5.2 Digital Divide

🌐 The Digital Divide

By Marti, Nikhil, & Aarav — Period 2
Date: March 18, 2025

Notes

The digital divide is the gap between people who have access to technology and those who don’t.
It affects important areas like education, jobs, healthcare, and civic participation.
Rural and low-income communities often lack access to fast internet and modern devices.
Bias in computing can come from how tools are built—often without input from all communities.
Solutions include better infrastructure, subsidized devices, inclusive design, and fair tech policies.

Popcorn Hack 1

Q: Identify one area where you’ve seen the digital divide in action. How does it affect people in different socioeconomic backgrounds?

A:
I’ve seen the digital divide in education. Some students have fast Wi-Fi and laptops at home, while others need to use school Wi-Fi or shared devices. This makes it harder for low-income students to keep up with homework, and research. It creates an unfair gap in learning and opportunity.

Popcorn Hack 2

Q: Can you think of a computing innovation that might unintentionally exclude certain groups? Why might that happen?

A:
Voice assistants like Siri or Alexa can exclude people with strong accents, speech differences, or who speak other languages.

Homework Hack

Q: Write 5 sentences on the digital divide in your community and how you can help bridge it.

A:
In parts of my city, not everyone has access to high-speed internet. Some people use public libraries or fast food Wi-Fi to finish homework, while others take it for granted at home. I’ve noticed that even school-provided devices don’t help much if families can’t afford reliable internet. To help bridge the gap, I can volunteer to create simple tech guides. I can also speak up about this issue to people at my school and support device donation drives.