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Central to the issue of the digital divide is the notion of who exercises control and ownership over the new information technologies whether its on a global scale or within households. The digital divide is created by a multitude of problems that arise in society, in particular ownership of technologies and its accessibility.
Ownership problems within households arise out of the difference between those who are affluent and those who are poor or live in rural areas with limited or no access to the Internet (Charp, 2001).
Households with higher incomes are more likely to own a range of media technologies, from PCs to high-speed Internet access to DVD players. Ownership of these products opens the door for this sector of the community to have more opportunities and an advance in a technological society.
A report from Knowledge Networks/SRI found that families that earn more than $50,000 per year are still more likely to have a PC compared to those earning under $30,000. The higher income homes are also five times more likely to have broadband access and more than twice as likely to have digital cable TV (Roach, 2004).
The report also found that comparing White, African American and Hispanic households in America, that White Americans were more likely to own PCs and high speed connections. Ownership of DVD players was uniform and African Americans are almost twice as likely to subscribe to digital cable (Roach, 2004). Effects
Lack of ownership of basic telecommunications services, such as a home telephone and a personal computer with Internet access has an adverse affect on communities because they cannot engage in the global market economy. Nor can such communities participate in political discourse and interact within other communities within the global village. If people cannot participate in social debates and political discussions, there cannot be an organised collective effort to challenge and reform these sectors (Roach, 2004).
On a global scale it is quite significant to recognise who owns and controls the information resources that determines a countries communication and technological experience. In the media technology world, Global Media companies are striving for domination and ownership over the industry. Some of the companies that are controlling the global media market are Disney, Time Warner, Bertelsmann, Viacom, Sony, News Corporation, General Electric PolyGram and Seagram (Rifkin, 2000). These media giants are either purchasing one another outright or entering into joint ventures to share the market opportunities. As Rifkin reports, the ten largest global media companies have, on average, joint ventures with six or more of the other companies, or enjoy various strategic partnerships with smaller media firms in regional markets (Rifkin, 2000). Since the majority of these companies are based in America, the country has taken on the role of controlling much of the world information, communication and cultural landscape.
Charp, S. (2001) “Bridging the Digital Divide�? T.H.E Journal vol.28, iss. 10, pp10–12
Rifkin, J (2000) The Age of Access: How the shift from ownership to access is transforming modern life, Penguin Books, London. ISBN:014029547
Roach, R. (2004) “Report Shows Some Digital Divide Patterns With Technology Ownership�? Black Issues in Higher Education vol.21, iss. 20, pp46
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Contributors to this page:
Brooke Power 22:30, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
Nicole davidson 04:07 25 Oct 2005 (EST)
