Blog 5

Digital divide is a common term used today that has been used more times than it has been around, coined by the Clinton administration in the mid 1990’s. According to www.webopedia.com, digital divide means: “a term used to describe the discrepancy between people who have access to and the resources to use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and people who do not have the resources and access to the technology.” Not only is the digital divide described as the gap between those who have access versus those who do not, the term is also classified as the people who possess the technological skills and knowledge and those who don’t.

Digital divide is not only a national concern, but it has become a global one as well. With limited access to technology in the United States and countries worldwide; economic, social and educational concerns are brought to the surface. “Computers and the Internet have become basic tools determining the pace of economic and social growth. We are witnessing the establishment of an information-based civilization, where the future of the society depends on the speed with which knowledge is developed and used” (Wielinska). Citizens who are “technologically-challenged”, in the sense that they have no access or knowledge of technology, can be left in the dark. Today, there are several ways to stop this and people and major companies are attempting in doing so.
One of the ways that the closing of the gap is being approached is the introduction of the OLPC, or One Laptop Per Child, which is selling and distributing low-priced laptops to those in need; mainly children in Africa. Another such campaign in bridging the digital divide is the 50x15 initiative. 50x15 is a goal set out by AMD to have 50 percent of the world’s population accessible to the internet by 2015. By the use of the OLPC distributed laptops as well as others techniques, such as PIC (Personal Internet Communicator), AMD is hoping they can accomplish this task. Another program aiding in the demise of digital divide is the VIA pc-1 initiative. VIA has designed several products that are affordable and reliable in order to allow those currently without access to the internet to gain access on one of their own computers. For example, VIA has introduced the VIA pc-1 notebook, VIA pc-1 mini-PC and the VIA pc-1 power saving PC, which is “a scalable PC system optimized for emerging markets, providing robust desktop performance and a rich digital media experience at accessible price points” (via.com).
With large corporations contributing their ideas and products, the digital divide can be closed one day. Continuing supply of Information and Communication Technology may someday lead to a world where everyone is connected and no one person or country is left out.

Blog 4

Countless amounts of information can be found on the Internet today. Whether you are part of a religious group, activists group or just like model airplanes; there is a website for you. In searching for websites to your liking, you can locate and come in contact others who have the same interests. In connecting and communicating with people involved in the same curiosities, the term group polarization comes into play. Group polarization refers to something very simple: After deliberation people are likely to move toward a more extreme point in the direction to which the group's members were originally inclined (fathom.lib.uchicago.edu).
This idea shows that people who discuss and believe in certain topics or belong to groups will mostly oppose others and “self-segregate” themselves. In doing so, their ideas will become even stronger than before due to frequent discussions with people on the same level and who share same views. For example, those who may be against the war in Iraq, might discuss with others the reasons why we should withdraw and shun out the thoughts of those who don’t; in doing this their standpoints will become stronger. Another example is “after discussion, citizens of France become more critical of the United States and its intentions with respect to economic aid (Brown, 224).”
This idea of group polarization may also lead to fragmentation over the Internet. With people disregarding contrary views, they are separating themselves even further from anyone who believes in opposing views. This avoidance can easily be done by filtering one’s choices, like choosing not to visit certain websites or read a certain newspaper. By filtering choices, a person can simply find something that pertains to their thoughts and views, lacking any opposition if they please.
Another term pops up as a result to group polarization and fragmentation and that is Cyber cascades. The fact that information can be posted anywhere, at anytime and about anything, all with a push of a button, leads to the question of verifiability of the content; “in which information, whether true or false, spreads like wildfire”( web.ebscohost.com). With the over abundance of information being distributed daily, it can be hard to decipher reality from fraud.
The information on the Internet is endless and it allows for people to search whenever they would like and for whatever suites their needs. The effects of all these coming together can create a society with falsified information being spread throughout. With limited exposure to various sides of an argument or a topic, it may lead to even more uncooperative behavior and confusion.