The Digital Divide
Introduction
It would be difficult to think of how our lives would be without much of the technology we take for granted in modern society. Technological advances, such as the Internet, allow us to connect, share, see and be heard, etc. in a way not possible even a decade ago. It is easy to see that through this we have gained a powerful tool for human development. It has also opened the door for further innovation, with corporations, governments, and entrepreneurs all seeking to harness this power, whether it is for profit, or for charitable reasons.
Some of the most easily observable advancements are in the area of medicine, where advances in technology have, increased life expectancy, cured what were previously believed to be “terminal” illnesses, and are seeking to eradicate diseases such as polio, malaria, to name but a few. However, it is not as simple as it may seem on the surface, and the situation is far more complex than someone living in a developed “western” country might think. There is a growing “digital divide” in the world. The more developed countries are leaving developing countries behind at an alarming rate.
In this collaborative essay we will argue that although technological innovation and entrepreneurialism have, and continue to work towards alleviating poverty, they alone cannot address unequal distribution of resources, including unequal access to technological resources themselves due in large part to a lack of the basic infrastructure.
Models of Good Practice in Technological Innovation for Poverty Reduction
In his article “Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation in Poverty Reduction” Akamura shows how technical innovation is significantly changing the landscape of development assistance. Akamura contends that an entrepreneurial approach is urgently needed in order to bring innovative solutions to creating a world without poverty.
Examples of such entrepreneurial projects include; “d.light” a social enterprise born at Stanford University’s Design School, known as “d.school”, which manufactures and sells affordable solar lanterns in developing countries; “Solar Ear”, a Brazil-based organisation that produces affordable hearing aid kits for the poor; and “KOPERNIK”, an online marketplace with projects such as fuel efficient cooking stoves, solar lanterns, solar charged hearing aids, obstetric packs and water purification devices.
There have been numerous initiatives which seek to connect everyone in the world, regardless of age, race, sex, religion, etc. under the belief that having access to more technology and increased connectivity, will bring about a better world through the sharing of ideas, and the ability to innovate. One such example is Google’s “Project Loon”.
Currently, approximately two thirds of the world’s population have no access to the internet. Google hopes that “Project Loon” will help to bridge this gap and bring the internet to people living in even the most remote areas where there may not be any infrastructure to support internet connectivity.
The plan is to launch balloons which will float in the stratosphere and allow Wi-Fi signals to be bounced from a series of antennae on the ground (say on an already connected house) up to one of these balloons and then reflected back down to an area which previously had no coverage.
The benefits which can be derived from a project such as this should not be overlooked. For example, in the early days, weeks and months following a natural disaster, which may have severed traditional underground cables that carry the internet into a region, one of the major difficulties facing aid workers is the lack of connectivity. Should Project Loon be a success, it will, potentially, be much easier, quicker and less expensive to launch a Google balloon to restore connectivity than it would be to repair, or re-lay the damaged cables.
Google launched their first test balloons in June 2013 in New Zealand’s South Island, and have seen promising results, and wish to expand Project Loon into new areas soon. One of their stated goals for the project is that it would allow millions of people in the developing world to have access to doctors through the use of webcams. This would allow people to be diagnosed and treated for diseases much more expediently than is currently possible.
However, it is important to examine the true goal of a company such as Google in bringing the Internet to everyone. If you are not connected to the Internet, Google cannot make money off of you. Google makes the majority of its profits through online services such as advertising, hosting, sales, support, etc. Therefore, while the benefits of Project Loon are many, and bringing connectivity to the masses is commendable, it can hardly be seen as a purely philanthropic endeavor.
Impact of technological innovation on the younger generation
Technology has also played a major part in the education, rehabilitation and development of the younger generation for many years. The Australian “School of Air” educates the families and children of the Australian Outback where no schools are present. School of Air was founded in the 1950s and was originally designed to give lessons over a RFDS radio. However, with the introduction of the technology age this has progressed to using a two-way broadband satellite network that covers some of the most remote parts of the Australian Outback.
With the introduction this IDL (Interactive Distance Learning) children have the opportunity for a real-time, online collaboration, with the sharing of voice, video, applications, images, and text across the internet. Not only does this drastically improve the way in which the children receive and consume the information, it also provides multi-sensory option to meet each child’s learning preference. IDL also promotes interactivity, which helps to enhance the social skills of these children, some of whom may only have “real” contact with their immediate family, and possibly some farm/station workers.
