the Digital Divide

Though it is obvious that there is a huge gap between how people use technology between America and a third world country, it is less recognized that the digital divide is present even in our own city, as well as in different parts of this country. I remember when I was in high school the class clown in my class tried to make the excuse of why he didn't do his homework, "I don't have a computer." He was kidding, and everyone who heard him say it laughed because it was a ridiculous to think that someone wouldn't have a computer in Los Angeles in this day and age. However, I learned from this week's lecture that millions of people in this modern country don't have a computer in their house, even more people do not have home access to the internet. This fact makes the digital divide an extremely important issue to discuss in today's societ, especially in relation to education, government, health, entertainment and work.

In education, interaction is very important for the development (especially in young children) of a well rounded foundation. It is important for teachers, if they are going to use technology in the classroom, to still make it an interactive learning enviornment, not isolated and reliant on a monitor. It could be too easy for a teacher to rely soley on technology like we do in other aspects of life and forget to incorporate the fundamental social part of learning. 

In terms of government, it is common knowledge that things can be quite inefficient to say the least. It is great that technology can make things such as going to the dmv easier, but there is also a downside. People who do not have computers, such as low income families or Katrina victims cannot benefit from the quick online information and forms and they are the ones who need it the most. This also goes for healthcare, Medicare patients, who are usually old and don't know how to use a computer that well, are the ones who need convenience the most but aren't able to take full advantage of it.  

It is a well known fact that people these days are becoming familiar and comfortable with technology at a younger age. Older people, in turn, are less likely to be apt at learning new skills, especially on the computer. This gives a large advantage to younger people and puts out older people who are not used to having technology always be a part of their everyday life and are now seeing it as almost a requirement in the workplace. 

With entertainment, it is great that people can now access the internet from their computers and look at pretty much anything online. However, when it comes to children, this can be dangerous because the internet is an unregulated world that a child or teen these days can better navigate than their parents. With endless channels on many televisions, it could be hard for parents to keep tabs on what their kids are being exposed to. 20 years ago, this would not have been an issue, but with the digital divide present and growing between generations, this is a well known problem.

The growth of technology, in my opinion, is a good thing. However, this growth is drastically changing the world we live in, and it is important to keep issues such as the ones I have talked about above in mind so that we can keep a balance preserved between old and new, have and have not.