THE MANIFESTATIONS OF DIGITAL DIVIDE

MANDY M. MARZO

Understanding the digital divide boosts our knowledge of the extent to which its impacts affect us. For these reasons, several factors can be mentioned since they illustrate how the digital divide is visible and can be seen in certain circumstances. These include:

ACCCESS

It starts with access or lack thereof. Although Internet penetration has increased, it continues to be a key barrier as more people around the world remain offline rather than online. Not only do they choose to be offline, but there are more things to consider that can contribute to the concept of access, such as:

Psychological access: Fear, trauma, and sheer lack of interest keep some fi accessing the Internet or using a computer.

Material access: Some simply do not have computers or network access mostly because of their inferior socioeconomic status.

Skills access: The lack of skills along with inadequate institutional support keep some from using computers or accessing the Internet.

Usage access: There is simply a lack of significant usage opportunities. Often, however, digital divide is almost always reduced to material access-social policy and institutional intervention mostly concentrate on this aspect to close the divide. Psychological access is seldom addressed and seems to be regarded as affecting only the senior citizens and the illiterate. Skills access is best addressed, from the view of policy makers, by adding computer literacy subjects in basic education. However, this neglects those who need the skills but are already outside of the ambit of formal education. Lastly, usage access is usually tied to institutional support as well as pushing forward ICT advocacies.

AGE

According to studies, older people tend to utilize the Internet less than younger adults. In other words, the digital gap is negatively affecting older people as a whole. The term "digital divide" describes the tendency for older adults to use the internet less frequently than younger adults and to use it less frequently overall. The complexity, depth, and variety of internet use are also factors in the digital divide, which goes beyond simply identifying who uses and does not use the internet. Older populations are more likely than younger ones to be unable to access ICT services and facilities, despite the fact that they may benefit from online social and health services. Yes, it might offer a few benefits that are especially beneficial to them, but these types of situations could also lead to the growth of the digital gap since older people may be unfamiliar with the development and are less likely to embrace new technologies.

BANDWITH

Connection speeds and bandwidth vary greatly. Philippine bandwidth and connection speeds lag behind our Asian counterparts. Ookla’s data reveals that the median mobile internet connection speed in the Philippines increased by 5.36 Mbps (+28.7 percent) in the twelve months to the start of 2023. Meanwhile, Ookla’s data shows that fixed internet connection speeds in the Philippines increased by 34.98 Mbps (+75.3 percent) during the same period. Despite these resources, bandwidth is still a manifestation of the digital divide.

CONTENT

The creation and consumption of local content are important because the quality of digital usage depends on the context and language being received by the user. Most of the content found on the Internet are written in English, which may not be spoken by other online users.

COST

Socioeconomic status inhibits most from maintaining their subscriptions to Internet service providers.

DISABILITY

Those with disabilities face additional hurdles to use ICTs, mostly because of the lack of assistive features on their gadgets. People with physical disabilities or diseases that affect hand dexterity, like quadriplegia resulting from spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, or stroke, are unable to interact with touch screens, mice, or keyboards without the presence of assistive technology to bridge the gap. However, in addition to those with physical disabilities, the lack of access to personal devices and the Internet is also prevalent among those with cognitive, hearing, and visual impairments. But with all these situations, there are companies that are willing to develop assistive devices that are beneficial for people with disabilities, but it is expected to be expensive. That is why some technology companies develop features that are beneficial for people with disabilities.

EDUCATION

The illiterate and uneducated are thought to have a hard time harnessing the resources of the Internet.However, this can be transformed into an opportunity for inclusion.

GENDER

There is a small but persistent difference in online usage between men and women.

IMMIGRATION

Migrants may not possess the same levels of digital skills as the population in their new country and, if they do, may be subject to content and language divides.

LOCATION

Rural and remote areas are often at a disadvantage in terms of speed and quality of services as compared with their urban counterparts.

MEASUREMENT

There is a divide in measuring progress between countries, within them, and also in the evaluation of specific development projects.

MOBILE

Mobile devices provide opportunities to bridge the access gap, but it can also introduce new forms of divides in terms of technology, speed, and usage.

USAGE

What people do with their access or "useful usage" is a key divide in using ICTs productively according to their abilities.

Especially POVERTY:

There are fewer cell towers, slower internet connections, and less access in poorer communities. In regions with geographical constraints,, such as the mountainous region in the north of the Philippines, there are large gaps. Only 15% of Filipinos have access to fast enough internet, and only 9.5% reside within the usable range of cell towers.

We are aware of the situations in daily life in our country where different problems arise, which is why we can expect to encounter multiple concepts of the digital divide. The following factors illustrate exactly how situations affect the digital gap, which makes the digital divide very visible in our country. In addition to location, age, and gender, the digital divide has played a role in the division of people in society. Technology brings people who have access to the internet and those who do not into new alignments. Those with little access still struggle, which affects their development. Because of this, single manifestations are conveying enough sufficiency to raise awareness of how serious this problem is.

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