Digital divide by country

Internet
An Opte Project visualization of routing paths through a portion of the Internet
General Access Censorship Democracy Digital divide Digital rights Freedom of information History of the Internet Internet phenomena Net neutrality Oldest domain names Pioneers Privacy Sociology Usage
Governance ICANN Internet Engineering Task Force Internet Governance Forum Internet Society
Information infrastructure Domain Name System Hypertext Transfer Protocol Internet exchange point Internet Protocol Internet protocol suite Internet service provider IP address Internet Message Access Protocol Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Services Blogs Microblogging Email Fax File sharing File transfer Games Instant messaging Podcasts Shopping Television Voice over IP World Wide Web search
Guides Book Index Outline
v t e

The digital divide is an economic and social inequality with regard to access to, use of, or impact of information and communication technologies (ICT).^[1] Factors causing the divide can vary depending on the country and culture, as can the potential solutions for minimizing or closing the divide.

The following is a list of countries that have a digital divide along with contributing factors and steps the country is taking to resolve the issue.

Argentina

The availability and access to the Internet in Argentina shows how the trends of a digital divide stay constant, even across different countries and cultures. Age is one of the main factors, and Argentina's statistics show a common disparity between ages. According to TNS Infratest, the age group with the highest rate of daily internet users in 2016 were users under 25. 91% of that age demographic were polled as being daily internet users. In contrast, the age group with the lowest rate were users over 55, with only 68% of that demographic being daily internet users.^[2] The older one is, the less likely they are to use Internet, and these statistics reflect that. The way that users are able to access the Internet can also show the status of Internet and how easily one can utilize it. In Argentina, 48% of users preferred to use a smartphone or tablet to a computer, 29% used them equally, and 16% preferred a computer to a smartphone or tablet.^[3]

Education

The quality of life in Argentina is one of the highest in South and Latin America, according to InterNations. The children are well educated in school, and they are given numerous opportunities to pursue afterwards.^[4] The Government created a project named "Conectar Igualdad" (Connecting Equality) where they distribute netbooks to students and teachers in primary school, special needs schools, and state institutes. Since the project began nearly 4,000,000 netbooks have been dispersed amongst them to 400 different schools and 7,500 different teachers. The program works in three parts: an internet connection to Wi-Fi, an established internet connection through a reliable network (giving students Internet access anywhere, even at home), and making use of a syntonizer for Digital TV, allowing students access to interactive live programs. In 2011, the Government launched another program named "Escuelas de Innovacion" (Schools of Innovation). The main goal is to guarantee students better access to education and technology.^[5] The Government of Argentina creates new and innovative projects each year for students and teachers to have greater access to the Internet. It plays an important role in their education and is a great opportunity for students and teachers to close the gap in the digital divide.

Africa

The digital divide is generally wider in Sub-Saharan Africa, as those countries experience widespread poverty. There are reportedly only 7% of the continent's inhabitants that are online. However, mobile phone usage is shockingly high at 72%. Only 18% of these phones are smartphones. The lack of Internet usage can partially be attributed to the fact that the most common language used on the Internet is English. However, it can also be attributed to the fact that the literacy rate in African countries is not very high.^[6] To combat the digital divide in Africa, economists have suggested stimulating the economy of the region. Bridging the digital divide was a major concern of those at the International Telecommunication Union Telecoms World conference in Durban, South Africa. The forum stressed the need for African governments to key into ITU's initiative for Africa, which emphasized infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusivity. Furthermore, entrepreneurs were encouraged to address the specific challenges that Africans face in regards to accessing the Internet.

In a study conducted in 2011, they estimate that internet access is only available to roughly fourteen percent of the African population.^[2] This means that while the world's population is only composed of fifteen percent of Africans, around six percent of that subscribe to the internet. ^[3]

Poverty and Poor Infrastructure in Africa

Even though technology has become more and more affordable, there is still a disparage between poor people's access to Internet and wealthy people's access to Internet. This becomes an issue once children begin school, as kids who are in low income school systems do not have access to technology in which they are not granted technical skills to develop to continue their education and later translate those skills to the workplace.^[7] This low level of computer literacy can be attributed to poor infrastructure and high costs to stay connected. In 2000, the entirety of Sub Saharan Africa had less telephone lines than Manhattan as a whole.^{[citation needed]}

The poor infrastructure in Africa makes it much more difficult for economic development because countries are unable to develop technologically. Particularly, landlocked countries face major difficulties due to the fact that there are rarely any port cities in these countries, not giving them much trade power. It is estimated that investment in better roads increased investment in telecommunications would help further develop the infrastructure in the continent. Furthermore, the differentiating languages between the existing countries and pre-existing differences between different cultures provides a barrier to Inter-Continental development.^{[citation needed]}

Internet Access

According to 2011 estimates, about 13.5% of the African population has Internet access Internet in Africa.^{[citation needed]} Africa accounts for 15% of the World population, but only 6.2% of the world's population is African.^{[citation needed]} However, these statistics are skewed due to the fact that most of these Internet users come from South Africa, a country that has a much better infrastructure than the rest of the continent. The rest is mainly distributed among Morocco and Egypt, both countries that have better infrastructures than the majority of the countries in Africa, yet not as strong as that of South Africa. There have been many initiatives in the U.S. to push for better infrastructure which would eventually lead to better Internet access in Africa.^{[citation needed]}

Bangladesh

The digital divide in Bangladesh is a gap in the population of Arshads who can access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and those without proper access or skills.^[8]

Government and Community

Information and communication technologies use in Bangladesh began to grow in 2005 with the introduction of market liberalization.^[9]

The government has been trying to help increase ICT availability to all Bangladeshis by reducing taxes on the VSAT and creating special projects to support the spread of ICTs.^[8] In 2006 the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh, GrameenPhone Ltd, introduced Community Information Centers (CICs), which are each equipped with two computers, printers, digital cameras and web cameras that can be used by the community.^[9] "There are over 500 CICs operating in 450 subdistricts in Bangladesh".^[9] Within the community, there is research suggesting that men benefit more from ICTs than women due to Bangladesh's gender discrimination.^[10] Bangladesh has the potential to grow and gain more access to ICTs if they continue to reduce government limitations and grow their economy.^[8]

Education

The education system in Bangladesh is divided up into three stages of schooling: primary school, secondary school, and a level of more formal education. Primary school lasts for five years for children aged 6 to 10, secondary school lasts for seven years, and the formal education level can last anywhere from two to six years. Government policies have been implanted since 2000 that has caused the Information Technology (IT) industry to grow in Bangladesh.^[11] Students started going to school in order to become a part of this growing workforce, taking lessons in English language, analytical thinking, and software development.^[11] The youth of Bangladesh are becoming educated in the technology available, which is a step in ending Bangladesh's part in the global digital divide. A country can have access to technology but if the people do not understand how to use the technology than there is no difference between having it or not. Satisfaction and gratification from using the technology are key points in bridging the gap because the sense of accomplishment give the people confidence to use the technology.

