Digital Divide

Written by Asst. Prof. Dr. Yousef Abu Baker El-Ebiary (Dean, Student Affairs / Lecturer, Faculty of Computer and IT )

“Digital Divide” 

The term ‘Digital Divide’ has appeared in the US in around 1995, and initially at the local community level it is more commonly known as ‘Falling Through the Net’. The term is a big difference to community groups in the United States, especially those who use the computer and Internet in particular. However, these terms carry different definitions when the country is seen progressing and developing.

The digital divide also viewed as the gap between those who have the opportunity to deal with the Internet network but that opportunity could not be applied due to the digital divide. It’s an emerging deficit in the countries that are building in the use and knowledge of information technology. It also involves a gap in the process of acquisition of knowledge in information technology services, where due to the lack of access to sources of information and new knowledge, indirectly humans generally have an inability to absorb and generate new knowledge.

It can also be seen to be the gap between technology users who have the knowledge and ability in the field of information technology and computer and vice versa. Challenges can be seen with the rate of acceleration of the development of this technology, including aspects of dissemination of information, communication and also the problems faced by developing countries, for instance whether this digital divide for those that have access and do not have the technology and tools that advanced and modern used in the operation.

However, it is certain that all these definitions highlight the gap that reflects the complex situation and the reasons that led to this digital divide. For example, the decline in education and the lack of training opportunities, illiteracy, lack of culture, science and technology as well as the differences in per capita income between countries nationalized the building. The language barrier also plays an important role in an economy based on knowledge and reflection of a society that shows weakness to accept an amendment to the basic tendency to traditional values, the lack of a balanced environment in the creation of information technology development by government bodies or private due to regulatory and legislative inertia.

/Malaysia, 5 November 2015/