Throughout my time as a Public Relations Masters student at Texas Tech University, a good chunk of the conversations in my classes each semester focus on knowledge gap in relation to the digital divide. The Internet is definitely one of the newer mass media channels but with the Internet came social media sites. Even though the Internet has been around for a long time and is in over 70% of U.S. households, it still amazes me how little people know about it.
Two very simple examples:
1. I was teaching my Hip Hop dance class about a month ago and had two new international students. At the end of class, these young ladies asked me the title of the song and where to find it, which I of course replied “ITunes.” They then proceeded to fill me in on how they had no idea what ITunes was!
2. I have spent time teaching members of my family the basics of Facebook (this seems to be an ongoing task). The biggest problem they have with this social media site is privacy. I am constantly logging into to all of their accounts just to update their privacy settings or sending an email with step by step details on how they can do it themselves (which they usually just end up having me do it).
Let’s look at the digital divide from another point of view. Numerous studies have proven that the elderly population is joining Facebook at a rapidly increasing rate, but does this mean that these people understand how to use the site to its full potential? My guess is no. The Internet and its various sites offer a large world of knowledge and information. Yet, as I look around I notice more and more that people do not feel the same way. The majority of the population is at the same level with their Internet skills and literacy, but what about that small percentage that is behind and not understanding? Do we leave them behind? What if there are not people around to teach others Internet literacy? And of course the ultimate, overall question: How do we close the digital divide gap?
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