The Digital Divide

I want you to think for a second of what life would be like without a computer. No direct access to information. Reading a newspaper instead of going to a website. Using the telephone book to get a phone number. Going to the library to check out a book or a movie … for the fun of it. Use a landline instead of a phone which is connected to your hip. Sending a letter to a friend using the postal service instead of an email. Smartphones are great because they bring information to your fingertips, bring movies streaming to your television, and make ordering goods much quicker. But, it is how you use the information to make better choices and get the cheapest goods. 

During the pandemic, those who had broadband stayed at home as their kids learned through high-definition screens, while others sat in the parking lot at the local library to get a wifi signal. We learned first-hand about the digital divide and how not having access to the Internet led to a disruption of life as we know it.

The digital divide is real. Even through you can read a newspaper, or send a letter, or go to the library to send and receive content – the world has moved on-line. It is no longer a luxury to have broadband, but a necessity to keeping a job, kids in school, and even finding a phone number. The next time you hold your smartphone, think about that.