More Gaps in the Digital Divide

Past discussions of the digital divide always centered on poverty. The difference between the have and have-nots was access to technology in the most basic sense of the word. In essence, did you have the technology?

Jakob Neilsen’s guidelines have really broadened that perception. Being a have doesn’t mean just having a computer with Internet access.

It means having a computer with the kind of Internet capabilities that allow the user to experience all the Internet has to offer, including movie and music downloads. It means having the cognitive skills and literacy to be able to absorb the information presented in a timely fashion. It means having both software and good web design that allows disabled people, such as the blind, deaf and paralyzed, to use the Internet.

When you are fortunate enough to be a have in the fullest sense of the word and spend your days around fellow haves, it’s easy to forget that not everyone is as fortunate.

As we look abroad and marvel at the steps third world nations are making in adopting technologies that increase communication, we also need to take a second look at home and remember that the definition of have-nots is not limited to economics.