Canada

Main page: Finance:Digital divide in Canada

The digital divide in Canada is impacted by several factors that include the differences in the availability of online connectivity resources in different locations across the country,^[12] levels of digital literacy, and economic levels.^[13]

China

Main page: Digital divide in ChinaInternet Censorship

Sites in which allow for the regular and free interaction between Chinese citizens, generally come with some restrictions. This will include social media sites, forums, and other sites which are heavy on user interactivity. Google has also been heavily restricted in China and this includes all of its different features.^[14]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2018)

Colombia

The digital divide in Colombia refers to the absence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and how it affects Colombian individuals and its society as a whole. The main lapse of technology and information lies in the physical access realm of things, where it is lacking tremendously. Though Internet in Colombia has made progress compared to recent years, the scholary part of how ICTs are used are still in question. With this being said, government officials have made certain that access to ICTs be a priority in their country. In addition to physical access, literature review and types of internet use have also been main points of focus in regards to a solution for digital divide in Colombia.^[15]

Types of Internet Use (ICT)

There is a difference between material or physical access and actual use of ICTs. "According to Hargittai (2008), differences in the uses of ICTs have important implications for life outcomes". "Rojas and Puig-i-abril (2009) found that the most prevalent activities of Internet users in Colombia were checking e-mail, consuming entertainment content, chatting with friends, and consuming news and information." There are different levels of "use" including, non-use, low use, and frequent use while also taking into consideration the opportunities taken by the users. There is a difference in those who go online just for fun and those who use the internet for the improvement of themselves.^[15]

Physical Access

One digital divide study displayed physical access as "having"/"not having" access to the internet. Those who are less fortunate have been shown to lack educational advantage, due to the fact of not having access to internet as common as those who are more fortunate in wealth. Communities that are more technological advanced offers their communities to expand their knowledge and be able to communicate with other worlds. The intellectual advantage is common for countries, such as Colombia, where the poor communities are lacking the opportunities offered to those who are on the other side of town with more advantage. Poor communities are focusing on trying to make ends meet, and working hard labor without being offered to make a change to better themselves. The internet plays an important role in this, due to the fact that the internet provides opportunities to explore new jobs and to widen individuals' knowledge. In certain areas where the communities are wealthy, the internet is provided at the access of their hands. Being able to access the internet so easily, gives privileged individuals the chance to go beyond their expectations and get their point out into the world.

Causes of the Digital Divide in Colombia

There is no singular cause of the Digital Divide in Colombia. A number of different factors each contribute to the variance of access to technology within Colombia. These factors include location, economic class, education, and others.

In Colombia, those located in large cities are 69% more likely to use the Internet.^[15] The high correlation between the use of ICTs and location in large industrial cities is one of the most visible examples of digital divide in Colombia. People located in rural parts of Colombia are significantly less likely to use ICTs and the internet regularly for various reasons. One leading cause is simply because people living in rural parts of the country tend to be less educated which is negatively correlated with technology use. The pastoral parts of Colombia are often much less developed than the large cities. Often, these rustic areas lack the technology and internet providers needed to further bridge the digital divide between large and small cities. A study of the Digital Divide in Colombia concerning residency included a population in which 21.6% of respondents lived in a small or medium-sized city (<1,000,000 inhabitants), while 78.4% lived in larger urban centers. This study showed that the vast majority of ICT usage occurred in large urban areas.

Technology Amongst Different Ideals and its Effect on the Economy

The importance of technology and its relationship with economic development was synthesized by Solow (1987a) when he stated that “technology remains the dominant engine of growth, with human capital investment in second place.^[16]” Concerning economic development and moves to improve it, it is an understood phenomena that countries with the highest availability and use of technology are the countries with the best economies. Technology has not advanced in all societies as far as many thought it would be according to today's societal expectations. This lack of advancement mainly occurs in communities or organizations whose organizational context differentiates from a more skillful and high value profile to a context of autonomy. “In non-industrial contexts, non-computerized societies and organizations maintain more traditional routines, because they simultaneously face the absorption of techniques and instruments, while copying their preexisting idiosyncrasies, environments, and routines. In these cases change is perceived as expensive, time consuming and risky, producing sentiments that facilitate phobic, indifferent or stereotyped attitudes towards technology”.^[17] These preconceptions towards technology play a small role in the digital divide in Colombia. Among society's who are not on the same accord in regards to technology and its benefits, attitudes towards technology show a distinct display of the amount of technological dependence a community has.

Cultural Preservation vs. Cultural Modernization

The two ideas of cultural preservation and cultural modernization create a divide amongst the world of industry and the world of agriculture. The industry field often involves research and development. Societies involving research and development often require skill in many different areas with products that's value is highly regarded. Both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the products creates a need for enhanced work material, which oftentimes is the latest and fastest technology. Industrially, in Colombia this is understood and industries strive, strengthening the different industries and corporations all over Colombia. Colombia's somewhat, partial digital divide stems from areas of Colombia where locals are resistant to change. In 2003, Avgerou found this resistance to change to be due to the uncertainties of technology among the rural population. Gille referred to what was called the Technological System. This idea of Gilles suggested that technology would eventually transform social life all together by connecting technologies and everyday productive routines. Communities often adopt things that are for the betterment of the entire community. Rural populations and communities are often close knit and every one often shares the same views. The idea of technology is not necessarily one that everyone is going to agree with, especially when a community has done with out considerable updates to their prior owned technology for a long period of time. People admire their culture and want to see that it stay the same, with no flaws or inconsistencies. If the technological system adopted by the community is inconsistent or non-competitive, the host is limited by these gaps and builds and inefficient technical rationality.^[17] The combination of reverence of community and culture, and possibilities of technological gaps delays technological advancement into many developing communities and this creates a digital divide. While information technology is thriving in the developed parts of Colombia with industries and corporations using it to their economic advantage, the rural and developing side of Colombia still has some ground to cover. This delayed progress of information technology can be mended through information technology programs that teach and enable developing communities how to use technology. Progress can also be made through built trust and reassurance through the government about modernized technology.