Other areas that have greatly benefited from advances in technology are that of the rehabilitation and care of children with special needs. Using assistive technologies children are achieving above and beyond what was previously believed to be their capabilities. In today’s smartphones, tablets, computers and other devices, technologies such as text to speech, speech recognition, hearing aids, assistive touch and closed captions have all become standard, giving those a voice that may not previously have had one.
Studies have shown that using an iPad is extremely beneficial to autistic children. These children find social communication extremely difficult, especially if they are non-verbal, the iPad can download an array of applications which help combat this. For example, they can use an app to select images to portray what their needs are. This slowly introduces interaction and social communication into their lives, and allows the people around them to interact with the child in a way never thought possible before. It gives these children a voice. One study showed that after introducing the iPad into an autistic class it immediately taught the children how to interact in a socially acceptable manner and 75% of them gradually began to talk over time.
Computer giant Dell announced additional support to the charitable foundation “Childhope Asia Philippines” this year through their “Powering the Possible” initiative, and has donated technology and funding to the foundation which seeks to help impoverished street children through education and computer literacy. They use the computers provided to teach the children basic literacy and numeracy, computer literacy, alternative learning systems for basic education, as well as life skills, values and primary health education.
Many underprivileged children all over the world are being given access to programs like this through similar charities, and it is hugely benefiting their lives, giving them opportunities they never had before. Technology is a new and exciting venture for them, it provides education, and they are willing and eager to learn.
Rise in Entrepreneurial Spirit across the World
Closely linked to innovation in technologies, is the increased growth in entrepreneurship across the world.
A recent report, reported 84% of Irish people see entrepreneurialism as a good career choice, and 5% have entrepreneurial intentions.
According to the 2012 “Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report”, throughout the world, shifts in population, demographics, technological change, fluctuating economies and other dynamic forces have transformed societies as never before, bringing new challenges and opportunities to the forefront.
Since the onset of the global economic crisis there has been increased interest in identifying new sources of growth with a view to developing more sustainable paths to economic success.
Many countries are moving away from over-reliance on foreign direct investment seeing it as insufficient to support long-term growth. There is an increasing interest in entrepreneurship and innovation among countries across the world wishing to enhance competitiveness, diversify their economies, and realize all the benefits of the rapidly expanding digital economy.
Governments, organizations and the public are ready to lend a helping hand.
Unemployment and a growing youth population is a key issue in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, identifying and successfully implementing policies that both encourage youth to start businesses and support businesses with high employee growth expectations will be critical in creating jobs, ensuring economic growth, and societal stability.
The Global Report for Entrepreneurship also has findings on social inclusion and gender equality. For instance it shows that policies promoting societal attitude changes about women. Training and support will encourage women entrepreneurs and promote inclusiveness and fuel economic growth.
Additionally, societies can benefit from entrepreneurs of all ages, with unique orientations and resources that may include the fresh ideas, risk tolerance, and technological savvy of the young, as well as the experience. But government need a policy in eradicating the persistent poor ratings on entrepreneurship education in primary and secondary schools in the national expert survey which indicates a need for both national and global efforts to encourage this factor.
With regard to other entrepreneurial framework conditions, each region has particular strengths but also areas to improve. While policies that work in one economy are not guaranteed success in others, there may be merit in studying and discussing what works (and doesn’t) within and across regions.
In 2011, U.S President Barrack Obama said “Entrepreneurs embody the promise of America: the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard and see it through, you can succeed in this country. And in fulfilling this promise, entrepreneurs also play a critical role in expanding our economy and creating jobs.”
Many emerging countries already recognize the value of supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, as indicated by the following examples. The number of companies from Brazil, Russia, India, and China on the Financial Times 500, list more than quadrupled from 2006 to 2008, from 15 to 62; Of the companies listed in Fortune 500, 98 have research and development facilities in China and 63 in India; and Huawei, a telecom company in China, applied for more international patents than any other firm in 2008.
