Q.1.2 Facebook in a quest to mitigate the effects of infrastructure and the digital divide have launched Project Aquila. The problem of infrastructure is prevalent in Africa. Discuss the implication of all the different forms of the digital divide.

Digital divide image. [Online] https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/digital-divide/start.html [Accessed: 13 March 2017]

Digital divide is the gap between those who have access to computers and the internet and those who do not.  There are 6 forms of digital divide.


1.  A socio-economic divide
     The first issue surrounding access is that of the ability to access, in general, data and
     information through the use of digital devices. This lack of access is known as the ‘digital
     divide’, or sometimes referred to as those that have and those that ‘have not’ 
     (Dutton, 2004).  This is relevant in the case of Internet use, where nations vary widely in
     the number or ratio of the public with access to the Internet.

2.  A divide in infrastructure
     Continuing along the theme of developing vs developed countries lies the issue of
     infrastructure.  Developed countries have a far greater penetration of appropriate and
     up-to-date infrastructure than that of developing countries. Quite simply, it is the
     infrastructure of developing countries that often impedes the broad range of access, in
     addition to socio-economic factors. A prime example is that of South Africa’s poor
     electricity infrastructure that is under such extreme pressure that rolling blackouts are
     experienced.

3.  A divide in content
     According to Dutton (2004), nearly 70% of websites are in English. Although this has
     changed substantially, the fact of the matter remains that English dominates the web.

4.  A gender divide
     According to a 2013 report, the Internet gender gap is notable in developing countries,
     with very real consequences to the girls and women of those communities. The statistics
     show that, on average, women are online in developing countries 23% less than that of
     their male counterparts.  In some cases, this gap is over 40%. What are the
     consequences? People derive huge benefits through the use of and access to the
     Internet. These include economic and educational opportunities, access to support
     communities, as well as accessing career opportunities.  Furthermore, by providing
     access for women to ICT's, nations are better able to empower women and provide
     equitable development (Women and the Web, 2013).

5.  A skills divide
     Having the skills to operate a computer is probably the biggest opportunity, or hindrance,
     to the adoption, or not, of technology for development. Although accessibility is
     increasing, skills are not necessarily conforming at the same rate of increase. These
     skills relate to digital literacies.  This is perhaps a greater issue than that of physical
     access, as those that are disadvantaged due to socio-economic factors have less
     exposure to digital technology, thereby impeding their skills acquisition in the job market.
     However, it should be noted that despite socioeconomic factors playing a role in the level
     of skills, it is not all bound to social strata but also to personal factors.

6.  The universal access divide
     Another issue pertaining to digital access is that of those who are physically
     disadvantaged.  Those that suffer from some physical disability are often disenfranchised
     when it comes to access, not because of the lack of skills but, moreover, the hardware
     and software utilised an available.  Furthermore, the cost of such hardware and software
     is exorbitant.




References:

Digital Citizenship Module Manual 2016 (First Edition: 2015)