In a Euromonitor blog post entitled “Global Digital Divide
Persists but Is Narrowing” (2011); it is asserted that the gap in internet
accessibility between developed and developing countries is getting smaller.
Even though consumers in developed countries have a greater access to internet
connection than those in developing countries, the number of consumers with
access to internet in the latter is increasing over the past few years. This
blog post has also noted that internet usage and access have significant
implications on the internet users in both developing and developed countries.
I
believe that the narrowing of the global digital divide though persistent has impacted
both the developing and developed counties in one way or other; however the
extent of the impact truly depends on the individual countries’ growth which
could possibly alter the extent of the impact. The blog post firstly, puts forth several
positive impacts that arise from increased internet accessibility. Secondly,
the blog post also asserts how the narrowing global divide has led to social
and cultural globalisation. And lastly, the author also asserted that the
developing countries’ projected growth in digital connectivity will be faster
than developed countries, which I feel is subjected to the growth of the
individual developing countries. I feel that in order for the developing
countries to fully enjoy the benefits of the narrowing global divide, the
developing countries have to be open to changes such as having increased
internet accessibility and prepare its citizens adequately to adapt to the
changes.
Firstly, I agree with the assertion made
in the blog post that there are various positive impacts such as social and
economic on the consumers due to increased internet accessibility .This is
particularly true in my case. Gone are the days where telephone was the only
mode of communication. Today with the invention of social media such as
Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp we are increasingly connected with each other. I
still remember back in my primary and secondary school days, project meetings
were hard to change. This was because we had to communicate with one
another rather than communicate as group but today the situation is quite
different as groups can be easily created on Whataspp and communication is made
much easier. Such inventions in social media have to be attributed to increased
internet accessibility.
Secondly, another point made in the article is that,
the narrowing digital divide has “arguably added to a social and cultural
globalization with consumers all over the world able to access a wider choice
of things like music, entertainment, brands and products” (Euromonitor
International, 2011). Again I find myself nodding to this statement as today almost
everything is done online from signing up for credit cards to buying clothes.
Five years ago , if someone asked me, if I shopped online my answer will be a
“no” as I preferred going down to the shops to get them , but today due to the
hectic lifestyles we are leading I prefer buying them online. Indeed I will
agree that the narrowing digital divide has resulted in a “cultural and social
globalization”.
Lastly, the article mentions that “The availability
of information on the Internet provides a major learning resource for
consumers, both in terms of awareness of current affairs but also for training
and remote learning. This could help reduce the divide in education and
literacy levels between developed and developing regions as well as
helping to narrow rural and urban divides (Euromonitor International, 2011). I agree with the above claim as I believe there is a
vast amount of information available on the internet for us to use. With a
click of a few buttons we can be connected to possibly any part of the world
and be aware of what is happening there at any point.
However, I do not agree fully with the above
claim made about the with vast amount of information available on the internet
increases consumer’s awareness to a point, that it could help reduce the divide
in education and literacy rates between developing and developed as not
everyone can use what’s on the internet wisely or rather know how to use it to
their advantage. So this is the part where I disagree with the author assertion
that developing countries’ projected growth in digital connectivity will be
faster than developed countries as it really depends on how these countries
respond to changes. For a developing country like China which is expected to
have the world’s biggest number of broadband users by the year 2020 (Euromonitor International, 2011) doesn’t guarantee all of china’s
citizens will be more internet savvy which will make China more digitally
interconnected.
In conclusion , some of the ideas brought out in
the article, made me think further on how the narrowing global divide is of
advantage to everyone living in both developed and developing countries but
more so for those in developing countries. However, I feel that the
benefits of narrowing global divide will vary across countries as it is
dependent on each country’s own development and growth.
Bibliography
Euromonitor
International (2011, Feb 11). Global digital divide persists but is narrowing. Retrieved September 04, 2014, from
http://blog.euromonitor.com/2011/02/global-digital-divide-persists-but-is-narrowing-1.html
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