The digital divide

I came across this article this morning thanks to rss and netvibes (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-09-05-digital-divide_x.htm) It’s a look at the stats of the the digital divide and its true harm on our society.

“Two of every three white students — 67% — use the Internet, but less than half of blacks and Hispanics do, according to federal data released Tuesday. For Hispanics the figure is 44%; for blacks, it’s 47%.”

“Some 54% of white students use the Internet at home, compared with 26% of Hispanic and 27% of black youngsters. Limited access at home can erode a student’s ability to research assignments, explore college scholarships or just get comfortable going online.”

These numbers are just appalling. It is true that the internet is a place for bad things but it is also a powerful tool that can be utilized for wondrous things. As San Francisco joins the fight to bring free wireless internet access to the city we should take a look at how hard the telecom industry is pushing back. Comcast and Cingular (who bought out AT&T) are two (of a few) leviathans that are the most destructive force in ending this horrid divide. They send their lobbyists to Washington to block cities from creating these wireless networks. It is a disgusting example of how these multi-national businesses’ do not care about you and your future. They want your money and that is all they want. The more they keep us all ignorant the more we are willing to fork over 120 bucks for a pair of sneakers made by a poor chinese 8 year old girl who works 14 hour days for a paltry allowance.

We as instructional designers are all trying to learn how to harness the power of the digital tools that surround us. But until we cage these rotten bastards at Comcast and the like, the harder it will be for any of us to make a real dent. The digital divide needs to be erased and in some places we are seeing just that. For a country that created the atom bomb in 3 years (right?) it is a disgrace that we do not have green energy and we don’t have internet access in every living room and and in every community. I just had to shake my fists and talk out load here but your comments on this subject are more then welcome.