Have you experienced the digital divide in your own life? 

Answer: Yes!


How important do you think digital inclusion is to a person's life chances in contemporary society?

Answer: Very important. Typing from my own experiences, I'm a big believer in the idiom "Knowledge is power" and that through accessibility, we are boundless in learning. Born into the working-class as many of us are, I understand the difference that a healthy learning environment can have on the mind. Luckily for me, I went to an excellent public school in Brooklyn that really fostered the idea that asking for more information is a very good thing. Although, another idiom states "Ignorance is bliss", by knowing more, more problems are indeed introduced but through development, solutions can also be configured. As a kid born in the millennial generation, reading took different shapes for me. By watching TV shows with the captions on, playing role-playing video games that featured heavy dialogues and monologues and studying in school, getting constructive criticism and more, my reading and writing abilities have improved/ benefited. Throughout all those years, and even now, technology and digital information has had a tremendous impact on me and it shows within my household. All of those hours of inquisition has helped me advance in academia, socially and professionally, while other people at home that didn't have access to these resources due to their responsibilities weren't as well-informed as I was. I believe this is due to online training/ stimulation. 

Within greater metropolises: I believe many kids that have had similar privileges, were also able to learn more, quickly because technology provided us with wisdom. Unfortunately, for many people that lacked these resources, they weren't afforded these opportunities for learning. Thus, leaving them uncultured from their peers. Certain things that others understood, they were left out from and this created a deeper level of digital divide. This unfortunately impacted their lives as well, since many that lacked knowledge and expertise in a professional field, ultimately were locked out of higher-paying jobs. For example, a person who lacked a bachelors degree, would face a financial disparity in comparison to their peers who have one and would in turn, struggle to compete against people with these skills/ knowledge. Some of these people, obtained their degrees online or were required to use a computer to get them. If a person didn't have the luxury of using a computer/ phone, they probably lacked a degree too.


Outside of the greater cities:
The digital divide grows exponentially because the working class (and others) would lack technological resources necessary to sustain their lifestyles. In rural areas, a farmer who lacks a tractor and doesn't have accessibility to the Internet or phones, will struggle producing and selling their crops. They would most likely have to rely on local products that would be sold at a greater premium, affecting their marginal profits. That's a dilemma that many people can relate to outside of these examples.

and if you compare these folks within the states, to people in developing countries, the digital divide runs deepest. Without technology, resources become scarce and this deprivation has an enormous impact on the societies within these nations.


So in final thoughts for this post: Yes. The digital divide is very real.