The Digital Divide and Our New Mayor

Any discussion of the digital divide resonates, because the chasm is a universal issue. Examine any location, from America to Zaire, and we can see that there is a gap between those who have and don’t have access to digital technology. This can refer to computer ownership, access to information online, and the skills necessary to use the technology.

The divide can fall along many lines, including culture, race, age and education. But often the most telling indicator is economic. Those in lower income environments and families are far less likely to be taking advantage of the many wonders of technology.

It’s great to see that Thailand’s government had made bridging the divide a priority. While the article is short on specifics as to how to it’s going to actually fix the problem, it clearly sees the benefit of moving in this direction. I’ll be curious to see what progress has been made in that country since the introduction of this initiative.

Closer to home, the City of Seattle released a report in October that examined how our citizens are using information technology. Among the research findings of note:

• 84 percent of households have Internet service. And 75 percent have broadband or a service that’s faster than dial-up.
• There are disparities along the common lines of income, ethnicity, and education. Ninety percent of Caucasian households are online, while only 45 percent of Hispanic/Latino and 66 percent of African American households do.
• People want to use the tools, but need them to be affordable and accessed in a friendly environment that features training and comfort for all cultures.

During his campaign for mayor, Mike McGinn talked of creating a city-wide wireless system. This was dismissed by some, the feeling being that we’re in pretty good shape now in regard to our options, service and rate of use.

Now that McGinn’s moving into city hall, though, I can see him embracing the results of the technology report and moving forward on expanding and improving service. McGinn, more than any local candidate, understands the power of these online tools, and they were utilized in his campaign organization and strategy. Now he’s out there, preaching the mantra of communicating and working together to make this city better… essentially collective action as a city priority. I even see opportunity to address the digital divide by offering instruction on the basics of citizen media so that people can gain those skills and serve their communities better.

Digital media seems to have a friend in the mayor’s office come 2010. Watching how the city incorporates technology into all of its endeavors will be fascinating.