Librarian by Day » knight commission

Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide Part 2

Bobbi Newman — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:11:42 +0000

Jason Griffey and I are having a discussion via our blogs regarding mobile phones and the digital divide to catch up first read my original post Why Mobile Phone Are Not the Key to the Digital Divide then read Jason’s response Why mobile phones are one key to the digital divide. This is my response to his post.

Jason states:

I believe strongly that the idea that a desktop is somehow superior to a mobile phone for Internet access is an accident of the time in which we live and the historical nature of the rise of computing. One can easily imagine that 10 years from now the then-digital-natives will look aghast at the desktops of the past. “What do you mean, you had to sit at a desk to use a computer? You pushed actual buttons?

I agree with this or at least don’t doubt the likelihood of it. Except for one part, there are no digital natives. At least not in the sweeping generational assignments we technophiles want to apply. You can not say all Millennials are digital natives, or that the generation after them will be, until we close the digital divide. There are too many children without exposure to the technology they would need to be considered digital natives. *

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), more than 100 million Americans don’t have broadband at home because they either can’t get it, can’t afford it, or aren’t aware of its benefits. Some 65 percent of U.S. households have broadband, a far lower adoption rate than in other technologically advanced countries such as Singapore (88 percent) or South Korea (95 percent). – PC World February 2010

The National Broadband Plan from the FCC looks to address the issues created by the digital divide today, not in 10 years. So when Aaron Smith states he thinks mobile phones play a key role he means now, in 2010, not 2020. That is my complaint. In 10 years this may be perfectly true.

Jason points out there are some who prefer mobile access:

There are examples, even today, of people who prefer mobile access to the Internet to using a desktop: the entire country of Japan, for instance. Many of them could easily afford desktops, but overwhelmingly they choose mobile phones as the mechanism they use for accessing the Internet.

Again he is correct. However this isn’t about choice, it is about assigning a substandard option for a class of people. We are moving toward better mobile, but in the mean time we can not apply a separate but equal philosophy to the ways in which individuals access the internet.

So unless there are some actual things that can be pointed out as to why Mobile access is second-class (and I swear, if someone says Flash, I quit)….I’m calling this cultural and historic bias.

Ok so it sounds like if I can convince Jason mobile access is not as good as a PC I might start to sway him.

For smartphones to replace PCs, they would have to take on all the features of a PC — they’d need to input and edit text as easily as a PC, create spreadsheets as easily as a PC, edit pictures and presentations as easily as a PC, and manage large databases as easily as a PC. To do that in a small mobile device, you need a color folding screen (so you can work with large documents), either a full-size keyboard or perfect voice recognition, a pointing device a heck of a lot more sophisticated than a five-way rocker, enormous amounts of storage, and a fast processor. Michael Mace CEO of Cera Technology

PC World magazine looks at Laptop vs. Netbook vs. Smartphone and asks Work, school, and play: Which portable computer is the do-everything device for you? A smart phone was not their first recommendation in any of the categories.

Here is a list of the things I attempted last night from my Smartphone, HTC Evo from Sprint. I’m sure there is a much longer list but I was tired, and my battery died

print – Government agencies are no longer issuing print forms.
inspect page source code – How do you think I learned most of what I know about html?
change my Facebook privacy settings – we all know why this is important
create a Facebook page for my new small business, manage the FB page I already have
edit the videos I recorded before uploading them to YouTube
play World of Warcraft
apply for a job
spell check my comments on blogs before posting, so I don’t look any more foolish than I already do. On my PC this is something Chrome automatically does for me (thank goodness)

I was able to do somethings like check my bank account or access Google docs but good grief was it slow and if you’ve ever seen me text you know I can hold my own with most 14-year-old girls.

The screen size and lack of a real keyboard are still huge issues for me. Can you imagine trying to write a paper on one of these? In an age when being a citizen in a democratic society means participation and creation smartphones are still primarily a tool for consumption.

Battery life my netbook gets something like 10 hours and its over a year old. My phone doesn’t last the day with heavy use.

