The Rising Digital Divide
Technology has proven to be a boon during these unprecedented times. Technology has been successful in bridging the communication gap that emanated because of the lockdown. From a linear perspective, this is the best time for the digital space to thrive and get even more advanced. On the flip side, however, it would be heedless of us to acknowledge the “digital divide” that has occurred due to our reliance on technology. There is a huge difference between people who have technological access and those who do not. The rapid advancement in technology is contributing to widening this digital divide.
According to the 2017-’18 National Sample Survey report on education, only 24% of Indian households have an internet facility. While 66% of India’s population lives in villages, only a little over 15% of rural households have access to internet services. For urban households, the proportion is 42%. Apart from the Internet, there is also a divide in terms of the services needed to support it, as an electricity connection, and devices to access like phones or computers. This directly affects the school going children of these areas who are reliant on online education but don’t have enough access to adapt to it. Imagine giving rise to a generation in which only half the population has attained education, while the other half struggled its way to attain the bare minimum.
Apart from the economic divide, the gender gap also contributes to the Digital Divide in India. Most women do not have access to technological equipment. They are mostly dependent on the male members of their family for technical support.
As per the Internet and Mobile Association of India report, in 2019, while 67% of men had access to the internet, this figure was only at 33% for women. The disparity is more prominent in rural India, where the figures are 72% and 28% for men and women, respectively. This hinders progress amongst women, as they face an undue disadvantage in this situation.
Thus it is scary to contemplate the pace at which technology is advancing as there would be many people from the underprivileged background who will take years to get past the divide. Digital space is a privileged space. It is coloured by gender, age, caste, class, regional and economic divide. The “new normal” or the “never normal” era is here to stay. While technology has been a friend in the adaptation process, hope it also helps in bridging this digital gap. In many sectors, technology has helped in the decentralisation of work. With equal access of technological devices, internet connection and electricity connection, we can attempt at lessening this gap. As privileged individuals, the least we can do is acknowledge this divide.
