the ideological representation of technology. Technology in the information age has become not only a force that produces wonderful new things, but ultimately a tool in the hands of a very flawed and occasionally noble society. The current views on technology are diverse and cover grounds that span from technology being a way to save, to that same technology being a means to an end or power.
The personification of technology ranges from a way to place power firmly in the hands of the few, to technology being a means for anyone to do things that before required a specialized education. The publishing liberty of the Internet creates a forum in which any one can be taken seriously; whether they are in truth serious is another discussion. This liberty of forum is available to anyone with a modicum of knowledge or the desire to gain such knowledge. This is in direct contrast to the publishing world where it requires a specialized knowledge and education to produce some thing or to become published. Often the knowledge needs to be combined with a fair amount of luck as well. Technology has also become a way to put social power into the hands of the few as well. The existence of surveillance systems, the exorbitant prices of medical matters, and the existence of issues such as the digital divide are all examples of technologically based ways to shift a balance of power in an arena.
As technology is always in a state of flux so are our society’s attitudes regarding technology. There is a definite polarization of issues in the field of