Digital Differences. Stone Age to the Digital Age.

Source: https://lockhl2049.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/reflection-for-digital-differences/

Digital differences is how everyone in the world has different experiences with the Internet either being old, young or a disability, they all use it in some form. For example having the latest mobile phones are more common with the young generations where as our grandparents would not mind as much about what brand of mobile they have.

Professor Susan Halford had stated in her lecture ‘1/10 people have never used the Internet’, for reasons that I mentioned above, as well they are unable to afford access to the Internet e.g. a laptop or a mobile phone with WiFi connectivity. They were usually from low social economic backgrounds (Office of National Statistics). Who are likely to be in low unskilled work and un-educated, either by leaving school early or they live in accommodation that may not have access to WiFi.

This was further supported by the International Telecommunications Union as they stated, “53% of the world’s population was not using the Internet”. 

I strongly believe that our society is divided on how much people use the Internet, with the young using it more often and in a wider variety then the old as the biggest digital difference. As someone who from ages of 10 has grown as the Internet has grown, (Apple products were not the trend!!) we have been able to still experience our pre-teen years with no or limited forms of technology and Internet.
In today’s society it would nearly impossible for us to go a day with out the Internet, as my relatives live all across the world it’s essential to be able to keep in contact with them. But even with friends who live within a couple of miles it is needed to communicate. By commenting on MOOC Section 1.13, it was a good insight to see how others too have viewed their Digital Differences. (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-network-age/4/steps/303346)

Source:http://www.evonomie.net/tag/digital-differences/

Word Count: 305

References:

• Robinson, L., Cotten, S.R., Ono, H., Quan-Haase, A., Mesch, G., Chen, W., Schulz, J., Hale, T.M. and Stern, M.J., 2015. Digital inequalities and why they matter. Information, Communication & Society, 18(5), pp.569-http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1012532
• Internet users in the UK – Office for National Statistics. [online] Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2016 [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018].https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2016
• (2018). digital differences Archives – Evonomie. [online] Available at: http://www.evonomie.net/tag/digital-differences/ [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018].http://www.evonomie.net/tag/digital-differences/
• LIVING AND WORKING ON THE WEB. (2018). Putting it all together…. [online] Available at: https://lockhl2049.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/reflection-for-digital-differences/ [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018]. https://lockhl2049.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/reflection-for-digital-differences/
• (2018). Page from Learning in the Network Age – University of Southampton. [online] Available at: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-network-age/4/todo/26802 [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018]. https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-network-age/4/steps/303344
• ICT Facts and Figures 2017. [online] Available at: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018]. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx