By: Carter Cox
The article I read this week, titled “The Digital Divide Objectified in the Design: Use of the Mobile Telephone by Underprivileged Youth in Sri Lanka”, talks about what the digital divide is and how it is everchanging in most parts of the world. This article explores the fact that even though accessibility to mobile technology is increasing in some developing areas, particularly in Southern Asia, some mobile phone designs have actually prevented the users from using the tech to its full potential. To put it in simpler terms, there are specific phone qualities that prevent underprivileged users from performing the same tasks that more privileged populations routinely perform.
In a world that is increasingly reliant on digital technology to facilitate all types of human activity, the digital divide is a serious issue. Now more than ever, humans are expected to have unlimited access to high-quality technology that they can use for work, school, social interaction, entertainment purposes, and more. For example, by attending universities like Washington State, all students are expected to have high-functioning computers to complete various academic assignments. For the most part, affordable tech is out there. There are mobile phones and lower-end laptops are relatively cheap and have most conventional functions. As the article stated, the problem is moving away from an accessibility issue and becoming an inequality issue.
Is there now more physical access to mobile technology in underdeveloped parts of the world? Yes. Is there sufficient technological literacy to have it effectively used? Not so much. Mobile phones now come preloaded with an abundance of applications and features, most of the time with little guidance.
Another interesting theory this article delves into is objectification through mobile technology. This is the idea that preexisting social inequalities and statuses will be repeated in the digital world. Basically, the standard social system outside of technology will be recreated inside said technology if given the chance. As the article explained, privileged youth were more adept at adapting to new communication systems within mobile phones whereas the underprivileged populations faced heavy challenges when using the same systems. Modern cellphone designs depend heavily on knowledge of previous models and similar systems. When underprivileged adolescents are receiving their first mobile phone, their privileged counterparts have already had the five different models that were already released.
There are some other more specific barriers underprivileged populations must face when adapting to new mobile technologies. When it comes to the case of Southern Asian adolescents, there is a language barrier. Most phones come with instructions that are written in English – a language they have very little experience in.
In the end, providing access to mobile technology is not enough to solve the digital divide. Improving the usability of these devices should be the next big step in bridging the gap. Designing mobile devices that can seamlessly educate and facilitate the user to achieve what they desire is the next focus for future generations of technology. The last thing this article talks about is that due to the market’s capitalistic nature, it is no secret why devices are designed to cater to those of the higher class. If our society ever truly wants to connect the divide, tech designers have to start thinking of the humans who buy their product – not the consumer inside of them.
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