This week in class, we had the interesting discussion on the digital divide. Many of the articles discussed brought up many different methods to "digital divide." However, all of these articles seemed to define the divide differently. I think that until we truly understand the entirety of this divide, the problem can not be solved in its entirety.
The Divide Exists on Many Levels
According to the video clip, Rheingold states that the divide is becoming less and less a hardware issue, but an issue of use of that hardware. While I do think this is a valid point, I also believe that the hardware part of the issue still exists... and its a larger problem than many make it out to be.
I believe that to tackle this problem in it's entirety, high-speed internet access must be made completely available to anyone who desires it. It can't be forced upon anyone. However, as seen in the rural and urban divide videos, not everyone who currently desires high speed internet access currently has access to it.
Once this is accomplished, then the issue becomes similar to what Rheingold describes in his video. I don't know of a perfect solution to this yet, other than time, experience, and training. The coming years will show if this divide closes or not.
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