Essay outline

Main topic area identified: Digital divide within the basic unit of society à Family i.e Elderly, housewives in the family.

Reasons for the digital divide between the elderly and rest of the family: significant disparities between the different generations with respect to their skills and knowledge of using Information & Communication Technology ICTs.

Initiatives by IDA which are- on going

-The Silver Infocomm Initiative (SII) aims to bridge the digital divide among senior citizens by addressing their differences in educational background, language and infocomm competencies. The SII includes programmes that provide access to IT training and computer resources, and engage senior citizens in various Silver Infocomm events such as Silver Infocomm Day.

Evaluation: The success of the initiative depends on the reach, accessibility and frequency of the initiative as it might take a longer than expected time for the elderly to catch up on technology.

Future plans of IDA:

-Infocomm Development Authority (IDA)’s 10 year master plan: iN2015, which aims to build an infocomm-savvy nation where lives are enriched through infocomm.

-A key strategy is to build a next generation digital communication infrastructure, known as the Next generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN), to prepare the nation to meet the demands of digital technologies and develop an infocomm driven economy.

Proposed solution: Infocomm Development Authority IDA, national agency, organise monthly campaigns around neighbourhoods, to promote the use of internet among the elderly. For example IDA could have computers set up at the campaign with personnels to guide the elderly along basic computer applications like opening a website, browsing the internet and using the internet, search engines like Yahoo and Google to find the necessary information.

Proposed Thesis: As Singapore is moving towards a knowledge based economy (KBE), it inevitably brings about the risk of social digital divide, which is the gap between those who are internet savvy and those who are not, between the elderly and the rest of the family. Thus national agencies like IDA could come in, to organise monthly campaigns to bridge the digital divide.