F- The Digital Divide: The Challenge of Technology and Equity

The Digital Divide: The Challenge of Technology and Equity

Information technology has influenced the way many of us live and work today. We use the internet to look and apply for jobs, shop, conduct research, make airline reservations, and explore areas of interest. We use Email and internet to communicate instantaneously with friends and business associates around the world. Computers are commonplace in homes and the workplace.

Although the number of internet users is growing exponentially each year, most of the world’s population does not have access to computers of the internet. On ly 6 percent of the population in the developing countries are connected to tele phones. Although more than 94 percent of U.S households have telephones, on ly 56 percent have personal computers at home and 50 percent have internet access. The lack of what most of us would consider a basic communication ne cessity -the telephone-does not occur just in developing nations.