The Digital Divide: The Second Level

I have always been fortunate enought to have access to a computer as well as internet access. It has been said that my generation is the first group to grow up with all of these capabilities; all of our lives. For that reason, it is hard to imagine that there are still quite a few people who do not have any type of internet access.

According to class lecture, the digital divide is the divide between people with effective access to online information and those with limited or no access. These two different types of people (those with internet access and those without) are divided into the "haves" and "have-nots". Demographically, the "have-nots" are usually African-American, Mexicans, less-educated, and poor. On the other hand, the "haves" are Caucasian, Asian, well-educated, and wealthy. As the gap widens between the "haves" and "have-nots", the less fortunate are unaware of important social events or news; their social awareness is minimal.

In a recent study, the digital divide was taken a step further. Researchers looked at what factors might contribute in helping people become part of the "haves" population. However, what I found more interesting was their focus on self-efficacy and education and their relationshipwith the content of the internet usage. Zeng believed and proved that the higher education you have, the more likely you are to use the internet for more intellectual purposes. Knowing that, rather than using the internet for education or important social awareness purposes, the less educated population of the "haves" are using the internet for things like facebook updating, youtube videos, and online shopping. Zeng goes on to state, "the sensibility factors of internet use, including the attitude toward the internet and the internet self-efficacy, have significant positive effects on the level of internet use, including the time of internet use and the index of internet use about studying and working (Zeng, 2011).


Zeng, F. (2011). College students perception of the second-level digital divide: An empirical analysis. Asian Social Science, 7(6), 42-50.

HDTV: Taking a step forward

TV is no longer what it used to be. Digital programming has taken over and the government has required that all television sets have digital tuners. According to class lecture, the FCC DTV Tuner Mandate requires that all television sets sold in the United States from here on out must have a digital tuner which ultimately makes the television set HD ready. As a communication major I know that our field is in a constant state of flux, it excites me to know that our government has taken notice to the technological advances in our field of study. Also, the mandate has acted as a motivating factor for consumers. It's helped give our economy the jump start it desperately needs. It's helped in more ways than one, what's not to like?