to all du members . have any of you heard of something called the digital devide.

[AllaN01Bear]

there is such a thing. not everybody can afford a computer or the internet. yes librarys have internet and many librarys have closed. so this is the haves and haves not situation. ihave a lovely 10 yo mac and doing well. but not everyone can afford a new and or used computer.

[Ocelot II]

1. Of course. It's part of the infrastructure bill -

money to get high-speed internet everywhere and computers where they're needed.

[drray23]

2. Indeed. It refers to what you are describing. Many people are at disadvantage

in terms of internet connections. Rural areas for example or poor families. This was exacerbated during COVID because teaching went online. Many kids had trouble being able to do that.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yes, of course. That is why Biden's infrastructure bill includes $$$$ to expand broadband

especially to inner-city and rural underserved areas. There are a number of non-profit organizations working on supplying computers to schools in these areas. CLOSE THE GAP is an international program working to do so.

[ShazamIam]

4. Yes, it referres to the inequality of technology tools related to income, especially in education,

and the divide in access to high speed internet in rural vs urban areas.

[MuseRider]

5. My brother comes over

and uses mine. I am not certain that has always been a good thing, I have never seen anyone mess things up like he can. Once he erased all my bookmarks and saved sign ons. I got them back but damn!

[exboyfil]

6. There should be a commitment to keep

older computers going at least to the level of closing the gap for instruction. Apple is notorious for obsoleting out its hardware. I have a beautiful IPAD 1, but there is no support or archive for the older applications that allow it to remain functional. You can usually access the older version of the program if you had it before, but not always.

I usually stick with my technology until the hardware fails. I resent perfectly functional computers/tablets that obsolete out. They should be able to perform at least to their original level.

[Runningdawg]

7. And like anything else many in the middle will fall into the doughnut hole

Too rich for assistance, too poor for service.

[StarfishSaver]

8. This issue and terminology have been around for decades

President Clinton talked about it during his last term.

[catrose]

9. Not to mention the quality of or lack of internet in many parts of the country

especially outside big city limits

[FakeNoose]

10. Most people have a cellphone now

... and many have tablets and other devices that allow them to surf the internet.

[Lancero]

17. Have fun typing up a homework assignment on a cellphone.

Also, hope you live in a area with reliable enough signal to actually use the internet. Lot of rural places can only get 1X at best, and something like 3g would be a dream come true.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. I've Heard Of It, Sure

There are also large swaths of the country with rotten connectivity.
All part of the divide.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. If this is in any way a response attributable to my admittedly flippant comment on the other thread

I apologize for being crass.

I realize completely that there are people who have no access to the internet, and it is most certainly a concern.

We need an effort like the Rural Electrification program of the Roosevelt years in order to ensure everyone has access to this very vital resource.

My apologies if my comment was insensitive

Context;

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=15471217

[AllaN01Bear]

13. no worries . i agree on your statement like rea. btw : i like ur screen nick.

[A HERETIC I AM]

14. Thanks

Had my user name since way before I was a wee DU’er! Or rather. I’ve been using A Heretic I Am from my first forays onto the internet back in the chat rooms of AOL!

[AllaN01Bear]

18. never did aol chat , but that was a long time back. gasp.

we need a rea thing on a lot of items in this country as in right now . have a grand day.

[madinmaryland]

15. Montgomery passed a county initiative to rebuild or build new all 17 branches...

The levy was $187 million and three quarters of the branches have been built. The levy was passed in 2012. The focus has been on technology and energy efficiency.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. that is good to hear.

[madinmaryland]

19. Montgomery county Ohio. Dayton.

[Tomconroy]

20. Computers are the way cars used to be a long time ago. Built in obsolescence.

[marked50]

21. The digital divide is even more than just access to internet.

It's really technology divides throughout a short history of such developments.

First it was access to electricity and phones. Those who had it prospered and adapted their lives to new things to make their lives easier or at least more convenient or entertaining. Refrigerators, late night lighting, etc. Contacting those who we needed to contact. There were more that did not have such things- mostly rural. This eventually evened out to a point, like the TVA and more but we still have this gap for those who can not afford such luxury.

Cars were also part of this technology gap between those who could afford or had access.

Then it was information and entertainment. Radios, for example- some had some didn't , then TV, some had some didn't. Access to more modern health care- x-rays and such.

Computers and the internet entered the picture. Many left out because of either cost, access or skill sets. This is the new concept of digital divide. We entered a place where you could not really operate in our society effectively without such ability to engage. Bills to be paid, appointments to schedule, contact with our government offices, like DMV or Work Assistance, etc. Hardly any more newspapers anymore for people to be informed for just a few cents.

We are now entering a new phase of this divide. It is strongly underway and has been for a few years. This is the world of communication between us all, in personal contact, business contact, government contact. It is access to cell phone technology.
This is the same place we found ourselves in when only some had electricity, phones, cars.

Cell phones are increasingly becoming an absolute for most things we used to do via other means. You can't get into businesses without phoning them outside their doors to get access (Covid related requirements). You can't get your on-line orders when you arrive at the business without phoning them from your car. In many cases a simple cellphone will not do, you have to log in to the website, which requires a "smart phone". Even most government websites need some cell phone contact. Hard to find a pay phone let alone a phone book anymore. The cost for the phone and the connections are way beyond many, not to mention if they can even get a signal to connect.

The digital divide is just increasing. It is all the new infrastructure and needs to be addressed in some way.

[canetoad]

22. Absolutely agree with your post

Another thing I notice is there seems to be fewer 'computer geeks', who build, repair, diagnose and experiment with their computers. The ubiquitous smartphones and tablets of today do not lend themself to fiddling around with the hard/software. This adds another layer of cost to what are becoming essential tools - repair and replacement expenses. And I suspect that many of these devices end up as junk long before they need to.

A joke I've loved for years:

Q. How can you tell the difference between a real estate salesman and a computer salesman?

A. The real estate guy KNOWS he's lying.