The digital divide refers to the gaps that exist between the stakeholders to access the information and communication technologies. A digital divide can exist between individuals, businesses, households, socio-economic levels and geographical areas. The digital divide is especially stark between the developing and the developed nation and a country’s rural and urban regions. The primary cause of the digital divide can be attributed to education and income. However, other variables like age, gender, racial and linguistic backgrounds, and the region also exist. In the digital age, access to ICT plays a critical role in the development of a country and therefore, it is important to address the issue of digital divide.
Digital divide affects the students, the children, workforce, healthcare patients and even the residents. According to study, the digital divide affects 52 per cent of the women and 42 per cent of the men across the globe and this divide further widens and we narrow it down to regions. Digital divide can further be divided into access divide, user divide and quality of use gap. It also exists in the form of internet speed which can be checked on platforms like Speed Test and Jio.
The consequences of the digital divide are many. Few of its consequences include lack of communication and isolation especially in the remote areas, barriers to education for the students, widened social difference and gender division. Therefore, it is extremely important to reduce the digital divide as much as possible. Here are a few recommendations to reduce the digital divide of all kinds.
1. Improved Affordability
Adopting the internet becomes difficult with the cost of affording it being too high. Residents of developed countries may have the ability to bear the high cost of internet access. However, this is not the case for the citizens of the developing country. Majority of the people still cannot afford the internet if the cost attached to it is high. In addition to making the internet affordable, it is also important to improve the affordability of devices like smartphones and laptops which will be used to access the internet. The government should improve the internet’s affordability and the devices in which it can be used.
2. Digital Literacy Programs
Even if someone has the internet and a device to access it, they may choose not to use it due to digital illiteracy. Such people should be empowered with digital literacy. The internet’s full potential can only be utilized when the users are empowered with digital literacy to use it. Digital literacy can be worked on by the students in their school life and the employees can be trained by their companies. In addition to that, it is also recommended to run workshops to make the people skilled enough to use the internet.
3. Support For Local Language
Not everyone is educated enough to go through an English website even if they have access to the internet. The end result is such that people stop using the internet altogether. In such a scenario, it is important to ensure the applications and websites support local languages which can be understood by local people. This will also increase the trust of the local people to use the internet.
4. Public Wi-Fi
Regions with poor internet infrastructure should at least have public Wi-Fi to reduce the digital divide. Public Wi-Fi also plays a key role in developing a smart city. Public Wi-Fi empowers the community by giving them access to the internet for free. Also, the people who cannot afford the internet can rely on public Wi-Fi to access the internet. This also has an added advantage for the tourists who can stay in touch with their loved ones while travelling with the help of free internet. Having free public Wi-Fi in the education institutions empowers the students to have access to education in a proper way. However, by increasing the number of public Wi-Fi in a region, it is also equally important to work on internet infrastructure development.
To sum it up, the digital divide problem can be solved by reducing the affordability cost of the internet, working on the infrastructural development and empowering people with digital skills. A reduced digital divide will improve both the quality of life and the income level of the people. This will lead to both the economic and social development of a country.