Thought Paper # 4 (Digital Divide)

Digital Skills, Income and Education

Digital skills do not only mean the instrumental skills but also the informational and strategic skills. The concept of digital skills guides us to see digital divide in the different way. Material access to computer and the Internet network does not ensure the use of the Internet. Even though users know how to use software and hardware of computers, the Internet cannot be utilized if they do not have the ability to “search, select, process, and apply information.” Strategic skills mean how one will use the information for improving his or her position in society. Inclusion of the strategic skills demonstrates the utility of using the Internet. People use the Internet not only for simple applications like entertainment. A National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) study in 2000 found an increase in the Internet use for study and job search purposes by Americans with low income. The level of digital skills influences the Internet usage pattern among different users.

There is no doubt that this concept of Digital Skills is much more holistic. But this smart presentation of the concept cannot overlook the importance of education and income, which are regarded as the main factors for accessing to the Internet. But Jan Van Dijk’s article explained that other independent factors like gender, ethnicity and age cannot be neglected in discussing access to the Internet. Old people, ethnic minorities and women have relatively less access to the Internet as they find the design of computer application software complex and culturally different. But I would like to give more priority to income and education factors, which I believe, can affect the digital skills and the Internet usage pattern. Income and education gaps have created a divide in terms of possession of computers and hardware in the United States and the Netherlands in the last two decades. People at the better side of the gaps have increased their lead. People with high socioeconomic status tend to have more social participation and networking compared to low income group. People with high levels of education have more political efficacy than the people with low levels of education. People with high levels of political efficacy can meaningfully utilize the Internet for the purpose of civic engagement. Without cognitive skills and educational background, the Internet users cannot attain informational and strategic skills. The General Social Survey (GSS) in 2000 found that the weekly use of the Internet is more related to the level of education of the users than to their household income. Race, gender and age, to some extent, can influence the use of the Internet. But still the main determining factors are the level of education and income. Rogers in his Diffusion of Innovation article also mentioned that early adopters of any technology are distinguished by higher levels of education and higher levels of income. People may not have high income but have high levels of education, which can make them more open and tolerant.

John P. Robinson and his two colleagues at the University of Maryland investigated the association between the Internet use and tolerant social attitudes. The Internet users are more open and tolerant than nonusers as they have higher level of education. The study of Robinson et al. found the association between the Internet use and social attitudes “nonmonotonic,” which means tolerance to social issues does not increase with the level of the Internet use. Again users’ level of education and socio-cultural background influence their attitudes. The Internet users are open to change as they adopt the technology. Such type of personality tends to have positive attitudes about social and political issues. For example, the study of Robinson et al. found that the Internet users have greater level of tolerance for premarital and homosexual sex and greater support for sex education in public schools. The Internet users also expressed optimistic views about life. But from the sample size of the study, it is not wise to generalize the observation about all other Internet users. On the other hand, Johnette H. McCrery and John E. Newhagen discussed about the role of new communication technologies in broadening the public sphere where political and social elites share their informed viewpoints. Interactive feature of the Internet allows live participation of the Internet users on different burning social and political issues. But people with political efficacy dominate both the opinion and process spheres of the public sphere. Again people with high levels of education with more political knowledge can benefit from the Internet.

In the last class, we talked about the concepts of technodispositions and technocapital, where we learned how attitudes of some communities and groups affect the adoption of a technology. But I will argue that the level of education can bring a change in the practice within a community. Otherwise we cannot see an increase in the Internet use for job search and study purposes among the low income and unemployed Americans. Usage access and skills access are more important than material access. A person can be unemployed or may not have higher income, but he has the education or cognitive skills for meaningful use of the Internet. Connection with the Internet network cannot resolve the digital divide unless that connectivity is properly used and served the need of the users.#