Digital Divide: The Technology Gap Is Growing So How Do We Close It?

Covid-19 showed that tech isn’t just phones and computers. It’s a phone call with mom and dad. A Skype visit with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time. And a meeting. About two years' worth of meetings, actually.

The pandemic only emphasized something that has been increasingly apparent for years. Digital technology is no longer a luxury. It’s the beating heart of modern industry and a critical component of staying connected to the world around you.

Some people don’t have access to it. The digital divide only grows as some parts of the world increase their access to tech, while others stay in place. In this article, we take a close look at the technology gap and examine what might be done to close it.

Defining the Problem

The digital divide refers to the gap between people who have access to modern technology and those who do not. Naturally, the definition shifts over time. For example, access to mobile internet in the form of phones and tablets is now included in the definition. Someone who can access the
internet at the library but doesn’t have a smartphone would, by this definition, still be on the wrong side of the digital divide.

There are several different ways someone can find themselves
without access to digital technology.

Opportunity Gap

The opportunity gap is experienced by people who simply do not have access to digital technology, either because of finances or because they live in a part of the world where digital infrastructure is still scant.

This is the situation most people think of when they consider the digital divide. Underdeveloped countries are one example of a population that is experiencing an opportunity gap. However, even people living in the United States can suffer from a lack of access to digital technology.

People living at the lower end of the income bracket are significantly less likely to have wireless internet or smartphone technology. They are also less likely to have access to private transportation allowing them to easily get to places where wifi and other digital infrastructure are readily available.

Comprehension Gap

Then there are people who could theoretically access digital technology, but they lack the understanding to do so. Most of these people are elderly, and simply not used to digital technology and communication.

Of all the disparities in access to technology, the comprehension gap is closing the fastest. Elderly segments of the population continue to adopt digital technology, while younger generations are being trained not just to understand modern technology but also to have the skills required to adapt to new developments as they arise.

Naturally, nations that do not have access to digital infrastructure at all are also disadvantaged in the category of comprehension insofar as they have never had the opportunity to learn the ins and out of digital technology.

Gender Gap

Slightly less concrete is the gender gap. Statistically speaking, women are slightly less likely to own a cell phone or to have been trained in the basics of digital technology, even when compared to men coming from similar educational and socio-economic backgrounds.

This statistic could be the product of historical gender inequality in STEM-based education.

Closing the Gap

What can be done to close the gap? While no single answer has emerged to fix the problem, some steps may at least begin to lay the groundwork for more equitable access to digital technology.

Emphasizing STEM

This has already begun in earnest all around the country. Classrooms everywhere try to implement STEM, not just in science, but in every possible part of the curriculum. While educating children in STEM won’t do much for adults who can’t understand digital technology, it will produce a future generation of overwhelmingly capable digital technology users.

This emphasis on STEM should, at least theoretically close the gender gap as well.

Increasing Digital Infrastructure

Accessibility can only happen at a truly equitable level by democratizing access to digital technology. Low-income areas all across the United States experience reduced access to digital technology for the simple reason that many people cannot afford private wifi access.

For them, free or reduced-cost wifi could be life-changing.

However, the infrastructure problem is not only about money. Rural areas are notoriously disadvantaged, both in terms of their access to digital technology and even healthcare.

In rural communities granting wifi access is less about finances (though many rural communities do fall into low-income brackets) and more about logistical difficulties. The infrastructure required to provide good wifi is very expensive and difficult to install and service in isolated communities with small populations.

 Legislative efforts may be required to provide federal aid directed toward increasing rural and urban access to wifi in communities that could not otherwise afford it.

Global Gap

The global digital divide is harder to bridge than the situations described above. Countries without stable access to food and water aren’t going to drop everything to invest in wifi access. And yet, digital capability is directly tied to a nation’s wealth.

Globalization has, to an extent helped bridge this gap, albeit slowly. As countries slowly become richer, they are able to invest in technology that connects them to the rest of the world digitally. This process is slow, but also important when it comes to reducing the presence of extreme poverty in the world.

Foreign aid may play a role in providing greater access to digital technology in countries that currently have little or none to speak of. These efforts, though slow and imprecise, have made a large impact in reducing other forms of global inequity such as access to food and clean water. The number of people suffering from life-threatening hunger and thirst has plummeted in the last several decades thanks both to an increase in global awareness and an increase in aid.

It's possible that similar measures could be taken to reduce the digital divide.