Issues+and+Background+Hum1+Group5

== =Issues and Background= The digital divide is an important issue not only affecting one's education but also affecting one's chance of employment, leading to their career and a chance to escape poverty. According to **eGov**, "There are many reasons for the digital divide but most are related to the primary cause; poverty." From this quote we can see that the digital divide is connected with poverty. Poverty may cause the digital divide, but not trying to stop a larger problem of poverty, we stop a smaller problem of digital divide. We can help a bit of solving a large scale of poverty by attacking a branch of poverty; digital divide. The digital divide is a branch of different problems also including education. From "Digital Divide: The Three Stages" you can know that education has an impact on the digital divide. Even if we were able to get computers many of the information require a high school degree to read and comprehend. The digital divide is a branch of larger problems; we have to start solving problems somewhere why not start with the digital divide?

Source Digitaldivide.org. "Digital Divide: What It Is and Why It Matters." __DigitalDivide.org__. July 2007. 23 Jan. 2008 <[|http://digitaldivide.org/dd/digitaldivide.html>.]

Nielsen, Jakob. "Digital Divide: The Three Stages." __Digital Divide: The Three__ __Stages__. 20 Nov. 2006. 23 Jan. 2008 .

=Effects= The Digital Divide has many effects on the world around us. First of all, it is giving those of the population with access to digital technology, more benefits from it than those who do not, creating this gap we know as the Digital Divide. If we do not close this gap, then it will most likely cause the further division of the rich and the poor, splitting the unity of a country apart, because it is giving people with access more benefits than those who do not. This splitting is already happening and has been happening for the past couple decades, since the very birth of digital technology. //“…access to digital technology greatly enhances the effectiveness and affordability of efforts to improve the water supply, improve rural health and education, generate jobs and address any of the other interrelated problems of poverty.”// ([|Digital Divide.org]) As the quote has said, it will improve the daily lives of many people. It we can stop the gap from further opening, it will help reduce poverty. I am not saying that it will completely rid the world of poverty, which is very unlike that will happen, since there will always be some people with less money. But it will reduce it by a fair amount. Other than this it will also help to create a better society with more people to contribute.

Digitaldivide.org. "Digital Divide: What It Is and Why It Matters." __DigitalDivide.org__. July 2007. 23 Jan. 2008 <[|http://digitaldivide.org/dd/digitaldivide.html>.]

=What is being done?= Unicef, CNET Networks International Media, UK charity Computer Aid International, Bill Gates are all examples of the numerous organizations and people who are in concerned of the gap between nations, cities, and the world, digital divide is causing. “Bill Gates, the world's richest man, has poured == scorn on a revolutionary new 100-dollar laptop designed for the world's poorest children…”said in the article, “Bill Gates slams 100-dollar charity laptop” This 100 dollars laptop project is developed for children in poor countries or areas such as Nigeria, Western China, Argentina, etc. According to statistics in “Changing The Present”, Africa has only three computers for every 1000 people. For this reason, CNET Networks International Media has partnered with UK charity Computer Aid International to donate computers. So far, their progress has donated 40,000 computers to areas that ar e in need of the computers. Getting too many computers at a time can cost lots of money, in order to solve this, the CNET Networks Internatioal Media has already established a huge computer donation source where people from industrialized countries can donate old or unwanted computers to them. Finding the locations of the poor people or villages can be a serious issue too, therefore, UN ICT Task Force and G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT Force), worked together to help adress these areas. Poor schools in the Guangxi Province are mainly supported by the Unicef-supported Distance Education Initiative. The main goal of the project is to link children in rural areas and children in urban areas through technology. There is an enormous number of people, NGOs, or organizations who are trying to seal the gap between human beings, but why isn’t it working? The main reason is because there are so much more people that are in need of technology compare to the people who are trying to bridge the gap. We are a part of the people in the urban areas and the most developed countries, we should be the ones caring about the poor people.

>Tech News. "Bill Gates slams 100-dollar charity laptop." __Bill Gates slams__ __100-dollar charity laptop__. 16 Mar. 2006. 23 Jan. 2008 Bill_Gates_slams_100-dollar_charity_laptop\>. Bridgethedigitaldivide.com. "Bridging the Digital Divide." __Bridge The Digital__ __Dvide__. 23 Jan. 2008 <[|http://www.bridgethedigitaldivide.com>.] >Rong, Jiaojiao. "Distance learning project bridges the digital divide in China." __Unicef__. 19 Apr. 2006. 23 Jan. 2008 . >Computers for Africa. "Technology & Digital Divide." __Technology & Digital__ __Divide__. 23 Jan. 2008 . >Bridge The Digital Divide. "The Digital Divide." __Bridge the Digital Divide__. 23 Jan. 2008 <[|http://www.bridgethedigitaldivide.com/digital_divide.htm>.]