"The truth is that bridging the digital divide and improving education go hand in hand. Some of the most successful efforts to bridge the divide have occurred through community technology centers, or CTCs. These CTCs offer public Internet access, but perhaps more importantly, they offer learning opportunities--opportunities for people to learn how to use the Internet effectively, augment their reading and job skills, even prep for the U.S. citizenship exam. " My take on this is that non-profits use the "digital divide" as a justification for funding. Unfortunately it blurs things that shouldn't be blurred. Obviously poor people can benefit from education, access, and services. This does not mean that technology forms a barrier to social mobility. My highschool banned pagers and cellphones because in the early 90's they were associated with drug dealing (and hence the lower class). Its only recently that high schools have accepted the idea that teenagers can use mobile telecom technology for legitimate purposes. Who adopts technologies fast? The people who stand to gain the most from them, irrespective of their social status. |