The Global Digital Divide essays

The Global Digital Divide essays The global digital divide in simple terms, refers to the lack of access less developed nations have to the Internet, as compared with more developed nations. While discussing this topic in class, I found it astonishing the amount that the US and a few other leading nations use the Internet. Almost one-half of the people in the world have never made a phone call, yet we use sources like the Internet without even giving it a second thought. What many of us also never give a second thought to is the types of opportunities that people miss out on due to the lack of technology and infrastructure in their homeland. Despite these facts, there are organizations that are out there trying to help bridge the gap of the global digital divide. As I stated there are many groups whose purpose is to deter the affects of the digital divide. One of those groups is the UNDP or United Nations Development Program. The main goal of this group is to help poor countries gain access to the digital economy. One particular priority they have is to use the cuts in transaction costs offered by ICT to find new ways of expanding micro-finance initiatives for the poor. I think that this is a great idea. The more money that can be saved and used for business purposes in underdeveloped countries, the better. Why not take advantage of what the Internet has to offer, and allocate some of the funds to help strengthen the economy of a particular nation. In addition to the idea stated above, the UNDP also trains small groups in developing countries in the uses and opportunities of the Net. Once again, I have to say that I agree with this technique. With a problem such as the one at hand, perhaps the best way to handle the situation is to chop away at it one piece at a time. Many of the other groups involved in the fight against the digital divide use techniques similar to the UNDP. My personal opinion is that we need a combi ...