//The digital divide, issues and problems

Human beings are community-oriented animals. So, when a new way to exercise their communications skills arises, it is a matter for rejoicing. And so, we find that ICT (Information and Communications Technology) is one gigantic gossip machine, in which everybody should be able to participate. The world has been reduced to a single, noisy, neighborhood.

This is of course, very far from the truth. While that would be very nice and all, problems abound. In the ideal world, I should be able to talk to the African kid the next continent over, or to that cute Japanese boy and have an online date, but, for better or worse, the world is far from ideal, and far more complicated than any dream. Searching for a Dial Tone in Africa illustrates this point quite thoroughly, finding obstacles every which way: the greedy government, the greedy corporations, the expensive lines, and the very-searched-for-but-rarely-found dial tone, are some examples. Corruption, pessimism, poverty and distance are other factors. And with all these problems it's hard to find the light.

Good thing we have Negroponte. Negroponte designed the sub-$100 laptop. And while this is no magic bullet, its certainly a step in the right direction. At least someone is thinking of the ROW (the Rest of the World) now, and now that the ROW is in the spotlight, some good things are bound to happen, like brainstorming in order to breach the Digital Divide. Negroponte took the first step: by putting a laptop in the hands of children, children now have the possibility to breach it. Of course not every child will take advantage of this, but lets recognize its merit: there's a big step between the impossible and finding a possibility, no matter how meager. Like children can't read without a book, they can't breach the Digital Divide without a computer.

Now, let's not be overly optimistic, like money doesn't grow on trees, bullets are not magic, and this very nice laptop (with a hand crank!) has the potential to cause more problems than it is out to solve. The governments of third world countries are already stretched too thin, Can they handle the price of these laptops? Could they control the distribution appropriately? Can they be trusted? Fact is we really don't know. After seeing what is happening in Ghana, we can't be blamed.

Another good question would be, Why should the Digital Divide be breached? Let's stop and think about it for one moment: some poor kid in a hypothetical third world country has a laptop with internet connection. He surfs around and finds a plane. He realizes he's never been in a plane. He realizes he probably will not everbe in a plane. This has the potential to be a terrible source of unhappiness and disappointment. It also has the potential to spur some hard feelings that eventually will manifest in the effort to be able to be in a plane. Who knows? Humankind is just bizarre.

But let's not digress and straighten this out: ICT is a tool, and as a tool its supposed to be used in the service of humankind, and while ICT makes a lot of money, happiness and starving kids shouldn't be about that. ICT should be about making the world a single, noisy, neighborhood.

//categorías = //política