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The Digital Divide & Digital Equity

What exactly is the digital divide?

One way the digital divide has been defined is as “ the disparity that exists among individuals and communities around the world with varying degrees of access to digitally mediated information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ability to benefit from digital resources” (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015). 

I personally define it as the differentiation in distribution of technology and access to digital media amongst varying communities and individuals around the world. This includes physical access to things like computers and internet, as well as access to resources that foster digital literacy.

So what about digital equity? “Digital Equity ensures all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital Equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services” (National Digital Inclusion Alliance, 2016).

I would define digital equity as guaranteeing that everyone, regardless of location or education level, has equal access to the technology necessary to be a full participant in our society. This includes the access to the knowledge and resources to responsibly navigate and use this technology.

I agree with the NDIA’s decision that digital equity is the goal and solution to the digital divide. The way this can be achieved is through digital inclusion, which involves “the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to, and use of, information and communication technologies (ICTs). This includes 5 elements: 1) affordable, robust broadband Internet service; 2) Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user; 3) access to digital literacy training; 4) quality technical support; and 5) applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration. Digital Inclusion must evolve as technology advances and recognizes that access to, and use of, ICTs are an essential element for participation in our society, democracy, and economy" (NDIA, 2016).

Through the five elements of digital inclusion, an end can be put to the digital divide. It might be hard to understand how much this really affects society when you yourself are not on the “wrong” side of the digital divide. This lack of empathy and understanding is one of the reasons that these concepts are so important. We acknowledge that the internet and digital media are such a normal part of life that we cannot imagine people not being able to take part in them. To a lot of people, it seems ridiculous that there are people that rely on outside sources for internet or that don’t even know how the internet works to begin with. This is an unfortunate reality and the thought that these tools are so natural and normal to our everyday lives shows how important it is that steps are taken to close this gap.

The digital divide is not just about communities lacking the hardware to access the digital world. Lacking computers, mobile phones, and any device that can offer internet access is a big part of this divide but there is much more to it. We can’t give people the physical tools and expect them to jump right on board with society when so many of them have never had this opportunity before. As Danica Radovanovic pointed out in their blog post, “the lack of digital and media literacies; critical thinking and communication skills in order to navigate and evaluate data online; an information and knowledge gap; and collaboration and participatory inequalities” are all a part of the inequalities of the digital divide. So, not only is digital inclusion about providing quality physical tools, such as laptops and reasonable wifi speeds, it is about providing the resources to help people become digitally literate.

Any steps taken need to acknowledge both sides of the digital divide coin and make efforts in the provision of both technological and skill access. One example of this is the Digital Equity Act of 2019 that was introduced earlier this year by the US Senate. The proposed bill would create two $125 million grant programs that would seek to help all 50 states, D.C, and Puerto Rico, by implementing digital inclusion projects, digital equity plans, and research into the effectiveness of the two. Christine Fox, deputy executive director of State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), is hoping the bill is passed, as it would likely provide alternatives to kids using internet at fast food restaurants and coffee shops to do homework. Fox hopes that libraries and community centers would allow kids to have more meaningful and helpful places to go for their work. The digital divide effects students across the country, as there are so many that don’t have home internet access but need it for assignments. Not only will this allow them to be further connected with the world and their education, they will have access to the people that are able to teach them digital literacy skills. While this bill is not flawless, I think it is a start that they are looking to invest in offering the digital tools, both in terms of physical access and navigation abilities.

As I previously pointed out, there are a number of things that go into digital inequalities. One of the biggest things it impacts is employment. In Technology Problems and Student Achievement Gaps: A Validation and Extension of the Technology Maintenance Construct, it was mentioned that “Digital disparities are often a consequence of bigger problems such as unemployment or illness, but they also contribute to those problems” (Gonzales, Calarco, & Lynch, 2018). An article written by Karen Mracek details just what the digital divide can do to impact the lives of those on the “wrong” side of it. Highlighting the need for internet access to find and apply for jobs, Mracek mentions that a Pew Center report showed “almost 80 percent of Americans used the Internet in their most recent job search” (Mracek, 2018). Being able to have internet access and the ability to navigate it is crucial for job hunting these days. Not only that, a lot of jobs require technological experience with certain applications.

