The Digital Divide

Access to digital technology is unequal. The term 'digital divide' became widely used in the 1990s, when US government reports compared internet access across income and racial groups. Globally, gaps exist between richer and poorer countries, cities and rural areas, men and women, and old and young people. The International Telecommunication Union estimated that about 2. 9 billion people had never used the internet in 2021.

Barriers include the cost of devices and data, lack of infrastructure, limited digital skills and content not available in local languages. Simply distributing devices is not enough: the One Laptop per Child project, launched in 2005, gave laptops to many children, but studies in Peru found little improvement in maths and reading scores. Closing the divide involves infrastructure, affordability, skills and relevant content. The issue shows that a technology's benefits depend on who can access and use it.