The World Ain't Flat

As the worlds of commerce and media move increasingly towards the Web, we should consider the technology gap that exists within this country and across the globe.

The Internet has no doubt done wonders for the economies of many countries. But the Internet boom poses problems for countries that are, by U.S standards, barely into the 20th century. How can they be expected to even remotely keep up with global trends? And, here in the U.S., where does this leave those with little education and limited Internet access?

A 2007 study by the Pew Internet and American Life project said 85 percent of U.S citizens have internet access or cell phones (or both). Those numbers sound great, but they don't tell the whole story.

Last year, the New York Times reported on a study conducted by three Ivy League schools which shows that a “huge pool of poorly educated black men are becoming ever more disconnected from the mainstream society, and to a far greater degree than comparable white or Hispanic men.”

Though the study did not specifically mention the technology gap as a reason for the trend, it did attribute much of the problem to lack of education. And most would agree that, today, computer literacy is essential to anyone's education.

So what is the media's responsibility in bridging the technological gap? Should we only seek to provide certain demographics with information because the ratings justify it? Or should we make an effort to be more inclusive?

--Caine O'Rear