What is the "digital divide"? Well, the digital divide is defined here as the inability of some people to access the same technology that alot of other people in American or Canadian society commonly have, such as smart phones or computers. This inability due to income or location can make it very difficult for these people to have the same access to information and opportunities. It might even be keeping them from getting a job or a place to live. How do we help people bridge this gap? Well, libraries are trying to do just that. Libraries do their best to provide access to information and opportunities via computers and training programs that teach people about job hunting and resume building. Libraries often will also provide English as a Second Language classes to help people have an easier time transitioning to their new cultures and help with employment. I say that libraries are doing their best because oftentimes the people who cannot afford access to these things at home are often grouped together in similar areas. In other words, it has alot to do with sociopolitics and location of low-income neighborhoods. If the people in the area have a hard time affording these things, the library in that area probably will have issues with funding as well. It's a horribly unfair problem that has to do with the peculiarities of capitalism and its negative drawbacks to the poor. Here is an article that discusses these socioeconomic issues in more depth.
Privilege and Repression in the Digital Era: Rethinking the Sociopolitics of the Digital Divide
Paul C. Gorski
Race, Gender & Class
Vol. 10, No. 4, Privilege and Race, Gender, and Class (2003), pp. 145-176
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