My mom lost her Blackberry last week. Who knows where, somewhere at home she thinks but its gone, as is everything on it. I know your PC could be stolen (or lost I guess) but the odds are slimmer. Even if your computer crashed you still have the hardware to rebuild upon.

* Can I just add on a personal note that I hope whatever we’re doing in 10 years is more comfortable than sitting at a keyboard all day because my back is killing me.Similar Posts:

Why Mobile Phone Are Not the Key to the Digital Divide

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:18:25 +0000

Earlier this week I tweeted

I whole heartedly, unequivocally disagree with this! Mobile access helps agencies break past digital divide

Which linked to this article from, Pew Internet and American life - Mobile access helps agencies break past digital divide | Interview with Aaron Smith. In which Smith says

“I think mobile is playing a key role in bridging those gaps between people who have that broadband connection at home and people who don’t. It really gives people an economically viable opportunity to tap into the online world that they wouldn’t normally have,”

I got some responses back on Twitter including from Jason Griffey and Tiffini Travis disagreeing with me, Jason suggested dueling blog posts. Earlier this year I wrote a post entitled Mobile Phones Are Not The Key to Bridging the Digital Divide in response to an NPR story, A Digital Revolution In The Palm Of Your Hand. Since this is actually my second attempt at addressing this issue on my blog I hope I am more elegant, articulate and successful in delivering my message.

Reports and studies show that minorities and lower-income households rely on mobile access because they do not have access at home.

Other cultural forces aside, minorities, lower-income households and younger adults access the Internet at higher rates on mobile devices because they often do not have computers at home. – NYT, 2010

According to the FCC’s National Broadband Plan

Like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. It is enabling entire new industries and unlocking vast new possibilities for existing ones. It is changing how we educate children, deliver health care, manage energy, ensure public safety, engage government, and access, organize and disseminate knowledge.

I agree with Jason, mobile technology is improving at a rapid pace. However, it is not on par with a computer with a high-speed internet connection. There are many things you still can not do with a mobile phone, even a smart phone. Are we really willing to say that this less robust point of access is acceptable for minorities and the economically challenged?

As I said before:

I firmly believe that this will result in the sort of second class citizens that the Knight Commission warns us about. Please don’t make me point out the problem of accepting a sub-standard option for minorities.

We must acknowledge that, while mobile access is better than no access, it is still not the equivalent of high-speed access from a computer. It is not acceptable for privileged, economically sound, techno savvy people to state that these two forms of access are the same. When you look at the reasons for the National Broadband Plan:

education
health care
public safety
civic engagement
access, organize and disseminate knowledge.

How is a separate and inferior point of access acceptable for a different socio-economic group of people?

Read more:

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Mobile Phones Are Not The Key to Bridging the Digital Divide

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:47:43 +0000

Something new to consider as we consider at broadband access as a universal right – mobile phones. NPR looks at a recent report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project on Mobile Access. Does 3G (and soon to be 4G) speed qualify as broadband access? NPR quotes these stats from Pew

African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos continue to be among the most active users of the mobile web. Cell phone ownership is higher among African-Americans and Latinos than among whites (87% vs. 80%) and minority cell phone owners take advantage of a much greater range of their phones’ features compared with white mobile phone users. In total, 64% of African-Americans access the internet from a laptop or mobile phone, a seven-point increase from the 57% who did so at a similar point in 2009.

Before stating:

Could mobile use be a gateway for people of color to harness more of the broader digital world? Both activists and advertisers believe so.

Are we really going to say a mobile phone equals broadband access? I sure hope not. So many sites still don’t work well on mobile phones, including important ones from the government. I firmly believe that this will result in the sort of second class citizens that the Knight Commission warns us about. Please don’t make me point out the problem of accepting a sub-standard option for minorities.

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Video from Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:38:06 +0000

Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

In October 2009 the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy released its report. The report itself is over 100 pages and worth reading. It is available to download as a pdf or to read online. If you just want the bottom line, you can see just the recommendations it makes or the ones that especially pertain to libraries.Similar Posts: