First, I do not dispute the finding of Hargittai or Hoctoc on internet users. Since the inception of the internet there has and will continue to be statistics on its users.
I was not surprised about the divide between gender and race. Of course, those who can afford and know how to navigate around the internet are more informed.
We are living in a computer age there is an abundance of knowledge to find on the internet. Of course, that is understatement. Globally the internet has given a right of entry for people to voice their opinion.
However, as Hoctor point out, “Leaders in the developing world look to the internet with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation, at once seeing telecommunications technology as a path to free market advancement as well as the potential undoing of authoritarian control structures.” (697).
I think it is imperative for all households to have internet access. Nevertheless, it is gratifying to know that one can go to the library or school for alternative access.
Here are two websites that give more up to date statistics:
Http://answer.google.com/answers/theadview- African American/Hispanic use of Internet.
Http://www.webmarketingwatch.com/web_marketing_video/January_2007/African American_internet_statistics (Sage Lewis).
--BarbaraJ
2 comments:
The internet is extremely important and honestly I have no idea what I or any of us would do without it. Not only does it offer people vast amounts of information, but you can watch television shows on it, talk to people via e-mail or through instant messenger, listen to music, etc. According to Hargittai, "The internet functions both literally and conceptually as the network where information is communicated and points of view are developed." The internet also serves as an opportunity for people who are restricted from doing certain things. Also, according to Hargittai, "Indonesian journalists used the internet to post opinions that would have been restricted in traditional media content."
I was shocked to find out how many people actually used the internet in 1995, because I thought the number would have been much lower like maybe 15 million people. According to Hoctor, "The number of Americans online grew from 25 million in 1995...to 83 million in 1999." Since the internet provides so many services to people, its hard to pin-point how people are using the medium; are they using it for information/education or communication or entertainment? Also, according to Hoctor, there are 5 dimensions of user attributes: technical means, autonomy of use, social support networks, experience, and skill. The autonomy of use attribute I think is an important one. According to Hoctor, it's, "The freedom to use technologies when, where, and how one wishes."
There definetly is a digital divide. The definition of the digital divide is someone who has access to a certain medium and those who don't; or someone either uses a certain medium and those who don't. My mom just started to go back to school and she is computer-illerate, so my dad and I have to show her how to do certain things on the computer and how to work certian computer programs like Microsoft PowerPoint. My mom would be considered someone who has access to a certain medium (in this case the computer and the internet), only she has limited experience with both.
There are people who use the technologies that are available to them and those who don't. I'm not just speaking in terms of computers or cell phones, but iPod's, etc. There are many people who love new technologies and rush out to the stores and buy them, just look at the lines of people for the new and very expensive i-Phone, those people are called enthusiasts.
I myself also find the internet extremely important. Not only do I use it for information on a daily basis, but also to stay in touch with friends and family, share pictures and other files, and also for entertainment. I feel there is a digital divide, and those without internet access are on the losing end. Although the information may be available to those without the internet, it is much harder to find and takes much more time.
I think that the internet is something that once you are introduced, you realize that it is so much easier. However those without it dont know what they are missing. They have gone without it for their entire lives, therefore they choose to use things such as the phone book as opposed to an internet search.
I grew up with the internet, once I introduced it to my mother, she was able to organize her life in a whole new way.
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