JOUR 384 Online Journalism

Lesson 7: Social, Political and Legal Implications

Metin Ersoy

FCMS

Social, Political and Legal Implications Digital divide

The term digital divide refers to the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it.

It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen.

Social, Political and Legal Implications In other words, it’s the unequal access by some

members of the society to information and communications technology, and the unequal acquisition of related skills.

Groups often discussed in the context of a digital divide include socioeconomic (rich/poor), racial (majority/minority), or geographical (urban/rural).

The term global digital divide refers to differences in technology access between countries.

Social, Political and Legal Implications The term initially referred to gaps in

ownership of computers between groups. The term came into regular usage in the mid-1990s.

President of the United States Bill Clinton and his Vice President Al Gore used the term in a 1996 speech in Knoxville, though the term had appeared in several news articles and political speeches as early as 1995.

Social, Political and Legal Implications

Digital divide cartogram in which country size is proportional to Internet use.

Social, Political and Legal Implications Global digital divide

Another key dimension of the digital divide is the global digital divide, reflecting existing economic divisions in the world.

This global digital divide widens the gap in economic divisions around the world. Countries with a wide availability of internet access can advance the economics of that country on a local and global scale.

Social, Political and Legal Implications In today's society, jobs and education are

directly related to the internet. In countries where the internet and other technologies are not accessible, education is suffering, and uneducated people cannot compete in the global economy.

This leads to poor countries suffering greater economic downfall and richer countries advancing their education and economy.