[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #473: The Digital Divide still divides

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OPLIN 4cast #473: The Digital Divide still divides
January 20th, 2016

[image: fence] We occasionally still hear about a Digital Divide here in
the United States, but it's not mentioned nearly as often as it used to be.
That doesn't mean there is no longer a need to provide access to the
Internet for those who are on the wrong side of the Divide, but it does
mean that most people in the U.S. (sometimes thanks to their public
library) can access the Internet one way or another. That's not always the
case elsewhere. The World Bank has just released a World Development Report
2016: Digital Dividends <http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2016>
that says 60% of the world's population still has no access to the
Internet. To them, this is a problem that involves much more than just
technology.

   - Not all benefit from fast-spreading digital technologies: World Bank
   <http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Not-all-benefit-from-fast-spreading-digital-techno-30276936.html>
   (The Nation) "The benefits of rapid digital expansion have been skewed
   towards the wealthy, skilled, and influential around the world, who are
   better positioned to take advantage of the new technologies. In addition,
   though the number of internet users worldwide has more than tripled since
   2005, four billion people still lack access to the internet, it added.
   'Digital technologies are transforming the worlds of business, work, and
   government,' said Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group. 'We must
   continue to connect everyone and leave no one behind because the cost of
   lost opportunities is enormous. But for digital dividends to be widely
   shared among all parts of society, countries also need to improve their
   business climate, invest in people's education and health, and promote good
   governance.'"
   - The Digital Divide: a challenge to overcome in tackling climate change
   <http://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/digital-divide-challenge-overcome-tackling-climate-change>
   (World Bank blogs | John Roome) "No major technology has reached more
   people in such a short time but, unfortunately, there's still a significant
   digital divide between the poor and the wealthy parts of the global
   population when it comes to Internet access. Perhaps not surprising that
   the same digital divide has an impact on the ability of developing
   countries to deal with the impact of climate change. According to our
   recently released Report, Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate
   Change on Poverty
   <https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22787>, climate risk
   management requires data and knowledge. Connectivity is therefore a
   fundamental part of the equation for protecting poor people from climate
   change."
   - Spread of internet has not conquered 'digital divide' between rich and
   poor - report
   <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/13/internet-not-conquered-digital-divide-rich-poor-world-bank-report>
   (The Guardian | Larry Elliott) "Digital technologies were spreading
   rapidly, but digital dividends - growth, jobs and services - had lagged
   behind. The Bank said the digital divide should be closed by making the
   internet universal, affordable, open and safe. It also said that delivering
   the development potential of new technology would require regulations to
   ensure competition among business, action to improve skills, and more
   accountable institutions."
   - World Bank: Digital Divide leaving too many behind
   <http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/world-bank-digital-divide-leaving-too-many-behind/d/d-id/1323948>
   (InformationWeek | Thomas Claburn) "For example, in Afghanistan and Niger,
   where 7 in 10 adults cannot read, literacy must precede connectivity. The
   digital transformation that has been reshaping commerce, social
   interaction, and governance since the Internet became a mass market medium
   in the 1990s ought to have changed the world for the better. For many, it
   has. But it hasn't been enough to offset deeper problems. These include the
   declining rate of productivity growth around the globe, rising income
   inequality, and a decline in the percentage of free and fair elections
   around the world."

*Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Digital technologies: Huge development potential remains out of sight
   for the four billion who lack Internet access
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=6FI1352744174>
   (*Arabia 2000*, 1/15/2016)
   - Hope in digital revolution to combat global poverty misplaced: World
   Bank
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=P6S415270216716>
   (*AM (ABC)*, 1/16/2016)
   - The changing - and unchanging - face of the Digital Divide: An
   application of Kohonen self-organizing maps.
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=97158241&site=ehost-live>
   (*Information Technology for Development*, July 2014, p.218-250 | Maria
   Skaletsky, Olumayokun Soremekun, and Robert D. Galliers)

------------------------------
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