The Digital Divide
The main ethical concern associated with digital inclusion is the digital divide between demographics. The NDIA definition states that “the digital divide is the gap between those who have affordable access, skills, and support to effectively engage online and those who do not.” As technology continues to develop, the risk for the digital divide grows; this stems from the fact that without proper access to technology, the internet, or training, one cannot use the internet to share, create, or learn about information. Even when a region or population has access to technology, we need to ask ourselves, do they have access to high-quality information, is it in their language, and do they have access to training to utilize their technology?
According to “Issues and Challenges Related to Digital Equity: An Overview,” the first solution to the questions above is to ask if our educators are able to share information with their students on technology and how to use it. When teachers continue to use old ways of teaching and do not know how to use technology, it holds their students back from learning new information. The caveat to this is that teachers can use new technologies but refuse to put their research onto the internet due to a lack of trust in online platforms. This is high-quality information that is being withheld from students and other learners. In order to encourage teachers to develop their technological skills and create a database of their knowledge, it is imperative to give them a training platform of their own. This platform would provide a space to prospective, trained, and experienced teachers to learn from each other. When teachers learn and gain feedback from trusted sources, they will be encouraged to share their findings with their students. When one is able to learn and grow in a trusted environment, it tends to lead to the recreation of a safe space for others to learn.
When looking at my own education, I have to learn about new software every semester for architecture. It has always been a hit or miss whether my professors know the software that I need to learn for the project. I find this to be concerning, as I believe that my professors show know-how to use the software if they are going to assign a project that utilizes it. One easy solution to this problem would be to just not assign the software if the professor does not know how to use it. The second would be to ask a professional who knows how to use the software if they would be able to give a tutorial to the class. The third option is the professor takes classes themself to educate and then shares the results with their students. Regardless of each option, the outcome is the same, which is teaching students how to use the software.
A real-world example of the digital divide is within healthcare. As technology develops further, healthcare does well, and a new, growing, and affordable form of care is telehealth.
Technological advances are expanding telehealth as a drawing, a more affordable way to access healthcare. Telehealth utilizes phone conversations, video calls, and recorded tests in order to diagnose and treat patients. According to the National Library of Medicine, telehealth became popular during covid-19. When people were quarantined during covid, those with access to video technology had a greater advantage to receive treatments than those who had to rely on phone conversations. “These inequalities reflect the impact of the digital divide: the unequal access and use of information technology based on social and geographical characteristics.” The key finding from the article is that after 2020 telehealth usage increased from 2.5% to 51%. Those who do not have access to technology, have bad intent connections, and have no video capabilities are stuck in the digital divide.
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A solution to this problem will need to come from government assistance, as many of these communities cannot afford high-quality technology or healthcare that supports telehealth providers. The next solution would be to entourage video calls through the assistance of a patient’s own device. This would occur when a patient does have an in-person visit and they can have the option to undergo a training on telehealth. The final step would be having a call help center to give people resources on telehealth all in one location instead of paitents having to complete their own research; all of the digital tools are in one location.
Whether it is healthcare or the education department, organizations should treat the digital divide as both an access issue and a support issue. Asking ourselves if we are providing enough training on these technologies and if we are giving out reach to those in demographics that may not understand digital tools as much as the general population. Everyone deserves to have access to high-quality information; how we choose to support will directly reflect the status of the digital divide.
Sources:
http://digitalinclusion.org/definitions/
https://doi-org.ezp2.lib.umn.edu/10.1007/978-3-319-71054-9_67