Information Technology in Education

Education is oftentimes viewed as the most important aspect of a society. The relationship between quantitative and qualitative productions of learning and the effort invested in the process, measured with respect to the goals set by the educative institution, the available resources and the needs from the environment, educational productivity is defined. Though education levels tend to depend largely on strength of the governments economy, other factors, including educational programs and community involvement can have an impactful effect. The country of Colombia is primarily rural and is mainly represented by remote areas. The general population of Colombia perceives the Internet as not useful and the purchasing power of Colombians is limited.^[18] This displays that access to technology is not necessarily essential and, or available. Communities from developing territories end up producing superficial changes in their tortuous transition to the new ICT paradigm, unable to keep up the pace in developing computer skills. The problem is not just the access to tools; it includes the construction of a compatible social, cultural and economic logic (Avgerou, 2003), that, due to the resistance to change from some of the local stakeholders, turns into a complex and slow process.^[19] It involves sacrificing some of the distinctive particularities of the community.^[20]

Solutions to Digital Divide in Education

The CPE (Country Program Evaluation) allows the transfer of technology to rural areas to be a much smoother one by training teachers to properly use technological information. This knowledge is taken by teachers and aimed to increase levels of incorporation, adaptation, and integration of technologies as required for achievement of sustainable growth in Colombia, ensuring increased productivity and competitiveness while consolidating the quality of the Colombian educational system.^[21] Overall, Colombia's information technology presence in public schools are relatively normal. Areas of Colombia where poor educational infrastructure is combined with an economy focused on natural resources and its exploitation, are areas with school systems that focus on technical training concerning the production of basic goods rather than long term knowledge and innovation skills. In regards to higher education and universities in Colombia information technology infrastructure is growing at an alarming rate. From possessing updated technology in the classroom to technological information possessed by those in charge, ICT's (Information Communication Technology) in the Colombian school system is currently at paramount.

Bridging The Digital Divide

Government Involvement

In 2010, President Juan Manuel Santos launched Vive Digital, a government initiative aimed to create jobs, improve economic growth and development, and—most importantly—reduce poverty. Vive Digital does this all through the embracing of financial opportunities rooted in the production and utilization of technology. Within the past four years, Vive Digital has changed the digital landscape in Colombia. The largest impact has been on the poorest citizens. Colombia has gone from 3.1 million Internet broadband connections in 2010 to 9.9 million in mid-2014, and Internet penetration for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) increased from 7 percent in 2010 to more than 60 percent in 2014. Another initiative the Colombian government has served the people of Colombia with is the National Broadband Policy of the Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (Ministry of Information Technology and Communications) which has increased the percentage of Colombian municipalities connected to the Internet from 17 percent in 2010 to 96 percent today.^[22]

"By 2018, the government hopes to have 63 percent of the country connected to broadband. And according to 2013 GSMA mobile economy figures, there are already 43.9 million mobile connections and 24 million mobile users in a country whose 47 million people give it the third largest population in Latin America and third largest Spanish-speaking population in the world."^[23]

In May 2014, Hughes Network Systems LLC, one of the leading broadband solutions and providing services in the world, was granted a contract for an HX broadband satellite system and terminals by HISPASAT Colombia. This contract came as the result of the Vive Digital government initiative.^[24] Hughes Network's increased presence within Colombia has exponentially increased the use of information and communication technologies in Colombia.

There are two main issues with the digital divide in Colombia that is being researched on. Those two are: how the information is being delivered and, how the information that is being delivered throughout the academic community is working and communicating. The solutions to these issues is getting everyone to focus on the main idea that the way they are communicating with the community is important and vital to civilization. It is important to send out accurate information, and not inform the community with false accusations. Research has shown that the delivery of information has become a vital aspect to Colombia and it includes the way everyone lives their daily lives. Researchers are focusing on the wide spectrum of how information is being spread, whether it is via internet, digital broadcast, mobile communication, or social media networks. With all of the research, it has also been noted to inform the community with the production of interpersonal communication and improvement in technological developments. The goal of the research is to improve the digital divide for Colombia's community to provide an adequate form of communication via the participating communities.^[25]

Dubai

The gender digital divide in Middle Eastern countries causes women to have far less access to the internet than men.^[26] Statistically, women are held at lower standards in the Middle East, which is a reason for this digital division. Males are using the internet at a 47.7% rate with women at only 39.4%.^[26]

Ethiopia

The digital divide in Ethiopia has caused a massive lack of information for many poorer individuals, however, the greatest failure relates to education. Between intense government regulation as well as economic factors, it is nearly impossible for the average person to access the internet. With such a gross lack of access to technology and the internet, education is stunted and children are forced to rely on archaic, biased, and often unreliable sources of information. 

The CIA notes that only 15% of the Ethiopian population is connected to the Internet placing the country at 107 of the 217 countries ranked in the study.^[27]

Education

In 2016, the Ethiopian government blocked all social media sites after an anonymous user posted copies of university entrance exams online. In an interview with Reuters News Agency, Mohammed Seid at the Office for Government Communications Affairs, said only social media sites were blocked but BBC News received conflicting reports from Ethiopian citizens who claimed that they experienced problems with both mobile networks and fixed line Internet services.^[28]

Roughly 40% of schools in Ethiopia have computers. Of that 40% most of the schools are located in Ethiopia'a capital, Addis Ababa. This in turn has created a divide between schools in urban cities like Addis Ababa and schools in rural areas. Most schools that are connected to the Internet have limited access and only use it for email that's solely for administrators. Many universities and higher learning institutions in Ethiopia have computers but the average ratio of students to computer is about 10:1. Only 15% of private universities in Ethiopia participate in Electronic Distance Education which is also known as online school. For many students, online education is a more convenient alternative to pursuing higher education because of their location.^[29]

There are two major initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide gap. SchoolNet Ethiopia is a joint initiative between Ministry of Education and the United Nations Development Programme that has equipped 181 schools with 15 networked computer labs. The Distance Learning initiative backed by The Ministry of Education has been working with the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India to provide master's degrees to students from the University of Addis Adaba in Ethiopia.^[29]

Effects

In a world almost completely reliant on technology and access to the internet, the digital divide in Ethiopia poses a major problem for its citizens and the effects are nearly detrimental in the current global economy. Without access to the internet, Ethiopia cannot compete with the rest of the world and this has caused many gradual effects. These include lack of education, continued economic depression, and a gross lack of transparency in the Ethiopian government, as well as many other smaller, trickle down effects. 

One of the greatest effects the digital divide has one Ethiopia is the lack of education. Approximately 39% of adult Ethiopians can read and a mere 98% of school aged children actually attend school full-time. With an essentially non-existent public education system in this poverty stricken country, the current lack of digital access does not help this matter. An improved access to the internet could help better educate Ethiopian children and with decreased costs as well.

Another effect of the gross disparity in digital access is the economic impact on Ethiopia's economy. Ethiopia is currently one of 19 remaining countries on earth without a true stock exchange. Without access to capital and investments, Ethiopia's economy is growing at a snail pace of 5.4% in 2017. The digital divide plays a major factor in this because without access to technology the economy cannot keep up with the rest of the world.  

