Digitization
Digitization – Linking Digital Divide with Digital DividendIt is really surprising that throughout the course of history there have been severe differences among people or nations for whatsoever reasons. Sometimes it was the skin color that bothered the Americans for years and hindered their progress. Thereafter, it was the Berlin wall, which notably epitomized the difference among people. And now, it’s technology itself, which is being held responsible for differences among the lesser mortals.
The fact that various geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural subpopulations in today’s world have widely varying access to a range of digital technologies has engaged political, intellectual, and business leaders in a vigorous and far-ranging debate under the topic – digital divide.
The debate encompasses multiple perspectives ranging from providing the lesser-developed nations with broader access to the Internet to simply allowing the market forces run their course. And digital divide is not just a futile discussion among the so-called intellectuals rather it was a prominent agenda item at the annual G8 summit of the world’s leading industrial countries.
The Globalists project digital divide as a proof that the United States is digitally isolating itself from the rest of the world, while the Digital Democrats demand cyber-democracy, and the Digital Egalitarians want to mandate equal access to technological tools throughout all strata of society.
Truly, the problem of digital divide must be addressed, but one needs to understand that merely providing Internet access to every e-citizen will not shut the mouths of the Digital Democrats and Egalitarians forever because the stakes are much greater.
More than government involvement, what is required to seal this digital divide, is the active participation of the business community in mending the fissures. And believe me, I am not calling for any charity work. Bridging the digital gap will enable businesses to thrive at a new level of post-industrial innovation and will produce better-trained, more productive employees apart from opening up new sales and marketing opportunities.
The emergence of electronic marketplace as the hub of domestic and global e-commerce will further lure businesses to help close the digital divides. In addition, the spread of digital technologies will offer an opportunity to meet the ever-changing consumer demands and create innovative products and services.
Thus, involving the private sector in the “bridging digital divide” effort will not only pursue the end result, but will also benefit the businesses with “digital dividends”. And it is not that I am throwing an out-of-the-box idea rather I am just highlighting the importance of digitization.
Businesses have already realized the benefits of promoting widespread use of digital technologies. Wireless communications through satellites, digital content management, broadband network access, and many such digital technologies are inexorably converging. Within corporations, managers are quickly closing the digital proficiency gap between high and low skilled employees. In the United States, the corporate sector is helping the education system to prepare students to work in a digital economy.
Likewise, I can go on mentioning the facts and benefits related to digital technologies and digitization, and still I must say that here I am just discussing the role of digitization in bridging the digital gap. Its because, digitization, in its entirety has many facets and a complete discussion on the real potential of digitization encompassing its role in information exchange, preservation and dissemination would perhaps cover the length of an entire book.
However, what can be most the appropriate conclusion of this discussion is the fact that its unity in diversity, which keeps this world going. And the bottom-line of the above discussion is that like all other differences witnessed by history, the difference caused due to digital divide can also be overcome provided, the technologists, Egalitarians, Globalists, and free-market adherents agree upon linking the digital divide with digital dividend.
posted by navneet biet @ 1:01 AM
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