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Between the Bytes
Who’s afraid of the digital divide? - II
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| Val Souza |
Is the digital divide that alleged gaping chasm
that separates the “technology haves” from the “technology
have-nots” just a frivolous myth concocted by grant-chasing
social researchers keen to keep the fund flow in full spate?
The statistics detailed in the previous part of this series indicate that the
reach of information and communication technology (ICT) has expanded at a pace
that’s unprecedented in the history of the civilised world. Unlike agricultural
and industrial revolutions of the past, which took a relatively long time to
increase their spheres of influence, the ICT revolution—if one is to consider
access to the World Wide Web as a gauge—has been simply explosive. It took
just four years for the Web to reach 50 million people once it was opened to
the general public; the corresponding duration for the impact of the printing
press was a century, while for radio it was 28 years, and for TV, 13.
It’s generally well-accepted that the fruits of most
of the advancements and developments in human society have customarily accrued
to the wealthier people in the world first—be it game-changing discoveries
and inventions such as the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, the
telegraph, the automobile and the airplane; or, medical advances like organ
transplants, open-heart surgery and limb replacement; or even everyday conveniences
such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners. But the commoditisation
that has taken place with almost every advance over a period of time has meant
that many of them have gradually but inevitably become accessible to a larger
proportion of the populace.
Why shouldn’t the same principle be automatically applicable to ICTs? Indeed,
the statistics quite clearly show that the spread of these technologies seems
to be moving ahead at a pace that represents a far greater social equity than
was the case ever before in the history of technological advancement.
A seminal paper titled ‘W(h)ither the digital divide?’ published in
the latter half of 2003 by World Bank economists Carsten Fink and Charles Kenny,
questions the premise of postulating a widening digital divide on the basis
of absolute numbers of telephones, computers, or Internet users in rich and
poor countries. Using such measures may be misleading, they write, because,
for one, growth rates for all these indicators in the poorer countries are faster,
and secondly, telephones, computers and Internet accounts are often shared by
many individuals in these countries. Instead, Fink and Kenny proposed that what
needs to be recorded is availability of ICTs on a per capita basis. In other
words, the number of telephones or Internet users per dollar of GDP needs to
be taken into account, and, in doing so, Fink and Kenny found that middle-income
and low-income countries in fact score higher than rich ones. They dubbed this
the “digital leapfrog.”
Has the digital divide then been a figment of the imagination
of over-zealous activists and academics, sensationalist journalists and ill-informed
policymakers? Further, even if it does exist—as do many other divides between
the rich and the poor everywhere—why is it so desirable to attempt to bridge
it, when other far more alarming and compelling divides still prevail?
All answers lie in the very nature of information and communication technologies,
and in their evolution. Firstly, the continuous rapid pace of advancement and
the corresponding obsolescence within ICT itself means that gaps and divides
are constantly being created anew. Those capable of remaining relatively close
to the cutting-edge are in a position to continue to reap the full benefits
of every new advancement, potentially widening the gap even further between
themselves and others who are less fortunate. This is a moving target, with
no conceivable possibility of either slowing down or ceasing in the near future.
Even Fink and Kenny note that a threshold level of IT adoption must be reached
before the productivity benefits linked with ICTs start to flow, and poorer
countries, despite experiencing higher growth rates, are still some way off
from the threshold. They also note that since ICT adoption in poor countries
is restricted to a relatively small minority, the divide within such countries
might widen, even as the digital gap between them and the more developed countries
is shrinking.
Next, while the aspect of affordability is no doubt an extremely important factor
in getting ICT to the masses, the digital divide owes its existence to other
factors too, as seen earlier, including shortcomings in education, technical
ineptness, language diversity and cultural variations. It is unlikely that these
will automatically sort themselves out.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, bridging the digital divide gives us
a genuine shot at lessening poverty, increasing the quality of life for the
underprivileged, and reducing the vast urban-rural disparity that’s so
prevalent in the developing world. Again, this is because ICT is in itself an
enabler that can facilitate the reduction or elimination of myriad other divides.
The exodus of rural youth to the cities, which are falling apart under the increasing
strain on their infrastructure, can at least be partly checked with the effective
use of ICT by providing them with avenues for social inclusion and better opportunities
right in their backyards. While certainly not a magic potion for all the ills
of the world, ICT can be that great leveller which has eluded society from the
beginning of modern civilisation.
How so? Tune in to Part III in a couple of weeks from now to find out.
Val Souza, Consulting Editor
valsouza@expresscomputeronline.com
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