The paper for this course involves research on a sociological issue. The purpose is to give you an opportunity to explore your interest as a researcher. The assignment is worth 20 % of the final...

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Name:
Student No.:
Title: Digital Divide in Canada
Word count: 1, 262
Digital Divide in Canada
Technology has always played a significant role in the sphere of the human societies
across the globe. In this respect it is noteworthy that the introduction of the computer technology
along with the Internet technology has actually initiated the growth of the concept of the digital
divide, a concept that denotes “the discrepancy between people who have access to and the
resources to use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and people who
do not have the resources and access to the technology. The term also describes the discrepancy
between those who have the skills, knowledge and abilities to use the technologies and those
who do not” (“Digital Divide”, n.d.). It can be observed that with the growth and spread of new
digital technologies the concept of digital divide is becoming more and more prominent and it
must be admitted that such a divide is not only introducing new forms of discrimination within
the academic sphere but is also bringing about stark demarcation among social classes. And in
this respect it must be conveyed that Canada is such a country which is presently feeling the heat
of the concept of digital divide because this divide is causing some serious socio-economic
problems within the nation which, if carries on persisting for long, can eventually bring some
more woes for the Canadian populace.
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It is often thought that the concept of digital divide is only applicable for the populace of
the underdeveloped or developing countries and that in the developed nations like Canada such
concept is not applicable. But this is not the truth. Digital inequality is growing as a global
menace and according to a survey conducted by StatsCan in 2007 on Canadian Internet Usage,
the digital divide in Canada not only reflects the economic disparity, disparity in the level of
education and age but also reflects how the Canadians residing in the urban areas have more
access to the Internet in comparison to their rural counterparts (Plunkett, n.d.). Moreover, it is
interesting to note that the digital divide in Canada denotes a wide discrimination which prevails
in Canada in respect of gender and level of income. The survey conducted by StatsCan in 2007
also revealed that in comparison to the Canadian men the Canadian women have lesser
opportunity to use the Internet for a prolonged period (Plunkett, n.d.). And the survey also
brought forward the fact that “Those Canadians with an income greater than $95,000 had a
higher usage level (91%) than those Canadians with an income less than $24,000 (47%)”
(Plunkett, n.d.). So, it can be seen that from the perspective of economy, gender, and age, the
concept of digital divide must be considered to be existing expansively in Canada. Furthermore,
the concept of digital divide is also predominating in the realm of Canadian education to a great
extent. It is an issue of concern that “Due to the expense of Internet access and support in rural
areas, school boards in these areas are not always able to afford similar levels of ICT as the
urban boards. Rural schools seem to be disadvantaged in various ways. Rural schools are less
likely to have a well-trained specialist and less educational software; they use fewer types of
specialized software in different subjects” (Plunkett, n.d.). So, it is observable that the
discrepancy that is caused by digital divide is tremendously affecting the educational system of
Canada.
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It is to be noted that digital divide has been aggravated by myriads of reasons and most of
the reasons are sociological. Primarily it is the sociological concept of income differences which
play havoc in instigating the widening of the digital divide. In Canada alone, there are wide
disparities amongst the income groups and it is to be admitted that in this nation the well-to-do
individuals are far more likely to have PCs and Internet connections than their impoverished
counterparts (Fleetwood, 2001). Moreover, as per the economic condition of North America
“Those with income in excess of $75K are 20 times more likely to have Internet access than
those at the lowest income level” (Fleetwood, 2001). Also, it should be noted, that apart from
income inequality the disparity in the level of education also contributes a lot to the growth of
the concept of digital divide in Canada. It has been observed that “The better educated are
statistically more likely to have and use connected PCs. In particular those with college degrees
or higher are ten times more likely to have access. Only 6.6% of people with an elementary
school education or less use the Internet” (Fleetwood, 2001). Furthermore, it is noteworthy that
digital divide in Canada is also an outcome of the racial and ethnic discrimination which still
persists in the nation. It has been observed that the Aboriginals in Canada are more deprived in
terms of getting access to the information technology in comparison to their rural white
counterparts and this is because of the apathy of the government towards introducing the Internet
technology to the Aboriginal households. It must not be overlooked that though in Canada the
Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) funds different projects to improve the accessibility of
the Aboriginals to computer technologies, the fact remains that the funding is meager and can be
stated as unsatisfactory (Plunkett, n.d.). Again, it is a fact that in different North American
countries, and specifically in Canada, digital divide is provoked by the large gaps that exist
“regarding Internet penetration rates among households of different races and ethnic origins.
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Further, large gaps remain when measured against the National average for Internet penetration”
(Fleetwood, 2001). So, it is observable that sociological reasons related to income level, level of
education, and racial and ethnic origin, contributes significantly to the widening of the digital
gap in Canada.
The digital divide in Canada has been rendering some troublesome consequences.
Primarily, such divide is instigating the process of social exclusion. Due to such divide the
Aboriginal students and adults are lagging behind in terms of education and knowledge and such
lack of knowledge is directly affecting their economic condition. It is due to this digital divide
that, instead of merging with the mainstream Canadian society, the Aboriginals are gradually
being alienated from it. Secondly, it must be admitted that “Each year, being digitally connected
becomes ever more critical to economic, educational, and social advancement. Those without the
appropriate tools (in terms of PCs and Internet connectivity) and applicable skills will become
increasingly disadvantaged” (Fleetwood, 2001). Moreover, it should be mentioned that already
due to racial discrimination, in Canada, the Aboriginals are suffering from the curse of lack of
knowledge, education, and proper mode of employment. And if this gap persists for a longer
period then these Aboriginals (including students and adults) will have to face with the menace
of fewer employment opportunities, restricted access to information and support, and lack of
opportunity to use basic facilities like email, online consumer services and financial services, etc
(Fleetwood, 2001), and all such voids are going to affect the socio-economic balance of the
country to a...