Digital Inequality Voice

Digital Inequality EDTECH 501:

Digital Inequality EDTECH 501 By: Chase McCulloch

The Digital World:

The digital world has a huge influence on our daily lives and is known as the Internet. The Internet can be accessed in many ways today. The Digital World

Digital Divide and Digital Inequality:

Digital Divide and Digital Inequality Inequalities in access to and use of the medium, with lower levels of connectivity among women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with lower incomes, rural residents and less educated people (Hargittai, 2003). Digital Inequality is how the internet is used, and to what degree it improves quality of life or life chances (DiMaggio, Hargittai, Celeste and Shafer, 2004). Differential spread of the Internet will lead to increasing inequalities benefiting those who are already in advantageous positions and denying access to better resources to the underprivileged (Hargittai, 2003). Digital Divide Digital Inequality

Options for Digital Inequality:

Options for Digital Inequality Install computers in all public libraries in the state and expand the hours when the computers are available. Expand staffing and other resources so that public schools can be open to the public after normal school hours, on weekends, and during the summer months. Provide individuals in disadvantaged communities with computers. Provide high-speed Internet and mobile access for all state residents. Subsidize Internet Service Providers to provide low-cost Internet to all state residents. Provide information literacy courses to enhance computer skills and enable knowledgeable use of digital technologies. Develop free online educational content, giving first priority to content most relevant to lower socio-economic groups before content that is relevant to the rest of the public.

Options for Digital Inequality:

Options for Digital Inequality Provide high-speed Internet and mobile access for all state residents. Provide individuals in disadvantaged communities with computers. Provide information literacy courses to enhance computer skills and enable knowledgeable use of digital technologies. Subsidize Internet Service Providers to provide low-cost Internet to all state residents. Develop free online educational content, giving first priority to content most relevant to lower socio-economic groups before content that is relevant to the rest of the public. Install computers in all public libraries in the state and expand the hours when the computers are available. Expand staffing and other resources so that public schools can be open to the public after normal school hours, on weekends, and during the summer months. Strongest Weakest

Access, Access, Access:

Access, Access, Access High-speed Internet and mobile access for all state residents. According to From Unequal Access to Differentiated Use: A Literature Review and Agenda for Research on Digital Inequality ( DiMaggio, Hargittai, Celeste and Shafer, 2004), the following are related to Internet access and use among Americans. Employment Status Income Educational Attainment

Percentage of Internet Users by Employment Status:

Percentage of Internet Users by Employment Status

Percentage of Internet Users by Annual Income:

Percentage of Internet Users by Annual Income

Percentage of Internet Users by Educational Attainment:

Percentage of Internet Users by Educational Attainment

Options for Digital Inequality:

Options for Digital Inequality Provide high-speed Internet and mobile access for all state residents. Provide individuals in disadvantaged communities with computers. Provide information literacy courses to enhance computer skills and enable knowledgeable use of digital technologies. Subsidize Internet Service Providers to provide low-cost Internet to all state residents. Develop free online educational content, giving first priority to content most relevant to lower socio-economic groups before content that is relevant to the rest of the public. Install computers in all public libraries in the state and expand the hours when the computers are available. Expand staffing and other resources so that public schools can be open to the public after normal school hours, on weekends, and during the summer months. Strongest Weakest

References:

References DiMaggio, P., Hargittai, E., Celeste, C., & Shafer, S. (2004). From unequal access to differentiated use: A literature review and agenda for research on digital inequality. Social Inequality , 355-400. Retrieved from http://www.eszter.com/research... uality.pdf Hargittai, E. (2003). The digital divide and what to do about it. New Economy Handbook , 821-839. Retrieved from http://www.eszter.com/research... divide.pdf