Reader Response (Draft 2) "World Wakes Up to Digital Divide"

Wakefield (2010) implies that, countries around the world have started to take action in response to the digital divide. Research by International Telecommunications Union ( ITU) indicates that there is a greater difference between the most and least connected countries. In order to tackle the problem, Eastern European countries like Hungary have implemented a ‘Wi-Fi village’ program by providing Internet access as well as cheap recycled PCs to rural villagers. Moreover, certain countries like America have attempted to reach native communities which remain as a ‘barren desert’ by offering technical support in ‘specialised healthcare’. Wakefield also suggests that authorities should consider the ability of the citizens in utilizing network resources to maximize its benefits.

In my opinion, the increasing global awareness towards digital divide is an essential evolution. Alongside with the rapid development around the world, internet access had been declared as one of the modern 'basic necessities' by the young generation. However, it is only applicable to the 'developed countries'.

In the news article, ITU analyst Vanessa Gray points out that there is a correlation between a country's scale of digital divide and its economic status, but she seemed to underestimate the implication of the economic factor by stating that ‘being able to compare gives them the incentive to do better’. One should not disregard the significance of the country’s income level while considering the substantial needs for technology.  Comparing the developed and underdeveloped countries, the massive income disparity has a distinct effect on people's spending priorities. People in Iceland can afford to spend more to fulfil their desires apart from their needs. In contrast, people in Bangladesh may not even afford to feed themselves. When it comes to the issue of internet access, we can safely conclude that it is not practical for people in underdeveloped countries to invest in this certain aspect.

Besides, it is noted that Hungary has invested a substantial amount on the development of high speed fibre-optics cable, but at the same time it is 'traditionally lagged behind' in terms of economics compared to countries in the same continent. This shows that it may be hard for a country to achieve a well-balanced growth in all aspects and it depends on the government to decide its focus on a country’s development.  According to the statistics from Internet World Stats, a developing country such as Malaysia may not be considered as highly connected country with only 67% of internet penetration. However, the government did take the effort in providing higher education at lower costs for its people. The Hot Courses Abroad website states that the overall cost for a degree in Malaysia can start from as little as $2800. In the BBC article, the importance of education is further elevated as Sascha Meinrath mentions that, 'Providing books to everyone doesn't help those who cannot read in the first place.' If and only if the people possess the ability to utilize the network, then we can assure that they truly benefit from it. Hence, I support that the authorities should invest in terms on education which is more worthy rather that investing solely on the technology itself.

Maslow’s Theory of Needs implies that human are motivated to fulfill certain needs and they seek to fulfill the next one after one need is fulfilled. Hence, when the people cannot even satisfy their physiological needs, how can they afford to satisfy the technological needs? Moreover, even if they manage to acquire the infrastructure, it is also useless if they do not have the specific knowledge. As a conclusion, technological benefit is only beneficial when basic needs had been fulfilled while taken into account that humans are capable in making use of it. The authorities should keep this in mind rather than investing blindly just to narrow the so call "digital divide".

References:
Wakefield, J. (2010). World wakes up to digital divide. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8568681.stm

Asia internet use, population data and facebook statistics. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm

Comparing the costs of a degree overseas. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from http://www.hotcoursesabroad.com/study-abroad-info/student-finances/costs-of-education/

Mcleod, S. (2007). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html