Chapter eight considers whether the culture of online communication is limited by a digital divide which separates individuals and groups because their demographics. Initially, the authors survey research on internet usage according to gender, race, and class and report that in the United States the digital divide has largely disappeared between women and men; however, in spite of increases in usage across all racial groups, some disparities remain. Following this overview, the authors discuss various strategies employed to close the digital divide before outlining critiques against the existence or significance of such a gap between users and non-users. Specifically, this chapter notes critics who claim that any such "divide" is a snapshot of rapidly improving access. Others counter that geographical location is far more important than traditional demographic measures of computer and Internet access. The chapter also discusses the implications of a networked world.

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Offer students a chance to identify efforts being made in their hometowns to bridge the digital divide. Because of the research necessary for this assignment, it would be wise to provide a week or so for students to complete their projects. Invite students to email technology leaders at their hometown school, library, spiritual center, recreational hangout, or other community site. Their purpose is to seek out local attempts to expand computer and/or Internet usage among folks who might otherwise be left behind.

You might emphasize that students should clearly indicate their names, school, and the purpose of their emails. Once they find an appropriate point of contact, students should ask one or two brief questions and assure their interviewees that any responses will be solely used for classroom purposes. Remind your students that information technology experts are likely to be quite busy, and that they should not expect a response immediately. Students should also be prepared to garner their information though other means, such as the study of websites dedicated to local technology outreach projects, should their interview efforts be fruitless. During the week in which your class discusses chapter eight, students provide 3-5 minute oral presentations on local efforts to bridge the digital divide.

Ideally, your class may wish to pursue the next step. The class might wish to identify one of these programs and contact the facilitator in order to construct a project that meets a specific and manageable need of the selected program. Naturally, the "deliverable" of this project should be focused enough so that it may be completed by the end of the course term. Given the potential geographical divide between your class and the program, the deliverable should also be text or web-based. One suggestion might be student development of press strategies or a brief public relations campaign to increase awareness of the local program.

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Download a PowerPoint slideshow for this chapter

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To request sample test questions, contact Matthew Smith at <msmith@wittenberg.edu>. [Instructors only. Proof of institutional affiliation will be required.]

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Scott, R. (Director). (1984). 1984 [Commercial]. Cupertino, CA: Apple Computer.

This advertisement for Apple Macintosh dipped from a wellspring of resentment, a digital divide of the 1980s. Back then, the beige boxes produced by IBM and similar machines of that era were meant to be used by a select few: businesspeople who managed to understand the arcane commands prompts of the DOS operating system. In contrast, the Apple Macintosh promised a machine that anyone could use: artists, students, just plain folks.

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