The Ethiopian government has a very well established reputation of being suppressive and corrupt throughout the world, and the digital divide also impact this. The few citizens with access to the internet who participate in the media are often heavily censored. With access to the internet, freedom of speech would be more easily accessible and less censored. The Ethiopian government would benefit from this because with more fair media coverage there would be less government corruption thus making Ethiopia a more stable country to invest in.

Gender

Ethiopian women experience more barriers to overcoming this digital divide than men, resulting in a gender gap. Many of these barriers are socially constructed through discriminating gender roles. Women's time and mobility are restricted by the expectation placed on them to bear the most household chores and management, keeping them too busy for educational or leisurely use of technology. Technological devices such as radios or movie showings are gendered as masculine tools and toys that are unfit for women. The restriction on time and mobility placed on women to work at home also cuts down on female participation in education, making them less comfortable with the idea of using computers and mobile phones because they believe themselves to not be educated enough to understand the devices or software. The risks of exploitation or exposure to pornography or harassment online also discourage the use of technology.^[30][31][32]

Women could benefit from measures to increase their access to technology and close the digital divide between the genders. Access to technology and the internet would provide a wealth of information that is vital to entrepreneurship and practicing democracy. Policies and laws that discriminate against women and other social and political inequalities can be discussed and changed by allowing more effective means of communication and organization for those who fight for women's rights.^[32][33][34]

France

The Digital Divide refers to the gap in exposure to technology needed to access the internet and online resources amongst a population. This gap leads to a decrease in the standard of living for those without access to technology while the standard of living for those who do have access to technology increases exponentially.^[35] The global digital divide has been an issue for hundreds of years and is far from a new phenomenon. Currently, in most countries, the digital divide is becoming notably less wide due to an increase in availability of affordable electronic devices capable of accessing the internet and has led to an extraordinary increase in competition amongst technological markets. An increase in competition has resulted in increased exposure to new technology with internet access in even the lowest income areas. Despite the increased exposure to technology, there are still other elements of technological access that contribute to the gap. These disparities continue to contribute to the gap that divides nations and prevents historically underprivileged groups from meeting the societal standards that will allow them to thrive in current society.^[36]

The three digital divides in France are characterized as generational, social and cultural differences, according to a report released by the Center for Strategic Analysis in the French government. The generational gap generally affects the elderly since they are the most unfamiliar with newer technologies. The social divide affects the poor since they are less likely to have the budget for technological devices. The cultural divide affects the least educated of the French since they have fewer opportunities for properly utilizing technology.^[37]

A survey released by the centre de recherche pour l'étude et l'observation des conditions de vie reported that 17% of the people in France do not have a home computer, 19% do not have any access to the internet, and 23% have no internet access at home. They also reported that only 1 in 3 people aged 70 or older can be considered internet users.

Internet Accessibility

In France, internet accessibility is not equally distributed among the entire population.^[35] Factors that determine internet accessibility in the French community are age, education, and income. Higher internet availability was found among French residents younger than 30 years of age, completed some level of higher education, and are currently employed or in school.^[36]

Age

A decrease in internet accessibility correlates with increasing age in France. Those younger than 30 have been recorded to have the highest access to internet. French students retain the highest accessibility. After 30 years of age, accessibility declines. French 59 years and older retain the lowest internet accessibility.^[36]

Less than 17% of people over the age of 75 have a computer at their home. In comparison, more than 90% of people aged 15 to 24 have a home computer. This is quite a large divide with senior citizens who make up about 20% of the population.^[37]

Education

Higher education correlates to increasing internet accessibility. There is a sharp division between primary and secondary education. Secondary education graduates have four times the accessibility to internet versus those with only primary education. Post-secondary education degrees continue to show an exponential increase in internet accessibility.^[36]

Income

Households with higher income levels reflect an increased internet accessibility. Residents with higher salaries are more likely to be able to afford internet connection. The trend persists between employed and unemployed residents. The employed population is 40% more likely to have access to internet.^[36]

Of the individuals with lowest incomes in France only 34% have a home computer and only 28% have internet connection. In contrast, 91% of the individuals with considerable wealth have a home computer and 87% have internet connection.^[37]

Language

A language system is normally included in information and communication technologies. Certain languages are more prominent in ICT's than others. Data collected in 2007 states that 45% of information on the internet is in English while 4.41% is in French.^[38] A separate study published by UNESCO in 2009 compared the amount of Wikipedia articles available per language. 2,259,431 articles (23.078%) were available in English and 629,004 articles (6.425%) were available in French.^[39] Of the total population in France, only 39% speak English.^[40]

Solutions

France has made significant impact on closing the digital divide.^[41] Technological advancements and government funded programs have led to several innovative solutions and a narrowed gap between social classes within the nation regarding internet access and technological availability.^[42]

In 2004 the French government began a program to curb the nation's digital divide and starting offering a computer with high speed internet access to 1.2 million of its poorest citizens for just 1 euro a day. Mainly to ensure they would have access to the growing number of government services available online. Prime Minister Villepin announced the plan after a meeting of the interministerial committee for the Information Society. A similar project also launched in 2004 sought to put internet connected computers into the hands of university students, also for 1 euro a day, and between September 2004 and September 2005 the number of students with laptops rose from 8 to 22 percent.^[43]

The French Center for Strategic Analysis released several recommendations for bridging the digital divide in 2011. Since many digital divides exist they have decided to take political actions to close the gaps. They also want to use public information campaigns to educate people.^[44] For poor and uneducated households they will work to lower the costs associated with network access and also help with the cost of various types of devices for people to access those networks. There is an effort to try and better integrate older people into the digital society, by offering them assistance and education when it comes to participating in the digital society.^[45] They will integrate the use of digital technologies in education to highlight good internet practices and to reduce the inequalities in schools. There is a push to showcase 'digital natives', which are those who were born into the digital world, adapting new social behaviors because of the way they integrate new interactive technology into their lives.^[44]

Minitel System

The Minitel System was one of France's earliest attempts to bridge the gap caused by the digital divide. The Minitel System, influenced greatly by the French government, was introduced in 1983 and "laid the groundwork for France's computerized future".^[46] The system provided French telephone users with access to online databases through their own personal phone line for no extra charge. The videotex service was accessed through a text-interface monitor and keyboard.^[47] Initially the system provided access only to things like phone books; however, in little time, users would be able to access numerous online services that allowed them to do things like view and pay bills and online shop. France Telecom made the service more user friendly, bundling users’ online purchases and telephone bills together. The Mintier System continued to grow and was able to provide access to "more than 20,000 online services before the World Wide Web even got off the ground".^[46] By the end of the 1980s, "every adult living in France had access to the network". The system proved to be very successful and continued to provide online content to French phone users until its demise in 2012.^[46]

