Question: Looking at articles about Internet Access relative to certain demographics, what how has the American society mostly changed from the availability and cost of the Internet?
This is the article that really helped me out: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/internet-access-and-the-new-divide.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
As I read articles brought up the subject of a “digital divide,” I would remember my teenage years, as technology was available, but only a select number of people could pay for it or have it available within a certain area. At this point, some kids will be too young to know about the “dark ages” of the Internet, with incredibly slow dial-up speeds that cut off the access to your home phone. The impact of the Internet to work and play environments has vastly changed the way we live.
The Internet is the most valuable resource for a good portion of the world. I know several people who choose Internet for their sole luxury, because it offers an all-in-one package of entertainment and information. Communications can extend to all across the United States because the nation understands the importance of this technology. However, the rate that the country updates is completely scattered. While 100mb a second may be fast, some areas are even faster. Google Fiber, for example, is making things incredible for people in St. Louis and is now branching out into select cities. This does feel somewhat like a natural process, as digital trends take time before they really become mainstream.
I think while some of the boundaries of Internet availability have been broken, Susan B. Crawford is absolutely correct when it comes to corporate influence. “A lack of competition from other cable companies or alternate delivery technologies, each of the country’s large cable distributors has the ability to raise prices in its region for high-speed Internet services.” That can be very detrimental to someone depending on where they live. Comcast has incredible control of one aspect of the market. Phones are even worse, as people have to become devoted to one provider and they can charge various fees depending on the situation, similar to making transactions with different banks.
I believe the bigger question to Internet Access and the Digital Divide is how much it impacts the users. It’s hard for some of us to imagine where we would be without the Internet now, even statistics showing that only 1 in 5 adults DO NOT use it. However, the strongest people on the Internet are those who know how to use it to the fullest extent. Does that require a fast connection? Is a slow connection even that much a problem anymore? Or is it mostly about using your personal and communication skills in a new medium to connect with other people or form stronger relationships. We’ve even broken that text border thanks to programs such as Facetime and Skype, because so many little technical advances have been added to modern computers and devices. (Cameras, Microphones, Special Disk Players, Expansion Ports). Similar to many other social skills such as math, taxes, speech and English, I believe studying how to use the Internet will become the new normal to make us more advanced with the world. And that’s where the real digital divide will come from, if you can make that leap or if the lack of change affects you greatly.
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