Posts Tagged ‘ mobile access ’

Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide Part 2

October 1, 2010
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Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide Part 2

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

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Mobile Phones Are Not The Key to Bridging the Digital Divide

July 26, 2010
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Mobile Phones Are Not The Key to Bridging the Digital Divide

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

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photo by Beth Tribe

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