Digital divides, by definition, is the gulf between those who access to computers and the internet, and those who do not. Originally, it was describing a gap in terms of access and usage of information technology. As the years go by, with almost everyone on planet Earth has owned a mobile phone or two, it has become a gap of inequality in a way that who have more bandwidth or those who have less.
Research has shown that the digital divide is more than
just an access issue. There are three determinants of digital literacy;
information accessibility, information utilization, and information
receptiveness. Even more so than accessibility, every user needs to know how to
consume the information.
Do you think digital divide in Malaysia is diffuse equally?
Does everyone have access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT)?
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) compiled a report on the
internet usage of Malaysia in 2012. They stated that only 60.7% of the
population had access to the Internet. This is approximately half of Malaysia’s
population. In addition, a survey conducted by the Malaysian Communication and
Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has shown that 42% of the Internet users are of
age 20 to 29. Excluding students who were assumed to have no income, it was
found that those earning less than RM1000 per month did not use the Internet
frequently. From the survey, it could be concluded that wage, age, and
educational level have the direct impact on the internet usage activity in
Malaysia.
All in all, digital divides are real and exists globally
and in Malaysia itself. My question to you are, how do we bridge the gap
persists in digital divides? Rather, those who have access to the
internet, how do you consume your everyday ICT? Are you aware of your online pattern(s)?
Do all users behave the same way?
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