The digital divide allows those who have access to the internet more opportunities to be involved in social and civic issues. On the other hand, lack of access to ICT resources due to factors such as cost and infrastructure prohibit the people ability to participate in a social institution (Moss, 2002). In America, democracy is threatened when certain groups cannot participate in online voting or express their preferences (Wilhelm and Thierer, 2000). This hypothesis was put to the test in Arizona last March when those registered voters who had remote Internet access were given the opportunity to vote online in the Democratic Party primary during the 96-hour period leading up to the opening of the polls, whereas those without access to the Internet were able to exercise their franchise for just one day at the polling place.
Another way in which digital divide impacts social and civic involvement opportunities can be seen in the education system. Students without access to the Internet at home and in school do not develop the skills needed to compete for high-skill, information-technology, or IT, jobs that will open up, not to mention the litany of occupations that require some familiarity with information technology. Therefore, communities suffer from having unfilled jobs and an underskilled pool of potential employees. Furthermore, low income households that are not online cannot benefit from job opportunities, social-service information and lifelong learning opportunities.
--Philips young 12:45, 28 Oct 2005 (EST)
