The Digital Divide

The Digital Divide is the gap between people with effective access to digital information and technology and those without it. This doesn’t just mean knowing how to log into a computer but how to access information and use the different tools. People need the education and resources. Global divide is on the global scale, but social divide is the breakdown within the nation, and that is some of what this article discusses.

This article discusses one towns attempt to close the space in the digital divide (social divide) by offering Google Fiber for a $10 deposit to members of the community. With this could come new educational opportunities and incentive for developers to further build and strengthen the communities. But only the areas where enough people registered and paid the deposit would get the services. The city has already been affected by racial segregation, so they don’t want this to increase just because not everyone can afford access to Google. The community members need to convince the whole town that it is worth it to get access to the Internet. They are expressing the importance of it for jobs, research, education, government services and more. Many people didn’t even know what Google Fiber was. It is a long article but the general message being the importance of access to the Internet and getting awareness out.

This article is a good example of the social divide of our country. By bringing in Google Fiber they are hoping to improve education and job opportunities in the area. But it is not as easy as everyone would hope it could be. In this case, thought it’s rather cheap, it’s not free. This steers some people away either because they cant afford it or don’t feel like paying. And those who have never used a computer or Google before would need to be educated on how to operate the system. But it has great potential to close the divide.

For this town, if everyone had access to the Internet it would help close the digital divide and also help to stop segregation. It would help to create economic equality, information sharing, social equality and social mobility. Right now the town is segregated, and some feel having to pay for this service will further segregate them. But in reality it has the potential to close the social divide of the community.

The article just helps to highlight that it is not going to be easy to close the divide. But we all have to start somewhere and members of this community are spreading awareness to pave the way for further changes.

Net Neutrality

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Online Identity

In class we discussed online identity as being an emacipatory media space where people can post and share things that they might not in real life.  It’s way for people to freely post and find people who share the same interests.

I found a current event on Digg.com that has to do with Internet immersion and plugging into the online world. The article talks about William Gibson and his book Neuromancer, where the Internet plugs directly into a persons brain, and how people would be interested in this if it were possible. People would love to be able to totally immerse themselves into a virtual world that they love, such as Harry Potter or Star Trek.  In the article it says that while the Internet began as a way to exchange information it has also become a host of many virtual fantasy worlds. It goes on to say that maybe in the future it will be possible to have Internet to brain interaction. For some people that may be a very pleasing idea. Those who enjoy the virtual world would be able to create their own online identity that is different from the life they lead in the real world.

This relates to what we discussed in class about creating an online identity.  Right now people are free to create all different kinds of online identities whether it is through blogs, chat rooms, fan sites and more.  But there are limitations; you cannot totally immerse yourself all the time in the virtual world.  People still have their reflexive and ascribed identities; the way people see them in the real world and how they see themselves.  This article is interesting because it is about just being able to connect right to the Internet and the virtual world, and if this were possible maybe people would feel totally free and not worry about how other people see them.  Even though this obviously is not possible right now it just goes to show how technology is increasing along with ways of communicating.  

With all the different virtual worlds on the Internet people are able to interact more with others that they share similar interests with. Also being anonymous allows people to share more of how they really feel. Communicating over the Internet is only growing, so maybe something like brain to Internet connection could be possible in the future.