Bridging the Digital Divide

Possible Solutions to the Digital Divide:

1. NGO/GO institutions assisting in the teaching of building one’s computer and digital literacy levels could be established in all areas (Rural & Urban), either for free, or at low prices, encouraging the public to learn, leading to the linking of the digital divide.

2. Public fund raising events, such as G-8, should be introduced to the public, giving developing countries a better opportunity to provide high quality facilities and education to the underprivileged.

3. Community service programmes should be established within school’s and education institutions, in order to build awareness amongst members of the future generations; hoping to build an early interest making a difference for the lives of future generations to come.

4. Government policies should be established, encouraging each educational institute (both private and public) to facilitate a minimum number of PCs to their students.

5. The importance of information technology (IT) should be displayed in the media. Becoming a fast and effective method to spread information to a mass of people over a large area.

Should old computers be recycled, or be thrown away?

I personally feel that the recycling of old computers will be slow step towards eliminating the digital divide. So slow, it would only stabilize the growth of the digital divide. Even though it may decrease the rate at which the digital divide is increasing, it doesn’t benefit towards the “bridging” of the divide. If old computers are introduced to a community of computer illiterates, the information given to them will come useless when entering today’s modern technologically based world. Due to the fact that technology is rapidly evolving, its old forms will prove to be useless in assisting individuals to keep up with the pace of technological evolution. It may teach the illiterate the basics of each electrical device; however, it wouldn’t cover enough of the aspects of the system individuals are faced with in the offices of today.

Methods in which to provide computers to the underprivileged.

If money is truly an issue to developing countries around the world, and none is being provided from more privileged source, the government could provide tutoring and access to computers to computer illiterates (in both rural and urban areas) through properly supervised, professional institutions. This way, computers wouldn’t have to be distributed (leading to a requirement of a larger budget) in order to be accessible. Centres provide a system in which computer accessibility is provided to the public, without having to spend large amounts of money.