Libraries

One in four European internet users access the internet only outside of their home; this means that 1/4 of the current European internet users would not have access to the internet at all if it weren't for places with free public access to the internet such as government funded programs like libraries.^[48] The libraries of France are considered to be largely influenced by their political intentions to level the success and education levels amongst the social classes.^[48] These libraries are strategically placed in low income areas and on the outskirts of big cities where incomes tend to be lower and crime and unemployment rates tend to be higher.^[48] Unlike the uNited States and comparable nations, French libraries have extended hours and are open on all days of the week.^[42] Librarians working in these facilities generally have an aspiration to help those of struggling communities enhance their education and learn to use new technology. These facilities have proven to be helpful in bridging the gap between high and low income social classes by exposing French citizens of low income areas to new technology, providing them with access to the internet, and thus lowering unemployment rates.^[49]

Germany

Germany's digital divide is impacted by several factors that include age, gender, family structure, education, ethnicity, and motivation. There are still areas in Germany that lack access to high-speed internet and large cities tend to have more access to the internet than rural communities. In 2006, the (N)Onliner Atlas recorded that only 51% of small rural communities (pop. < 5,000) were Internet users, eleven points less than their urban counterparts in large cities (pop. > 500,000), where Internet usage rates averaged 62%^[50]

Japan

The digital divide in Japan is the disparity of access to the Internet by the population of Japan. Multiple factors influence this divide. Cultural aspects of Japanese people contribute to the digital divide in the nation. Contributing cultural factors to the digital divide present in Japan are closing over time. Groups shown to be improving access include women and the elderly.^[51] 97.1% of the households in Japan have Internet access at home while 81% of the households in Japan have personal computers.

The 2015 population census of Japan was released,^[52] under 15 years of age are about 16 mil which is 12.6% of the total population. 76 mil of the population is the age 15–64 years of age which is 60.7% of the total population and 3.3mil are 65 years and higher are 26.6%.

Cultural cause

According to the Japanese Statistics Bureau, MPHPA, and World Internet Project Japan, in 2001, 44% of the population was online, and 41% of that group were females. Additionally, figures point to declining disparity among internet access in various socioeconomic classes and gender. Additionally, figures show that younger Japanese individuals use the internet as compared to older Japanese individuals. All gaps are shown to be narrowing.^[53] A study produced at the University of Buffalo shows that the Japanese consider advanced ICTs a common commodity, not as necessary for advancement.^[54]

The Philippine Information Literacy website, which had an article based on a forum hosted by ASEAN and Japan about media and information literacy, held a two-day event that discussed “how the youth should cope with the rapidly growing world online—particularly the rise of social media—and how they could protect themselves from its hazards.” It also informed the audience about the advantages of technology and how telecommunications has taken over.

Population

Japan is divided into territorial divisions and depending on which geographic area that you live in, and everyone either has internet or no one has internet.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there are a total of 39 “Zero Broadband Areas” in Japan. This is where there is no broadband access for even a single household within the district. This means Japanese citizens cannot get broadband even if they wanted to because there is no broadband infrastructure in their neighborhood. For some territorial divisions the coverage is up to 99.8% of the people in this area have access to broadband. This leads to a digital divide, but the divide is more drastic at the ends of the curve depending on where you^[who?] live.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is aiming to improve broadband penetration in remote areas of Japan, but businesses aren't exactly queuing up to provide expensive infrastructure to hook up remote islands and mountain villages. Japan has more than 4000 islands, 260 of which are inhabited. Japan's land is also 73% mountainous or hilly, and whilst the population is concentrated mainly in the alluvial plains and coastal areas, there are significant populations living in remote valleys deep in the mountains mainly engaged in agriculture or forestry. It is difficult to justify building out a fiber-based infrastructure to a remote island, or to a dead end mountain ravine community miles from anywhere.^[55]

Possible solutions

The internet users in Japan are increasing at an exponential rate but there are still areas demographically do not receive optimal broadband satellite communications in Japan. A possible solution for this is to launch more satellites for those areas.^[56] Globally separated into categories of 58% female(most pronounced in Africa, Arab states and Asia-Pacific), 60% rural,poor, illiterate and elderly are offline. ITU provides idea/plans for these focus groups to increase the amount of internet users. Rural areas need to implement a low-cost, given the lower household income is lower in these areas, another idea for rural areas is to provide public buildings with internet access.

Malaysia

The digital divide in Malaysia is impacted by several factors, which includes age, location, and wealth.^[57] Malaysia's status as a non-fully developed country has impacted the availability of technology and the internet, as the lack of access to information communication technology may cause the country to fall even further behind in the progress of worldwide technology if this issue is not addressed and mended.^[58] But recent development has helped to increase the use of internet, such as much cheaper mobile prepaid plans, home fibre internet and varieties brands of smartphones.

Mexico

In Mexico, half of the population does not have access to the internet.^[59] In 2017, 50.4% of Mexican households had access to the internet and 45.4% had a computer.^[60] The digital divide in Mexico is related to low income, education, lack of proper infrastructure, and geographical location.

Reasons for the Divide

Wealthier Mexicans are more likely than poorer Mexicans to have access to the internet.^[59] Because of certain dominant players monopolizing the telecommunication sector in Mexico, the majority of the Mexican population cannot afford the expensive services of television and internet.^[59]

Formal schooling is scarce in the poor regions of Mexico leaving many school-aged children without internet access.^[61] Those who have only received an elementary education are four times less likely to access or use the internet.^[59] In Mexico, 33% of primary and 48% of secondary schools have access to the internet and report having one computer.^[62] The government has addressed the issue by providing technologies that provide the capability to access the internet, but teachers and students are not instructed on how to use them.^[62]

Mexico's lack of proper fiber optic infrastructure causes less wireless broadband penetration in the country, which in turn effects the number of internet users in Mexico.^[59] Fiber optic infrastructure is found more in urban than rural areas.^[61] Urban internet usage is significantly higher than rural internet usage. In big cities such as Mexico City, citizens doubled the national average in terms of computer ownership.^[61] In 2000, the southern border states of Mexico had half as many phones per capita as the northern states.^[61]

Morocco

The digital divide is an issue for countries like Morocco who are trying to provide improved internet availability to its people. While internet is available to a majority of people in city centers, rural locations are still without access.^[63] There exists some restrictions on telecommunication services and limited service providers to choose from. This acts as a block for Moroccan internet users because the lack of competition can become costly. The cost associated with internet services also prevents those who are more economically disadvantaged from accessing the same types of services.^[64]

