Gateway to Gov - Research and Discussion Blog

There has been a lot of talk over the past 10 years about the so-called digital divide – the disparity between those who benefit from new technologies and those who don’t – and its impact on online advocacy. Traditional thinking has been that the divide is primarily a problem of access – once you provide affordable computers and fast Internet connection, new populations of people will begin to utilize the web. Our friends at DigitalDivide.org rightly point out that the issue is not so much about access, but about the benefits gained from being connected. If, for example, you give thousands of computers to people in a developing nation, but do not provide them the skills to utilize the web for productive purposes, then you are really doing little good.

One of our main purposes at Gateway is to give people a way to connect with others in their community about issues of concern. It is our belief that when people connect on the grassroots level they can create solutions for meeting community needs. This will encourage more people to utilize the Internet. As computer prices and connections costs are lowered our goal should be to create platforms to help bridge the divide. The question is not only how to get people connected, but what they will do once they are.