Digital Divide on Who Uses What Technology

In 2007, there were arguments that the world is divided between people who own computers and internet and those who do not. Now, the "digital divide" is between people who use their smart phone for main internet usage and people who still mainly use their home computers.

As we innovate, are more people left out of the “dark”?

I find it interesting that in Kevin Guidry’s (of Indiana University) article from 2007, the data collected showed that nearly a third of college campus students do not own a computer, respectively taking in factors. I would find that same statistic hard to believe today at UMD.

I guess in a day like today where lives revolve around the internet, more people live life in the light of their technological screen(s). So the new debate on a digital divide is who uses each technology for what. A statistical analysis done most recently claims that 31% of smart phone owners say that they mostly go online via their phone and not via computer- these people are called “cell-mostly internet users”.

As in Guidry’s piece, those who did not have internet access at home were grouped as black or hispanic. In the new “digital divide” study, the same ethic groups are the highest  cell owners who go online on their phones because they do not have an internet source at home.

The future to come

I think if these patterns persist, eventually we as people will have a digital divide between those with the latest tech gadget (such as Google glasses) and those with solely smart phones. Keeping with the trends, it doesn’t seem that computers will around much longer. Maybe a more tangible future is the divide between people with desktops and people with laptops.

Digital divides will always be a conflict in the U.S. as long as there are multiple options and people who can’t afford those other options.

I was shocked to find the large number of websites dedicated to the digital divide. Get informed!

I Always Knew 'Dad Knows Best'

Okay, so I’m usually not one to put my two cents in on anything pertaining laws, bills, etc., but when it gets in the way of my love for social media, I have a few things to say. Apparently, until last January, it was legal for companies and prospective employers to ask for -and use- passwords of prospective employees’ social media sites. And not only this, but universities were allowed to ask for the same from prospective students. All I can say is blasphemy! 

My dad is constantly telling me to monitor what I share on my social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram), but only because we heard from a family friend that his company checks out prospective employees on these sites to see how professional they are. Never did I think that companies would be able to ask for (and borderline DEMAND!) something so private as a password.

(Image courtesy of)

I will agree with my father that people, especially my generation, should be cautious of what we post online. I’ve heard that the internet is a elephant- it never forgets! The generation of twenty-somethings is infamously known for having the best times. But I would never want a picture from a night out to cost me my dream job. I think that companies have the right to search us online because if we are putting all of this stuff on the web for people to look at, we should be prepared for this. But never did I sign up in acceptance of someone being able to look at my personal messages, etc. and basing a character judgement on that.

I think this whole “checking everyone out on Facebook” is also a fluid subject and based on different positions. As a student pursuing a career in Public Relations, as I apply to internships based around social media with companies, it makes sense that they would want my Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram link because it’s basically a self reference. I do not think positions based around Engineering or Biology should require the same demands. 

Fueled by the fire that is this debate, I have been looking online (ironic) for more information on this subject. I found a site called The Next Web, basically a news site for anything pertaining to social media and the WorldWide Web. In April, they posted an article with percentages relating to companies “checking you out” on Facebook. If their math is right, only twelve percent of employers that use Facebook to look up candidates use it to find reasons to not hire. Definitely a reassuring number. I’ll say one thing though, I am ecstatic that my hometown state was the first to pass a law against the use of personal passwords for hiring research. Keep Calm and Post On.