A personal story of mine is that when I worked at Best Buy, we always had job fairs. People would come in and apply on the laptops that we setup. One gentleman came in with an extensive work history but he couldn’t even figure out how to fill out the application on his own. He emphasized how much of a good worker he was and my boss helped him fill it out. Needless to say, unfortunately, he was not called back for an interview. Even cashiering, especially at a tech place like Best Buy, requires digital literacy. This man could’ve very well been a wonderful salesman or customer service specialist but he wasn’t even given a chance, due to the digital divide. It is likely that he ran into this problem multiple times during his job search, too.

The digital divide is a major, global problem, but eradicating it is not impossible. Reaching digital equity by way of digital inclusion is a very clear path that needs to be taken. Bills and legislation need to be introduced in order effectively introduce digital inclusion, making digital equity a reality.

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Digital Citizenship

As technology moves forward and social media consumes all aspects of our lives, digital citizenship is gaining traction, as it should. But what exactly is digital citizenship? This isn’t necessarily an easy question to answer, as there are a number of definitions floating around. For example, digitalcitizenship.net defines it as “the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use.” Simple enough, right? Eh, not really. This makes you ask, “what are these norms? What’s considered appropriate?” As both digitalcitizenship.net and Josie Ahlquist point out, nine digital citizenship elements were developed in 2004. These elements (digital etiquette communication, access, literacy, commerce, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and security) are meant to provide a specific guide as to what digital citizenship entails.

Xu, Yang, MacLeod, & Zhu (2018) provide a few different perspectives on what digital citizenship is. Using the perspective of Jones and Mitchell (2016), they provide a definition based on the foundation that focuses on “respectful behavior online and online civic engagement.” Another perspective provided is from Ribble (2004), which calls digital citizenship “the norms of behavior with regard to technology use.”

Personally, I would define digital citizenship as using critical thinking to make responsible and respectful decisions in using digital media and engaging the digital community. I think this can be done, but only with adequate digital literacy. These two concepts are similar but, in my opinion, the big difference is that literacy is an ability, while citizenship is something you practice. You need to have digital literacy in order to practice digital citizenship. To know when to think critically about your online engagement and when to question certain content takes digital literacy. Using this ability to act accordingly online is practicing digital citizenship. While these two things are different, digital citizenship depends on digital literacy to exist and vice versa.

In researching about digital citizenship and ways to foster it in higher education, I came across Digital Citizenship + Liberal Arts = Students Empowered for Life, an article on educause.edu. Highlighting a study done regarding liberal arts colleges and digital citizenships, this article provided a look into what can be improved to help college students with their digital citizenship. One of the things suggested is to give students “control over what they create and the choice of whether to continue building after the end of the course.” Almekinder, Bryant, Caines,  Lukens, Marksbury, Narasimhan, Richard, Siesing, and Spohrer (2017). I found this idea to be the most intriguing and I second it, wholeheartedly. This idea fosters students’ digital identities and give them freedom to express what they truly want. Understanding that their content creation is up to them and that they have the ability to continue to build is what will give them digital citizenship. Not to mention, this is a wonderful way to introduce connected learning.

Another way digital citizenship can be supported for adult learners is for instructors to make sure we develop web skills and literacy during assignments. Although CI 3342 is a social media-based class, I still think there are elements of the curriculum that could be applied to unrelated courses. For example, encouraging us to explore certain sites and apps instead of just giving out instructions for the assignment is a great way to give us a chance to learn how to navigate them. If this was implemented into all classes, students would be given the opportunity to gain digital literacy skills, making them better digital citizens.