It is interesting to note just how social/economic
inequalities translate to inequalities in all other areas of life. Chapter 4 of
Vincent Miller’s book Understanding
Digital Culture points out just how prevalent this digital divide truly is,
and quoting another researcher, we not that “…the digital divide is a social
and political problem, and not merely a technological one” (Van Dijk, 2005).
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| Image credit: iStockphoto |
It is hard to disagree with this simple conclusion; whether we like it or not, our society is capitalist, and inequalities are unavoidable. Van Dijk also provides us with four potential barriers to ICT access, three of which result from these inequalities. These four barriers include: motivational access, material access, skills (or the ability to use ICTs), and usage access. If we lived in a Utopian society without hierarchies however, a digital divide would probably be a matter of personal preference, rather than a matter of lack of means. In other words, people may live without internet access not because of availability issues, but merely because they choose not to.
When I was a child, I used to wish that I could turn into a
sparrow and go live in the forest, free of all of my chores and rules. Today,
sitting in the library doing my course work, I sometimes am tempted by the same
dream: “Ahh, a day without homework, internet research, and online deadlines!”
However, I realize that we live in a society that demands ICTs. Either you have
it, or you do not. If you do not have it, chances are you want it. Even if we
lived in this fluffy, non-competitive ‘utopia’, once ICTs have been introduced,
everyone will probably want them just as much as now. Perhaps the desire of all
things digital will be rooted in different reasons, but it would still be
there.
Yeah sure, there might be a group of people who have that
day dream of mine 100 percent of the time, and willingly choose to live a life
free of ICTs, and even other basic comforts. In fact, one of my own family
members was like this. She joined a travelling group of festival goers, mainly
those involved in the counter-culture Rainbow Gatherings, who became camping
nomads in the off-seasons. From what she told me, their lifestyle seemed to be a
hobby for them. Living was non-competitive, and people obtained what they
needed through a trading and barter system. However, even my own relative
decided that it was time to call it quits, go back to school, and buy a
computer. She recently got a smart phone, and learned to use the texting
application Whatsapp so that we can
keep in touch while I’m abroad. I had to teach this relative how to use Whatsapp, I still she sometimes asks me questions that I would otherwise assume to be obvious. But she has overcome most of her effective access barriers (regarding her motivation and skill with ICT usage), and I am proud of her.
Now, I am not saying that all people who choose this type of
lifestyle will one day decide that they want ICTs. But I am saying that even
without a capitalist society, the strong desire for ICTs will continue to
exist. The only difference is that those who are without want to be without, and have made the educated choice
to be so. Here the only ‘barrier to access’ present in this utopian world would
be ‘motivational access’, as all other barriers would disappear.
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