Limitations to Internet Access

Some of the main limitations for access are education, gender, and age. People with lower education are less likely to access technology or further their professionalism in the information technology field. Moroccan women can often find that they do not have the same sort of opportunities to technology professions and internet usage. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was formed to increase opportunities for women and a project called "Achieving E-Quality in the IT Sector in Morocco" has been set up for women to be presented with, increasing their professionalism. Ten universities currently participate in this project in an active effort to close the gender gap within the digital divide.^[65]

There is a discernible age gap between individuals who are active on social media and the internet and those who are not. Those aged 14–25 tend to be more familiar with the different social trends and access them much faster than the older generations. A large attribution to this is the lack of literacy in many adults. In 2010, 56%^[66] of Morocco's population was illiterate. While children able to go to school are learning to read, write and use various forms of technology; many of their parents do not have access to these same resources and may not have had access while they were growing up. The largest city of Morocco, Casablanca, has a population of 3,544,498 as of 2016. Around 57.6% of the people throughout Morocco had access to the internet in 2016 while the rural population was 39.32%.^[67] With a little over half of the population having access to internet many adults that lack literacy skills are currently living in rural areas with minimal access and usage of the internet, yet for their children they have the opportunity to occasionally access the internet through schooling.

Solutions

The government of Morocco has become increasingly involved in closing the digital divide being experienced by the country. Morocco lags behind in the digital world and steps are actively being taken to fix this. One plan that has been put in place is called “Maroc Numeric 2013”.^[68] This plan was initiated in 2013 in an attempt to get Morocco more involved in the digital world as well as provide some protections for internet users. This plan has the potential to boost the nation's economy by creating jobs. The plans passed in government legislation also work to reduce some of the costs associated with internet connection and usage by ensuring that internet services can operate on a free market with little to no control unlike the newspapers and television stations of the region.^[69] Despite efforts by the Moroccan government there is still some gap in digital connection among its people. The wealthier population still has higher internet access than those that are poorer. There has been some improvement with the help of free market competition to make access to the internet more readily available to all people.^[70]

According to Samuel Lee, Fabian Seiderer and Lida Bteddini, one potential solution could be increasing and improving the lines of communication between the Moroccan government and its people who have expressed much interest in being involved with legal legislation and having more access to knowledge online.^[71] A final solution might be updating the original plan, “Digital Morocco 2013” that was put in place in an attempt to bridge the digital divide. While the plan has led to some improvement, connectivity and usage of the internet is still limited to the more educated and urban regions of the Moroccan kingdom.^[72]

Myanmar

The digital divide in Myanmar is impacted by gender and economic class. Wealthy and powerful persons tend to have better access than those who are poor and men typically have more opportunities to get involved in the tele-infrastructure business. The tele-infrastructure in Myanmar is relatively weak compared to those in surrounding countries. The internet supply doesn't meet the increasing demand; hence the digital divide.^{[citation needed]}

Economic issues

Myanmar is a country with low income level and most internet access is on cellphones, because of the low simcard cost. The people who live above the poverty line have all kinds of modern-day access unlike the average or poor who struggle in the everyday necessities.^[73] In 2009 it was recorded that 0.94 percent of Myanmar's population had cell phone subscriptions, due to low trade and economic power.^[74][75] The people who live above the poverty line have all kinds of modern-day access unlike the average or poor who struggle in the everyday necessities.^[73] In 2016 Myanmar's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaged $1,275.02 US dollars, which contrasts with that of the United States at an average of $57,466.79 dollars.^[76][77]

Myanmar internet demographics

The amount of internet users in Myanmar has increased significantly in the last few years. In 2014, there were 2 million internet users in Myanmar. That number, however, increased to 39 million users by 2016. The cause of this drastic increase in internet users was caused mainly by the massive increase in SIM card sales recorded through May 2016. This combined with a more aggressive network roll-out by mobile providers to other regions, a decline in SIM card prices, the lowered prices of voice and data plans, and the lowered cost of mobile phones all led to this major increase in mobile sales and subscriptions over that two-year period. Because this market is beginning to reach its maturity stage, significant slowdown is predicted to occur by 2022.^[78][79]

Gender digital divide

Nearly 30% of women are less likely to have access to a mobile device in Myanmar.^[80] The cell phone is the main source of internet access in the country. Because of this deficit in internet access between the genders there is a Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar. There is also a significant wage gap between men and woman in addition to limited leadership positions available to be filled. Due to this woman are not as equally represented and often listed as a dependent. This gap contributes to the lack of resources, furthering the lack of digital activity for women. Currently Myanmar is working to close the gap by using more ICT's in daily life in order to educate women. However, due to the economic difference between to genders, women are less likely to have access to ICT's. "IREX’s Tech Age Girls (TAG) program is addressing this gap in opportunity, providing more than 100 young women in Myanmar with the technology and leadership skills they need to achieve their goals and become agents of change."^[81]

Nepal

According to mid-September MIS Report^[82] from Nepal Telecommunication Authority, 53 percent of the Nepal population uses or has access to the internet.^[83] Some of the reasons for this divide are factors such as location, age, and education. Prior to the 1950s Nepal had closed itself off due to geopolitical reasons, however after the Ran Regime was abolished in 1951 the country began to adopt and develop many modern sciences within the government.^[84] A 2011 study has shown that while things like age and education levels did impact Internet usage, things such as income levels and telephone ownership did not and that over half of Nepal's Internet users apply the Internet to educational purposes rather than commercial or personal purposes.^[85] Lack of technology literacy in Nepal is also a major contributing factor to the widening of the divide.

Economic Possibilities

Rural areas vs. Cities

The Nepal government usually focuses their resources on important necessities such as clean water, roads, and healthcare, as the country is still poor and developing and most of their population lives in rural parts of Nepal. People living in these rural areas are less likely to have access to technology, Internet, or phone lines.^[86]

Languages

Nepali is the national language of Nepal and is spoken by 44.6% of the Nepalese people. However, despite this, Nepal is home to 123 various languages. English is included in this and is spoken fluently at an estimated 2-10%. This mixture of diverse languages contributes to the digital divide as most computer content is written in English, making technology inaccessible to non-English speaking people who could otherwise afford and use a computer.^[87]

Solutions

There have been some attempts to close or lessen the digital divide in Nepal, such as Mahabir Pun's Nepal Wireless Networking Project, which was launched with the intent to help bring wireless technologies.^[88] Some areas are also holding classes in digital literacy in order to help people in rural areas gain knowledge and experience with technology.^[89] The courses will provide the Nepalese with skills that they are able to utilize in their schooling and careers.^[90] The widening digital divide in Nepal has also prompted the government to step in, due to worries that the lack of digital literacy will have a negative impact on the country and its economy.^[91] Officials are working towards closing the gap by introducing new programs that will give people the ability to utilize technology more easily than before. Large brand name companies are also making efforts to eliminate the digital divide in Nepal. Microsoft Nepal is providing resources to improve digital literacy as well as increasing access to technology.^[92]

