| 词条 | Draft:Digital Divide in Africa |
| 释义 |
Digital Divide in AfricaThe digital divide is defined as the fine line between those who have access to computers and the Internet and those who do not. [https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/digital-divide/start.html Stanford] The digital divide is especially prevalent in rural places and underdeveloped countries. The digital divide is generally wider in Sub-Saharan Africa, as those countries experience widespread poverty. There are reportedly only 7% of the continent's inhabitants that are online. However, mobile phone usage is shockingly high at 72%. Only 18% of these phones are smartphones. The lack of Internet usage can partially be attributed to the fact that the most common language used on the Internet is English. However, it can also be attributed to the fact that the literacy rate in African countries is not very high. [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/jan/24/digital-divide-access-to-information-africa The Guardian] To combat the digital divide in Africa, economists have suggested stimulating the economy of the region. Bridging the digital divide was a major concern of those at theInternational Telecommunication Union Telecoms World conference in Durban, South Africa. The forum stressed the need for African governments to key into ITU’s initiative for Africa, which emphasised infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusivity. Furthermore, entrepreneurs were encouraged to address the specific challenges that Africans face in regards to accessing the Internet. Poverty and Poor Infrastructure in AfricaEven though technology has become more and more affordable, there is still a disparage between poor people's access to Internet and wealthy people's access to Internet. This becomes an issue once children begin school, as kids who are in low income school systems do not have access to technology in which they are not granted technical skills to develop to continue their education and later translate those skills to the workplace. Digital Responsibility. This low level of computer literacy can be attributed to poor infrastructure and high costs to stay connected. In 2000, the entirety of Sub Saharan Africa had less telephone lines than Manhattan as a whole. Poor InfrastructureThe poor infrastructure in Africa makes it much more difficult for economic development because countries are unable to develop technologically. Particularly, landlocked countries face major difficulties due to the fact that there are rarely any port cities in these countries, not giving them much trade power. It is estimated that investment in better roads increased investment in telecommunications would help further develop the infrastructure in the continent. Furthermore, the differentiating languages between the existing countries and pre-existing differences between different cultures provides a barrier to Inter-Continental development. Internet AccessAccording to 2011 estimates, about 13.5% of the African population has Internet accessInternet in Africa. Africa accounts for 15% of the World population, but only 6.2% of the world's population is African. However, these statistics are skewed due to the fact that most of these Internet users come from South Africa, a country that has a much better infrastructure than the rest of the continent. The rest is mainly distributed amongst Morocco and Egypt, both countries that have better infrastructures than the majority of the countries in Africa, yet not as strong as that of South Africa. There have been many initiatives in the U.S. to push for better infrastructure which would eventually lead to better Internet access in Africa. Benefits of Internet in AfricaIncreased Internet usage of Internet in Africa would provide numerous economic and social benefits to the continent. More Internet usage among the population would increase business opportunities for companies. This would increase the size of the market in Africa and give companies more potential selling points to different customers. Additionally, it would provide more access to products for citizens. Not only would citizens in different countries have access to products in stores, they would also have access to products that are all around the world. Separately, bridging the digital divide would help solve numerous social issues. The Internet is a place that is home to many different ideologies and ideas. This would also help connect people to different places and regions. Referenceshttps://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/digital-divide/start.html |
| 随便看 |
|
开放百科全书收录14589846条英语、德语、日语等多语种百科知识，基本涵盖了大多数领域的百科知识，是一部内容自由、开放的电子版国际百科全书。