Closer to home, the European Commission fully recognize the key role that technology will play in our future. In its “Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan”, the Commission highlights the potential of technology as an enabler of entrepreneurship, growth and job creation. Entrepreneurship may not solve all of the world’s economic problems, but it is increasingly becoming an important part of the solution. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ireland heads the race in becoming Europe’s Most Entrepreneurial Country due to our advancment in “the country’s tech startups”. Pushing these innovational tech startups are the tech giants that have house divisions of themselves in Ireland; Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Twitter and most recently Dropbox. Ireland has “a young, highly educated population that has participated in huge value creation in these companies….That has whetted and fueled their appetite to do the same on their own.” proclaimed Noel Ruane, European venture partner for Polaris Partners LLP. The Commission pledges to help entrepreneurs and SMEs to fully exploit the potential of technology, in terms of the creation of new products and services which fulfill the needs and wants of the people of Europe.
Innovation and digital technology are already allowing us to do more with less and the possibilities seem endless. Not just our “young, highly educated” can achieve high innovation and entrepreneurial benefits, just with basic knowledge of the Internet an army of eBay entrepreneurs who sell goods with little overhead cost are become extremley successful just by using the digital infrastructure of the modern age.
Challenges and Criticisms
Technological innovation is not of course without its problems and is not a panacea for development. There has for instance been substantial criticism of the One Laptop One Child initiative. Cohan questions the project’s assumption that “more laptop/children = more progress”. The project assumes, he says, equal global cultural values and regional attributes. He talks about issues of distribution, control, power (political and electrical), disposal, other life-cycle issues, assumptions of individualism, role of community, and more. In Brazil Valdemar Setzer criticises the lack of an educational program to accompany the computers. He says that without roofs, floors and walls, under paid teachers, laptops are not of much use.
Fish and Srinivasan in their journal article “Digital labour is the new killer app” present research on the ethical challenges of labour exploitation within social entrepreneurship in the digital economy. Researching microwork organization Samasource and cable television network Current TV they interrogate how wealth is distributed within labour networks. Based in San Francisco they both exploit labour in developing countries. They make a strong case that in order to enhance life through technologies one must consider alternative modes of production that emerge from the energies of local culture, respecting the sovereignty of diversity and community, and synergizing these into new approaches toward designing and deploying networked technologies.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, has said that getting the approximately 5 billion people in the world without access to the internet connected was “one of the greatest challenges of our generation”. Again, much like Goolge, Facebook makes money from its online services, so more connectivity means more profit. These comments were branded as “a joke” by Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.
Gates, the world’s second richest man, who made his fortune in the software industry, has dedicated more than two decades, and a substantial amount of his own personal fortune, trying to eradicate diseases such as polio and malaria through “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation”.
Gates believes that “when we want to improve lives, you’ve got to deal with more basic things like child survival, child nutrition.” In comparison with this, more internet connectivity does seem trivial. Nevertheless, it is important that companies such as Google continue to innovate, as projects like Project Loon can play a huge role in coordinating disaster relief, and so on, regardless of their financial motives.
The Global Report for Entrepreneurship also has findings on social inclusion and gender equality. For instance it shows that policies promoting societal attitude changes about women, and that train, support, and encourage women entrepreneurs will promote inclusiveness and fuel economic growth. Additionally, societies can benefit from entrepreneurs of all ages, with unique orientations and resources that may include the fresh ideas, risk tolerance, and technological savvy of the young, as well as the experience, networks and credibility which comes with maturity. Entrepreneurs of different ages, however, will likely require particular support mechanisms and programs.
With unemployment and a growing youth population as a key issue in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, identifying and successfully implementing policies that both encourage youth to start businesses and support businesses with high employee growth expectations will be critical in creating jobs, ensuring economic growth, and societal stability.
The persistent poor ratings on entrepreneurship education in primary and secondary schools in the national expert survey indicates a need for both national and global efforts to encourage this factor. With regard to other entrepreneurial framework conditions, each region has particular strengths but also areas to improve. While policies that work in one economy are not guaranteed success in others, there may be merit in studying and discussing what works (and doesn’t) within and across regions.
Conclusion
There is no doubt about the value of new innovative technologies within developing countries and there are numerous examples of successful development models. However these form part of a complex multi-faceted set of solutions. ICTs can be used to strengthen local traditions and cultures of communication, but people need to appropriate the technology and give it functions which suit their needs and motivations. This requires sensitivity to the communication practices and prejudices of the people in question, both in the way technologies are designed and marketed and the way they are chosen and introduced within a project.
We have seen too that while entrepreneurship in general may not be a panacea it can surely be part of the solution. Yet, growth for growth’s sake alone is not enough. Economic growth through entrepreneurship needs to address issues of inclusiveness and ensure these efforts advance societal well-being.
Anna O Donoghue 