The Next Billion: Jumping the Digital Divide

Over the last 20 years the Internet and globalization have had an impact on the way we as democracy activists think about our work. It has not superseded our fundamental person to person interactions, yet it has provided us and those with whom we work a new toolbox with which to push for improvements in approaches to civic engagement and activism. Yet, even as more than 2.4 billion people around the world push forward into the digital frontier what can we say about the nearly 4.5 billion who are not on the Internet? How do we reach those individuals and get them pulled into an online digital discourse and civil society so their voices can be heard? This post examines the digital divide globally and presents some of the technologies available to bridge the digital divide to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.

The global communications infrastructure is truly in its infancy. The Internet has only been a major force globally for about 20 years. The Internet in its short relevant lifespan connects us in ways we never before thought possible. In the 1970s it was imagined that a computer would one day fit inside a large room, now we carry a computer vastly more powerful than the one that resulted in the successful lunar landings on the moon in our pocket every day. But, while we, in our every day society, carry more and more sophisticated computing devices, we often forget we are among the lucky 1/3 of the planet’s population with access to a treasure trove of information and communications capabilities.

We are able to connect to the Internet relatively cheaply and at speeds that allow us to stream high-definition movies. But the image below from the World Bank indicates that the global distribution of access to the Internet is not balanced. In fact if we look at that map we could use it to help us determine numerous different basic features of economics and politics globally. Without delving too deeply we can easily tell where the major economic powers are and where countries are more and or less democratic. Below the map of internet users per 100 people in a country is the GDP Per Capita PPP map. These two maps use different colors but the highlighting trends are remarkably similar with some exceptions. What we can draw from this rough comparison is a basic sense that individuals in states with high Internet penetration are more likely to have greater wealth than those in states with little to no internet penetration.

In 2011 e-commerce represented more than one quarter of a trillion dollars worth of economic activity in the United States alone according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Globally those numbers are even larger. While this is still a relatively small percentage of the total global economy that currently stands at approximately 73 Trillion dollars a year, its importance to global economics is no small thing.

In an article about the digital divide and its impact on democracy, why am I writing about economics? Because the digital divide affects societies in more ways than just the ability to use social media to organize. It is a platform for education and literacy, a platform for women’s empowerment, and opening parliaments. And at present the divide between those who have access and those who down is important to how we consider everything from democracy to economics, to social and cultural issues. But the kicker is that it isn’t a story of infrastructure alone it is a story of commitment to substantive networked change around the world.

When people are taught how to use digital tools they can achieve great things. Whether it is digital debates as illustrated by Munathra in Tunisia, uSpeak in Uganda, Let’s Talk in Sudan, or Reconciliation Road in Liberia. Bridging the digital divide through trainings, creative problem solving, and in some cases infrastructure development can empower individual both as economic actors and citizens. Digital tools are not the end-all be-all of societal improvement, they are instead a force multiplier that provides connections to people and information that individuals might not otherwise have had access to.

Our own research on technology and democracy suggests a great deal of sustained hope even in the face of significant challenges from censorship and espionage for technology to provide solutions to societies for increasing transparency, accountability, citizen engagement, and much more. In fact what we have noticed is that in the wake of the NSA revelations there is an increasing volume associated with that call for technology to answer many of the problems of society as evidenced by the increases in volume associated with technology and democracy shown in the image below. 

This substantive hope requires access and understanding. It is not sufficient to build network infrastructure or hand out cool tech - it is important to engage people to use these tools to solve problems prevalent in their every day lives. It requires showing youth that they can have a voice and communicate beyond their own communities with others who have similar interests. The digital divide is as much about access as it is about empowerment through education. It is a technical divide and a knowledge divide that can be overcome.

We are 1/3 of the way there. The challenge is to bring the remaining two thirds in and get everyone’s voices heard. It requires us to utilize the tools and capabilities of the digital world effectively and in cultural and nationally specific contexts. Yet, even as more and more people are brought online and connected there are still complicated challenges. As the old concept of the digital divide as a term of Information Communication Technology connectedness to the Internet moves towards the inclusion of more and more people globally, nations themselves are developing a new form of digital divide between open and filtered/surveilled networks.

This forces us into a dual challenge of providing tools and trainings for access to information and technology at the same time we must also be vigilant to ensure that those whom we train and educate understand the associated risks. Thus, we are caught between the digital divide of no access and state monitored access. It is therefore necessary to approach this divide through a strategic lens utilizing tools such as Security in a Box from Tactical Tech or any number of platforms with the knowledge that all our efforts might be for naught against the mega-surveillance agencies of the world.

Moving forward the digital divide is a gap between those with a seat at the table both in economic and in many cases political and social terms. It is a doorway to information, interconnectedness with like-minded individuals, and provides tools to amplify one’s voice. There is evidence from the Arab Spring, mobilization around campaigns and social issues that technology can be a positive force in the world. It is our job to ensure that we provide the tools and techniques to safely and effectively engage the next billion users to leverage our experiences to facilitate a better world.