Nigeria

The digital divide in Nigeria is impacted by education, lack of electrical infrastructure, income, and urban drift, as well as a variety of other social and political factors contribute to Nigeria's growing digital divide.^[93][94] There have been efforts to reduce the digital divide by both government agencies and technology corporations.^[95][96]

Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the South Asian countries that does have internet access. Internet access in Pakistan began in the 1990s and has continued to grow over the past decades. In fact, Pakistan has about 32 million internet users. However, according to data collected by the World Bank, Pakistan has an overall population of about 193 million people.^[97] In addition, Pakistan also has about 15 million people who access the internet from their mobile devices. Pakistan has 5 broadband internet providers and 10 DSL. Broadband use through computers is the number one way that people access the internet in Pakistan. The second most popular way that people of Pakistan access the internet is through their cellular devices. Even though there are about 32 million internet user compared to a large population, Internet in Pakistan is ranked 20th in the world.

Cell phone coverage

Pakistan has five major cell phone providers. The five are (in order from most to fewest subscribers): Jazz 51.88 million; Telenor 39.37 million; Zong 27.71 million; Ufone 18.46 million; and Warid 12 million.^{[citation needed]} Recently in May 2017, the Pakistani government decided to lower tariffs and taxes on cellular services as well as on mobile phones. The reasons for this decision included years of pressure from the nation's top mobile operators and a World Bank report pointing out Pakistan 's high taxing of telecom services in the region.^[98]

Gender and caste

In rural Pakistan, cell service use is divided along gender lines. Karin Astrid Siegmann pointed out this disparity; 40 percent of female users have to ask permission from the male owners to make calls. Cell phones being in the hands of females is viewed unfavorably in Pakistani culture. According to one participant in the study, from the Muzzafargarh district in rural Pakistan, "Women don't even know how to dial a number."^[99] Additionally, the percentage of women owning a cell phone is 36% compared to men at 78% overall.^[100]

Besides gender, there is a distinct divide among castes. Newer castes rank much more highly on the Digital Access Index (DAI) than do the older castes. The same study compared two political parties. One political party, called the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf), was composed of newer castes (Khan, Hashmi, Alvi, and Qureshi). The Muslim League is composed of older castes. The PTI outperformed the Pakistan Muslim League in number of foreign visitors to its web site, with a combined percentage of 12.7%, and in websites linking to it with 450, compared to the Muslim League's 168 (See Table 6 page 354). Ahsan Abdullah elaborates the important background of these findings: "Members of the new caste traditionally have not been farmers; for example, members of the Sheikh caste are traditionally traders, and members of the Syed caste traditionally hold religious offices, and hence they have to be better educated as compared to the old caste members. The old caste members, who are traditionally farmers, require tacit knowledge more than education to be successful. This observation is supported by the higher literacy rate in new castes as compared to the old caste members, with Pathan, Sheikh, and Syed being the top three educated castes among the 12 castes considered."^[101]

Solutions

Besides Private efforts, Public efforts put forth by the Pakistani government would help bridge the digital divide. There is an ambitious undertaking called the Universal Services Fund which would aim to provide broadband coverage to the whole nation by 2018.^[102]

Philippines

In the Philippines about 47 to 50% of the population can and has access to the Internet.^[103] Initially the Philippines only had BBS (Bulletin board system) access, however after March 29, 1994 the Philippine Network Foundation (PHNet) connected the country to the web via Sprint. As of 2010, 29.3 million Filipinos were using the internet.^[104][105] The digital divide is impacted by several factors that includes income and education. Jim-yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, has stated that “We must continue to connect everyone and leave no one behind because the cost of lost opportunities is enormous. But for digital dividends to be widely shared among all parts of society, countries also need to improve their business climate, invest in people’s education and health, and promote good governance.”^[106]

Impact on politics and culture

Based on Philippines government research, there is a noticeable rise of Internet use in the Philippines after it was first introduced on March 29, 1994. “They were connected to the internet via SprintLink”,^[107] this changed the Philippines culturally and politically. Social media is a leading motive for Internet use in the Philippines, but Internet use also plays a big part in their political communications. The Philippine presidential election of Estrada is where Internet use for politics started to take form.^[108] Due to the protests, Filipinos used Internet to display charges against Estrada.^[108]

Education

The Philippines was the only country in the Southeast Asia region that had a declining youth literacy rate between the years of 1990 and 2004, according to data from the United Nations. This prompted major school reforms and in 2012, a K-12 school curriculum was introduced which included a year of kindergarten and two senior school years. The Department of Education in the Philippines (DepEd) goal for students who graduate from the K-12 curriculum is for these students to understand technology works and how they can benefit from it.^[109]

The curriculum of this program focuses on developing students to be comfortable with using computers and technology. Some examples are that in grade 4 students will learn how to use the basic functions of the computer, including the use of the internet and emailing, in safe ways. In grade 6, students will begin taking art classes to learn how to use technology for digital paintings and graphic designs. In grade 7, students will begin learning how to academically use the internet for journals and searching for academic sources for essays and other similar assignments. In the higher upper level grades, the curriculum will include schools that specialize in computer education as well as science and technology. The Philippines being able to close in on the technology gap after being so behind in the 1990s and early 2000s is going to very much improve the graduation rate of the students now that they can study at home and use their sources to their advantage through tablets and computers instead of only being able to access their school work in the classroom.^[110]

Saudi Arabia

The digital divide in Saudi Arabia is seen through their Internet usage statistics 47.5% of Saudi Arabians use the internet compared to 78.2% of the United States. Of the 47.5%, 83.87% of Saudi households use the internet and only 10% of these households have one internet user.^[111] Saudi Arabia, as of 2017, has 96% of women using the internet and 88% of men. In addition, both females and males use the internet almost equally.^[112]

South Africa

South Africa's Digital Divide is being bridged by programs like Isifundo. This program provides computer literacy for South Africans who would otherwise not receive any training. They set up centers that provide access to computers and the internet. Their Facebook keeps people up to date with computer related news and other helpful programs in South Africa.

