There are several areas where the digital divide is a potential problem. Among them are education, government, health, entertainment, and work. The problems stated in this entry are only relevant to the United States. I do not know enough about other countries to make any specific statements.
One of the problems with education is that not all schools can afford to have the same technology. This put students who are in lower income areas, and/or who cannot afford a private education, at a distinct disadvantage. And that's just in secondary (maybe primary) schools. Once a person gets into college (if they can afford it) it is a necessity to have a personal computer, those who do not or who are not competent with it are going to have a much harder time.
With all the new technology coming out, it makes sense that the government would be at the forefront, unfortunately, this causes any number of problems. The government needs to be able to reach everybody, but many people cannot be reached through cutting-edge technology (for a variety of reasons). To make matters worse, often the ones who need the government's aid the most, are the least able to get it (such as being told to go online to request help after their entire town (along with the majority, if not all, the internet cables and computers) has been demolished by a hurricane).
One of the new innovations with health care is having everything computerized. While this can make the process easier and faster overall, many people are not savvy enough with computers for this to actually help. In addition to the problem of what happens if the system goes down (oops, there goes all the data), there is the problem of people not knowing what they are doing. Most people are only concerned with their portion of the job and the rest is done by someone else (eg. doctors are only concerned with the patient aspect of the job, and it is the desk workers and assistants who deal with inputting the information in the correct place). However, what happens if that other person is no longer there? The assistant has called in sick, so the doctor is now in charge of inputting the patient information in the new computer system, only s/he doesn't know how. The doctor only knew what to do with the original paper documents that were placed in specific folders, now the necessary data will not get entered until the assistant comes back, let's hope nothing is vital... (My bad, that was appendicitis not stomach cramps.)
There is a major problem in the workforce that divides those who know how to use technology and those who don't. Today, almost every job requires some sort of skill with technology, even if it is just knowing how to type or how to use the most basic level of the internet. People who either do not know this already or who cannot learn quickly will soon find that it is almost impossible to find a job. This makes it very hard for the older generations (who have a hard time keeping up with new technologies) and the lower-class (who cannot afford the latest technologies) to keep a job.
Although entertainment is no where near as important as the other subjects, it is another area where there is a big difference between those who have and those who don't. I cannot imagine what I would do if I did not have the internet and my computer. I assume I would probably go outside more and I would read more real books, but even getting the paper books uses technology (it is too far to walk to the bookstore, so I drive or take public transportation). Although logically I know that many people do not have the same access to technology that I do, I still have a hard time imagining what they do for fun. (No video games, no internet, no movie theaters, what's left?)
Signing off,
Alyssa Potok
