Slashdot Mirror
The Digital Differences In Americans
antdude writes "When the Pew Internet Project first studied the role of the internet in American life, there were big differences between those who were using the internet and those who weren't. Today, differences in internet access still exist, especially when it comes to access to high-speed broadband at home. From the article: 'Virtually every U.S. household with an annual income over $75,000 is online, but that’s only true for 63% of adults who live in a household with an annual income under $30,000. The numbers look quite similar for different education levels: 94% of adults with post-graduate degrees are online, but 57% of those without high school diplomas remain offline.
Beside the obvious economic barriers to entry, though, the Pew poll also found that half of those who don’t go online do so because they just don’t think “the Internet is relevant to them.” One in five of those who are not online today think that they just don’t know enough about technology to use the Internet on their own.'"
TV is for poorer, less educated people.
But then how are less educated people supposed to become more educated? NBC, ABC, CBS/CW, and My/Fox haven't been doing a lot of good in that respect IMO.
First - the internet doesn't immediately rank as a survival item. Not even close.
i think if you know what you are doing its the only thing you need.
For a time my cousin went homeless. Facebook and a smart phone was her way to beg food and transportation, eventually finding her way to the right government assistance. She has an apartment and a job now. Her facebook has a chapter of all the pictures she took as she wandered the street for a few months.
I prefer Miss South Carolina's explaination of why 20% of Americans aren't on the internet:
“I personally believe, that U.S. Americans, are unable to do so, because uh, some, people out there, in our nation don’t have computers. and uh...I believe that our education like such as in South Africa, and the Iraq, everywhere like such as...and, I believe they should uh, our education over here, in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa, and should help the Iraq and Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.”
EVERY HOUSE should have the option for affordable or free internet, its that important.
Free internet service? How does that happen? Oh, you mean "paid for by someone else". Is it really that important?
It's really hard to get a job without an Internet connection. Sure, it can be done, but it's harder. It's almost as important as having a phone number and address. Would it be cheaper to subsidize Internet access than to pay unemployment benefits? Or to forgo the taxes that get collected from people who are employed?
buy every kid on my street a used laptop at $200 a head.
I did similar in the late 90's. Bunch of ex-corporate laptops, given to kids who would otherwise not have one.
One year later, not a single one of those laptops was still functioning.
And I had exactly the same experience. All of them were toasted/stolen/pawned in short order.
Is it really that important?
Yes, it is.
It's a vital utility in our modern society. It should be available everywhere, and should not cost the ridiculous fees it does. It, like all utilities, should not be run by for-profit companies. Your ISP, your electric, your water... they should all be socialized, or at the very least run as co-ops. Competition doesn't work as is. When you remove competition, as is the case with said utilities, it certainly will never work correctly or fairly.
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune