3.1.1 The Digital Divide – a Socio-economic Divide
The first issue surrounding access is that of the ability to
access, in general, data and information through the use of
digital devices. This access is known as the ‘digital divide’, or
sometimes referred to as those that have and those that ‘have
not’ (Dutton, 2004).
This divide is often associated with socio-economic factors, but
as the gap between developed countries and developing
countries, the digital divide is also associated with geodemographic
factors; developing vs developed countries. This
is relevant in the case of Internet use, where nations vary widely
in the number or ratio of the public with access to the Internet.
3.1.2 The Digital Divide – a Divide in Infrastructure
Continuing along the theme of developing vs developed
countries lies the issue of infrastructure. Developed countries
have a far greater penetration of appropriate and up-to-date
infrastructure than that of developing countries. Quite simply, it
is the infrastructure of developing countries that often impedes
the broad range of access, in addition to socio-economic
factors.
A prime example is that of South Africa’s poor electricity
infrastructure that is under such extreme pressure that rolling
blackouts are experienced.
At the time of development, Eskom was threatening to move to
level 3 – complete national blackouts! Coupled with this is
Telkom’s stranglehold on the telecommunications
infrastructure, where it sells its customers bandwidth that the
infrastructure is not capable of providing. However, it should
also be noted that South Africa, a developing country, is a
juxtaposition of both first world and third world environments,
with intrepid entrepreneurs seeking solutions to these problems.
Due to infrastructure restrictions, coupled with socio-economic
factors, people in townships and rural areas utilise their mobile
phones as a point of access to the Internet. However, this is a
costly exercise, resulting in the digital divide deepening. As a
result, there are many projects under way, mainly undertaken
by entrepreneurs who are passionate about the country, in
ensuring that townships, and hopefully rural areas as well, are
able to gain access to the Internet at little or no cost. There is
the Khayalitsha-Mitchells Plain Fibre Optic project, Project
Isizwe – which is creating Wi-Fi in townships in a non-traditional
manner, as well as the Dabba project of bringing low-cost voice
and Internet access to townships.
3.1.3 The Digital Divide – a Divide in Content
According to Dutton (2004) nearly 70% of websites are in
English. Although this has changed substantially, the fact of the
matter remains that English dominates the web.
3.1.4 The Digital Divide – a Gender Divide
According to a 2013 report, the Internet gender gap is notable
in developing countries, with very real consequences to the girls
and women of those communities. The statistics show that, on
average, women are online in developing countries 23% less
than that of their male counterparts. In some cases this gap is
over 40%. What are the consequences? People derive huge
benefits through the use of and access to the Internet. These
include economic and educational opportunities, access to
support communities, as well as accessing career opportunities.
Furthermore, by providing access for women to ICTs, nations
are better able to empower women and provide equitable
development (Women and the Web, 2013).
3.1.5 The Digital Divide – a Skills Divide
Having the skills to operate a computer is probably the biggest
opportunity, or hindrance, to the adoption, or not, of technology
for development. Although accessibility is increasing, skills are
not necessarily conforming at the same rate of increase. These
skills relate to digital literacies. This is perhaps a greater issue
than that of physical access, as those that are disadvantaged
due to socio-economic factors have less exposure to digital
technology, thereby impeding their ability in education and in the
job market. However, it should be noted that despite socioeconomic
factors playing a role in the level of skills, it is not all
bound to social strata but also to personal factors.
3.1.6 The Digital Divide – the Universal Access Divide
Another issue pertaining to digital access is that of those who
are physically disadvantaged. Those that suffer from some
physical disability are often disenfranchised when it comes to
access, because of the lack of skills but, moreover, the
hardware and software utilised and available. Furthermore, the
cost of such hardware and software is exorbitant.
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