User talk:Ecgree6/sandbox
An addition of how the lack of technology affects happiness would add an important aspect to this article. It would be interesting to read about which people are more happy, those with technology or those without it. While economic and educational effects are important, this would create an interesting perspective that is not so black and white. This could also turn into an ethical discussion of whether or not human beings should be given access to these types of technologies.
Otherwise, this article was very well written and comprehensive. You adequately provided evidence with citations of the topics you aimed to cover. This would be an important addition to this Wikipedia article. Rachelkramer (talk) 00:51, 30 March 2017 (UTC)
Instructor Comments
[edit]Evan -- nice work! I think the paragraph about economic disparity is great and needs very little work. The paragraph about education, however, seemed to stray from its point -- going into just general statistics about the digital divide (which are well-covered elsewhere in the article), but not really covering the impact on education. Here's what I would do: remove the general statistics from the education paragraph and add just one or two more sentences about education here -- as you know, the "social capital" section is quite short as well, and I think it would be fine to have three or four short sections here (Social Capital, Economic Disparity, Education, maybe Happiness). Do this first, and tackle the happiness section afterwards if you have time--adding just 2 short sections here will be sufficient for class purposes. Other changes noted below.
[Each a new section under "Implications"]
Economic Disparity
The digital divide has the ability to affect all realms of life. Economic disparity, educational development, and ethical responsibilities all revolve around the technological and digital evolution in any particular region. There are numerous places, such as communities all over Africa, India, and southern parts of Asia, in which there is no Internet Access to be found due to a lack of funds.[1] This puts these countries and places at an inherent risk, taking away the opportunity to learn IT skills and information about the web.[2] [These last two sentences could potentially be edited and added to the beginning of the below paragraph -- but they seem to me too general, repeating information already found in the article]
Even here at home,In the United States, research provided by Sungard Availability Services notes a direct correlation between a company’s access to technological advancements and its overall success in bolstering the economy.[3] The study, which includes over 2,000 IT executives and staff officers, indicates that 69 percent of employees feel they do not have access to sufficient technology in order to make their jobs easier, while 63 percent of them believe the lack of technological mechanisms hinders their ability to develop new work skills.[4] Additional analysis provides more evidence to show how the digital divide also affects the economy in places all over the world. A BCG Report suggests that in countries like Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K., the digital connection among communities is made easier, allowing for their populations to obtain a much larger share of the economies via digital business.[5] In fact, in these places, populations hold shares approximately 2.5 percentage points higher.[6]
Education
The digital divide also presents implications on aimpacts children’s ability to learn and grow in low-income school districts. These implications hinder their ability Without internet access, students are unable to cultivate necessary tech skills in order to understand today’s dynamic economy.[7] According to the 2012 Pew Report “Digital Differences,” a mere 62% of households who make less than $30,000 a year use the Internet, while 90% of those making between $50,000 and $75,000 had access.[8] Furthermore, studies show that only 51% of Hispanics and 49% of African Americans have high-speed Internet at home. This is compared to the 66% of Caucasians that also have the high-speed Internet in their households.[9] Overall, 10% of all Americans don’t have access to high-speed Internet, an equivalent of almost 34 million people.[10] Supplemented reports from the Guardian demonstrate the global effects [of what?], rather than simply the effects in the United States. Their study shows that the rapid digital expansion excludes those who find themselves in the lower class. 60% of the world’s population, almost 4 billion people, have no access to the Internet and are thus left worse off.[11]