The term digital divide refers to the critical societal issue regarding the gap between the population who have access to modern information and technology, and the population that does not. Access to the internet, devices, digital literacy, and WiFi are the main factors of this division.

This divide consists of the other half of the population being unable to use digital products (especially the internet), making them unable to receive as many opportunities, unable to use the resources of the online applications, unable to connect with communities around the globe, and being able to keep up with the constant advancement of the world, essentially stripping them off a much more eventful future.

In this generation where technology is essential to keep up with the rest of the world, the digital divide poses up numerous societal issues, creating imbalances in equity and equality among the countries in the world. This divide, which is frequently caused by social, economic, and geographic issues, highlights the injustices that still exist and create problems for us who utilize technology to advance.

Access to technology

In rural or economically disadvantaged areas, numerous people lack access to devices and internet connectivity which puts them at a further disadvantaged in regards to the quality of how they will advance. Because of this, instances such as the pandemic of 2019-2022 pose up astronomical issues that these individuals have to face. Without access to technology, education becomes more difficult and impossible to access at times, people miss out on opportunities online that may change them for the better, and they overall just lag behind compared to those who are able to utilize technology and the internet.

Going back to the topic of pandemic 2019-2022, because all classes converted into online classes, millions of people that had no access to technology faced a huge problem. With the help of the government and solutions such as modules, this problem was partially solved, but decreased the quality of education the most of them received. Another problem that may have risen is the difficulty of digital literacy for these people that are unfamiliar with using technology and the internet. Because of these problems and much more, a portion of these people opted to drop out of school completely; The digital divide is to blame for outcomes like this.

Overall, the lack of access to technology for a portion of population is caused by a number of components such as poverty, geographic disparities, etc. Because of this divide, the amount of opportunities and education people that don't have technology receive are limited, making the advancement of communities, economies, and countries slower and more difficult. The existence of this divide not only makes it difficult for the people, but also boldly shows the flaws and injustices in our systems. I am aware of the efforts we are making to solve this divide, so I want to promote these in order to give the people, our own kind, a chance to bloom like us. 

The following are some efforts we should invest into for the people unable to expose themselves to and use technology. 

• Make more affordable devices

• Educate students about ICT - Improve digital literacy 

• School resources

• Device recycling programs

• Support the causes above