General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumsto all du members . have any of you heard of something called the digital devide.
there is such a thing. not everybody can afford a computer or the internet. yes librarys have internet and many librarys have closed. so this is the haves and haves not situation. ihave a lovely 10 yo mac and doing well. but not everyone can afford a new and or used computer.
Ocelot II
(115,869 posts)money to get high-speed internet everywhere and computers where they're needed.
drray23
(7,637 posts)in terms of internet connections. Rural areas for example or poor families. This was exacerbated during COVID because teaching went online. Many kids had trouble being able to do that.
hlthe2b
(102,378 posts)especially to inner-city and rural underserved areas. There are a number of non-profit organizations working on supplying computers to schools in these areas. CLOSE THE GAP is an international program working to do so.
ShazamIam
(2,575 posts)and the divide in access to high speed internet in rural vs urban areas.
MuseRider
(34,125 posts)and uses mine. I am not certain that has always been a good thing, I have never seen anyone mess things up like he can. Once he erased all my bookmarks and saved sign ons. I got them back but damn!
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)older computers going at least to the level of closing the gap for instruction. Apple is notorious for obsoleting out its hardware. I have a beautiful IPAD 1, but there is no support or archive for the older applications that allow it to remain functional. You can usually access the older version of the program if you had it before, but not always.
I usually stick with my technology until the hardware fails. I resent perfectly functional computers/tablets that obsolete out. They should be able to perform at least to their original level.
Runningdawg
(4,522 posts)Too rich for assistance, too poor for service.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)President Clinton talked about it during his last term.
catrose
(5,073 posts)especially outside big city limits
FakeNoose
(32,777 posts)... and many have tablets and other devices that allow them to surf the internet.
Lancero
(3,015 posts)Also, hope you live in a area with reliable enough signal to actually use the internet. Lot of rural places can only get 1X at best, and something like 3g would be a dream come true.
ProfessorGAC
(65,208 posts)There are also large swaths of the country with rotten connectivity.
All part of the divide.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,380 posts)I apologize for being crass.
I realize completely that there are people who have no access to the internet, and it is most certainly a concern.
We need an effort like the Rural Electrification program of the Roosevelt years in order to ensure everyone has access to this very vital resource.
My apologies if my comment was insensitive
Context;
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=15471217
AllaN01Bear
(18,442 posts)A HERETIC I AM
(24,380 posts)Had my user name since way before I was a wee DUer! Or rather. Ive been using A Heretic I Am from my first forays onto the internet back in the chat rooms of AOL!
AllaN01Bear
(18,442 posts)we need a rea thing on a lot of items in this country as in right now . have a grand day.
madinmaryland
(64,933 posts)The levy was $187 million and three quarters of the branches have been built. The levy was passed in 2012. The focus has been on technology and energy efficiency.
AllaN01Bear
(18,442 posts)madinmaryland
(64,933 posts)Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)marked50
(1,371 posts)It's really technology divides throughout a short history of such developments.
First it was access to electricity and phones. Those who had it prospered and adapted their lives to new things to make their lives easier or at least more convenient or entertaining. Refrigerators, late night lighting, etc. Contacting those who we needed to contact. There were more that did not have such things- mostly rural. This eventually evened out to a point, like the TVA and more but we still have this gap for those who can not afford such luxury.
Cars were also part of this technology gap between those who could afford or had access.
Then it was information and entertainment. Radios, for example- some had some didn't , then TV, some had some didn't. Access to more modern health care- x-rays and such.
Computers and the internet entered the picture. Many left out because of either cost, access or skill sets. This is the new concept of digital divide. We entered a place where you could not really operate in our society effectively without such ability to engage. Bills to be paid, appointments to schedule, contact with our government offices, like DMV or Work Assistance, etc. Hardly any more newspapers anymore for people to be informed for just a few cents.
We are now entering a new phase of this divide. It is strongly underway and has been for a few years. This is the world of communication between us all, in personal contact, business contact, government contact. It is access to cell phone technology.
This is the same place we found ourselves in when only some had electricity, phones, cars.
Cell phones are increasingly becoming an absolute for most things we used to do via other means. You can't get into businesses without phoning them outside their doors to get access (Covid related requirements). You can't get your on-line orders when you arrive at the business without phoning them from your car. In many cases a simple cellphone will not do, you have to log in to the website, which requires a "smart phone". Even most government websites need some cell phone contact. Hard to find a pay phone let alone a phone book anymore. The cost for the phone and the connections are way beyond many, not to mention if they can even get a signal to connect.
The digital divide is just increasing. It is all the new infrastructure and needs to be addressed in some way.
canetoad
(17,192 posts)Another thing I notice is there seems to be fewer 'computer geeks', who build, repair, diagnose and experiment with their computers. The ubiquitous smartphones and tablets of today do not lend themself to fiddling around with the hard/software. This adds another layer of cost to what are becoming essential tools - repair and replacement expenses. And I suspect that many of these devices end up as junk long before they need to.
A joke I've loved for years:
Q. How can you tell the difference between a real estate salesman and a computer salesman?
A. The real estate guy KNOWS he's lying.