Digital Divide
The digital divide is a term that refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology (ICT), and those that don’t or have restricted access. This technology can include the telephone, television, personal computers and internet connectivity.

Origins of the Digital Divide
Well before the late 20th century, the digital divide referred chiefly to the division between those with and without telephone access. After the late 1990s, the term began to be used mainly to describe the split between those with and without internet access, however, particularly broadband.

Even among populations with some access to technology, the digital divide can be evident in the form of lower-performance computers, lower-speed wireless connections, lower-priced internet use connections such as dial-up and limited access to subscription-based content.

Bridging the Digital Divide
Proponents for bridging the digital divide include those who argue it would improve digital literacy, digital skills democracy, social mobility, economic equality and economic growth.

The United Nations, for example, has helped to raise awareness regarding the global digital divide through the yearly celebration of World Information Society Day. It has also created the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force in an effort to bridge the global digital divide.

The reality of a separate-access marketplace is problematic because of the rise of services such as video on demand, video conferencing and virtual classrooms, which require access to the high-speed internet connections that those on the less-served side of the digital divide cannot access and/or afford. To combat this, some nonprofit groups have taken to providing internet access and laptops to school districts and areas with internet users of a lower-income level.

Reshamgupta
Today, it refers to the difference between those who have Internet access and those who do not.

    Reshamgupta
    The digital divide typically exists between those in urban areas and those in rural areas; between the educated and the uneducated; between socioeconomic groups; and, globally, between the more and less industrially developing countries.

      Reshamgupta
      The digital divide is still very much a reality today. According to a 2019 report, approximately 5 million rural American households and 15.3 million urban or metro areas still don’t access broadband internet.
      Meanwhile, a study by the Pew Research Center noted that 24% of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year don’t own a smartphone and 40% of those with lower incomes don’t have home broadband services or a computer.

        Reshamgupta
        A digital gap is most typically caused by poverty and economic restrictions that limit resources and prohibit individuals from accessing or using modern technology.

          Reshamgupta
          The digital gap is exacerbated by factors such as poor literacy and economic levels, geographical limits, a lack of willingness to utilise technology, a lack of physical access to technology, and digital illiteracy.

            Reshamgupta
            The digital divide basically exists between those in urban areas and those in rural areas; between the educated and the uneducated.