THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
While innovations in ICT have enabled incredible economic growth throughout the world, disparate accessibility to these opportunities for rich and poor global economies remains a key issue. While rich and powerful nations plow ahead easily integrating new technology, ill-equipped poorer nations are being left further and further behind. Consequently, the "Digital Divide" continues to widen. The concept of the Digital Divide and its implications for the economy, and the efforts being made to narrow the gap are discussed further in this VTM resource section.

Facts and Figures
The Digital Divide:
"The gap between those who can effectively use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and those who cannot." The Digital Divide is impacting those communities that lack the "tools and skills to compete in the digital economy." The Digital Divide Network

The Facts:
"There are 332 million people connected via the Internet around the world, only 1 percent live in Africa. Less than 5 percent of the computers connected to the Internet are in developing countries." (NYTimes article by John Markoff)

"In the African continent alone there are around 1.3 million users; of these almost a million are in South Africa alone. In other words, the average number of users is 6,000 people per country –once we exclude South Africa." (Sustainable Development Networking Programme)

"A Commerce Department study made public last year found that black and Hispanic families were only two-fifths as likely to have Internet access as white households. Families with incomes of $75,000 or more in urban areas are more than 20 times as likely to have Internet access as the poorest households." (NYTimes article by Marc Lacey)

The Issues
The concept of the Digital Divide focuses on the following key issues:

• Accessibility,
• Lifelong Learning, and
• Economic Development.
  

Accessibility:
A fundamental problem in lessening the gap is that not all communities have the same or equal access to technology. "Many citizens still do not have easy access to basic IT tools, whether it's access to hardware, software, or the Internet itself. Access is an issue that affects people at home, at school and in the community at large. Neighborhoods with less technology access are at a disadvantage in contrast to those neighborhoods with more access when it comes to seeking better education, better jobs, even higher levels of civic participation." To learn more about the issues of accessibility, you can read more at The Digital Divide Network, an amazing resource dedicated to this growing problem.

Lifelong Learning:
While accessibility to innovations in technology is crucial, it will prove ineffectual unless people are prepared and have developed the skills necessary to use the technology. In order to confront the digital divide, we must develop and improve upon the computer literacy of all citizens. Check out our section devoted to Lifelong Learning to see what’s being done in the realm of education, training, and the global economy to help bridge the ever-widening gap.

Economic Development:
Economic development is a key component when discussing the digital divide, as it is a major fact in the growing gap between the "haves" and have-nots" of the world. The "have-nots" are most often those in Developing Countries, those countries that lack reliable access to technology and the skills to use it. This in turn makes these countries "less likely to attract and sustain new businesses that could potentially serve as a catalyst to economic prosperity." It is obvious that increasing economic opportunity in Developing Countries is critical. In order for these communities to survive in the new global economy, "they must develop modern telecommunications facilities and cultivate a well-trained workforce to stay viable."
Explore our source, DDN, and the VTM Lifelong Learning section to read about ways communities are trying to increase their chances at economic opportunity.