Week 4: Sharon Strover

Sharon Strover's article on the digital divide (within the US) gives an informative view on the current state of internet access available to the US population and how it is distributed. She outlines the increasing use of computer and internet technology in recent years, which has not done much to alleviate the "digital divide". Many people are still unable to gain access to the service (or the best service) they could have, in terms of internet-related capabilities, or even the ability to use the computer and internet as proficiently as more well-off or well-educated individuals. Strover lays out these facts quite well in her article, and it is really difficult to argue. Despite the proliferation of internet and internet-access technology, a great deal of people are still digitally illiterate. However, it's important to note that a great deal of our current global population grew up with this technology, and are therefore are better able to keep up with its advancement. A few years in the future might show us different results: that the general population (and even those who may not have access to the highest quality services or tech) will still be digitally literate. Does anyone else feel as though this may be the case? That it really is a situation in which the digital divide is more so a result of a generation divided or removed due to being born outside of the information technology boom, or do you strongly believe it is primarily the cause of economic disparity among the population?

References

Strover, Sharon (2014). The US digital divide: A call for a new philosophy. Critical Studies in Media Communication 31(2): 114-122.