South Korea

The digital divide in South Korea is mainly caused by the unevenness of economic, regional, physical, or social opportunities, leading to marginalized persons not receiving the benefits that technology can bring. The lack of adaptation to the informatization of social services, such as administration and welfare, results in limited opportunities for basic daily life and social participation. South Korea's information gap was initially due to economic reasons and the difference in the initial cost for using the Internet or PC, but recently there has been a gap between the users of the information according to the degree of utilization of information.^[113] As the information society rapidly developed, the distribution of the Internet quickly accelerated in Korea, dividing people into two groups, people who are well adapted to the changes and those who are more familiar with the previous media. Although the percentage of local population with internet access is high in Korea, the average rate of internet usage is 99.9% for the young and 64.3% for the elderly.^{[citation needed]}

Drawbacks of digital divide in Korea

As transiting society from industrial to de-industrial, information and knowledge can be substituted with capital and product in important social matter.^{[citation needed]}

However, the nature of information and knowledge, through commercialization process in capitalism, could make a greater problem than supposition. So, information and knowledge is different from previous product( shoes, clothes, food so on) in that information and knowledge's cyclic process from creating and application to extinction is most fast.^[114] Also, those alteration in quantity and quality is unpredictable. From the nature of information and knowledge, those could make enormous social inequality(ex. class, state, sex, education, region etc.) ^[115] Furthermore, a global effect feature, one of the information and knowledge's nature, can deepen global inequality and further sharpen the 2080 society, called Pareto's law.^[116]

Reasons and correlating variables

Distribution of hardware

The most basic reason is the distribution of hardware. The most basic hardware in the information era is a computer, which creates an information gap between those who have difficulties buying a computer and those who do not.^[117] According to the '2016 Information Gap Index and Survey' in South Korea, which conducted by the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) on 6,300 people nationwide, while only 53.2% of the underprivileged people have personal computer, the average proportion of whole people are nearly 83%.^[118] Computer penetration rates are affected by many correlating variables such as region, education, and income and these variables can issue a complex impact. To overcome this difference, OLPC (One Laptop per child) is developing and also distributing $100 computer. In addition, a project for the free use of the internet such as the fund router project is in progress, but it is not widely available in Korea. As 'ubiquitous' becomes more and more popular, the distribution of small hardware is expected to grow even more and the digital divide is expected to deepen further.^[119]

Education

Education is the most relevant part of income in Korea.^[120] Children of lower income earners have fewer educational opportunities than higher incom earners.^[121] For this reason, the children of the low educated are more likely to be a low educated students than those of highly educated people, and this phenomenon leads to a vicious cycle of social inequality.^[120] Because the information era is built on capitalism, this vicious circle is likely to lead to current society as well. Education is an important reason of digital divide.^[122] Without education on information society, it leads to poverty of information which causes to the economic discrimination.^[123] Most of all, considering the characteristics of knowledge which is explosively expanding, if education cannot keep up with the pace of the informational change, it can cause education gap to be more severe.^[122] In order to solve this problem, continuous education is much more required rather than short term education.^[124]

Thailand

Thailand's digital divide is impacted by its status as a developing country within Southeast Asia as well as several other factors that include income, choice of technologies, and socioeconomic factors.^[125] ICT development and mobile penetration are strongly correlated with economic growth and social benefits.^[125]

United States

The digital divide in the United States has decreased since it was initially detected, however there are still portions of the country and certain groups that have limited or no access. Groups impacted by the digital divide can include certain income brackets, ethnicities, and the less educated. There is also a gap between rural and non-rural areas in America. Rural Americans have made large gains in adopting digital technology in recent years, but they remain less likely than nonrural adults to have home broadband, smartphones and other devices. This is not necessarily because of a financial issue, but because of the lack of access and the poor internet connection due to the lack of towers and phone lines. Mobile technology use among rural adults has risen rapidly, however they are still leaps and bounds behind Americans in larger cities that have more access.^[126] As of 2016, approximately 11.5% of the total U.S. population did not have internet access. Out of the 324,118,787 Americans, there were 286,942,362 total internet users (88.5%).^[127]

Vietnam

The digital divide in Vietnam stems from sociopolitical, economic, and technological issues, but over the last decade^[when?] the country has made great strides in providing large-scale Internet access and more lax restrictions in order to bridge this gap. Though the majority of Vietnam is rural, more than half of the country's population has access to the Internet. Despite these limitations on technology, organizations around the world are working directly with the people of Vietnam to close the digital divide.

Internet demographics

Vietnam has a population of 96 million people, and 34.9%^[128] of the population is urban. Despite this, 53%^[129] of the country's population currently has access to the Internet. According to a study conducted by market research company Statista^[130] in 2016, more than 91 percent of daily Internet users were between the ages of 25 and 34.^[131] However, despite the expansion in access, Internet quality remains poor in rural areas, and Vietnam ranks 16th^[129] among other Asian countries with the most Internet users. Vietnam also has a slower average data transfer speed than neighbor countries. Compared to Singapore’s average of 16.5 Mbit/s, Vietnam's average is 5.0 Mbit/s.^[132]

Government censorship

For individuals with access to the Internet, government censorship becomes another obstacle because the three Internet service providers in Vietnam (FPT Telecom,^[133] Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Corporation,^[134] and Viettel^[135]) are owned by the government and military.^[136] The Vietnamese government restricts user access to websites that are critical of the government or feature politically sensitive content, as well as the websites of select human rights organizations.^[136] In 2016, Facebook and Instagram were temporarily blocked in an effort by the government to crack down on social media due to rising unrest in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.^[137] Hundreds of citizens protested in city streets regarding the government's delayed response to an environmental disaster in which millions of dead fish washed ashore. It was believed by locals to be the fault of Formosa Plastics.^[137]

Increasing information and communication technology

In 2011, The World Bank extended a project for an additional two years in an attempt to complete the process of installing software and conducting training. This technology and training would potentially allow for the expansion of small businesses, enhance current operating systems and disseminate information on a larger scale. Due to the slow Internet speeds in Vietnam, obtaining information was difficult. However, this attempt at closing the digital divide was unsuccessful and expensive, totaling 106.97 million US dollars.^[138] Although this project was unsuccessful, organizations^[who?] are still working to solve the issue of the digital divide.

United Kingdom

Internet usage is highest in areas of larger population and corresponding size. Major urbanized cities such as London and Manchester have internet usage ranging from 84-89% and 75-83%, respectively. Areas with increased internet usage seem to be more centrally located in respect to the entire region of the United Kingdom. The coastal, more rural areas like Western Wales have internet usage rates of 59-70%.^[139] Men in the United Kingdom are more likely to use the internet than women are. When comparing internet usage, The Office for National Statistics found that 91% of men, compared to 89% of women had used the internet recently. Around 9.7% of women have never used the internet, while only 7.1% of men have never used the internet. Men, also, tend to be more tech savvy than women and generally more interested in using the internet.^[140]

References

^[1]

0.00 (0 votes)