The Digital Divide

The global digital divide is a term used to describe “great disparities in opportunity to access the Internet and the information and educational/business opportunities tied to this access … between developed and developing countries”. Unlike the traditional notion of the "digital divide" between social classes, the "global digital divide" is essentially a geographical division.
The "global digital divide" is distinguishable from the "digital divide", in that “Internet has developed unevenly throughout the world” (Guillen, M. F. & Suarez, S. L. 2005, p. 681) causing some countries to fall behind in technology, education, labor, democracy, and tourism.
The digital divide depicts the disparity of having internet access between the rural and the urban areas of the United States while global digital divide relates this difference between the “haves” and the “have nots” to the less developed nations and the more developed nations. (Wikipedia, 2010). With such diversity and disparity in how technology has advanced in various countries, determine the causes effecting these differences prior to being able to devise a solution. As an integrator of technology I would have to determine the causes, economic, availability, cultural differences etc. that are responsible for aiding the disparity and then create solutions, specific to each cause in hopes to alleviate the divide. Since having access to technology provides users with the opportunity to earn higher wages and to further their education, it is a much needed and desired asset worth pursuing to lessen the divide.
According to James (2008), the internet has taken place overwhelmingly among the upper-income, educated, and urban segments in developing countries. In order to lessen the divide, one must begin to integrate these newer technologies into the less urban areas. Perhaps one way to help lessen the divide in rural areas across the globe is to provide specific hubs within the community internet access and computers that can be utilized. Another way to help lessen the gap between gender divides is to not only supply the schools with technology but also places in the community, for in many developing countries, not all children, especially girls, have the opportunity to attend school. For as Pick and Azari (2008) state, in their study, solutions to the problem include investing in stimulating, attracting, and growing creative technical and scientific workforce, increase the access to education and digital literacy, reduce the gender divide ad empower women to participate in the ICT workforce, emphasize investing in research and development for certain metropolitan areas within these nations.
References:

Guillen, M. F., & Suárez, S. L. (2005). Explaining the global digital divide: Economic, political and sociological drivers of cross-national internet use. Social Forces, 84(2), 681-708.
James, J. (2008). Digital Divide Complacency: Misconceptions and Dangers. The Information Society, 24, 54-61.
Pick, J. & Azari, R. (2008). Global Digital Divide: Influence of Socioeconomic, Governmental,and Accessibility Factors on Information Technology. Information Technology for Development, 14(2), 91-115

Links: The Digital Divide: Is There a Solution?
http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/the-digital-divide-is-there-a/