When computers or the Internet become a topic of conversation at private gatherings or drinking parties, people in their 50s and older usually react in two ways. It is divided into the axis of "Learning must be learned, but my head and hands are rusty and stiff, and I don't feel like it," and the axis of "What I dare to learn at this age is not a big obstacle to living without it."Even among those in their 40s, such people often appear.
(Picture from Unsplash)
What should I say if there are many words that no one can answer or understand even if they are told something by restricting their qualifications, preventing them from using convenient and cheap transportation, preventing them from entering certain restaurants, parks, banks, and theaters? First of all, if you discriminate, you will shout out loud, and because you don't want to look like this, you will be reluctant to go out and gradually build a fence with the outside world. They will fall into the so-called underprivileged group.
In the digital age, we compare people who don't know how to use computers or the Internet. In a world where everything is digitized, netizens are bound to be limited in their thoughts and activities. If you are good at the Internet, you can live actively in the world.The difference between those who use digital and those who don't is the digital divide.
In the U.S., where the Internet is the most advanced in the world, this digital gap, or information inequality, has recently emerged as a major social problem.The U.S. president and supporters of the information industry and civic movement emphasized that this is the most important human rights issue facing the U.S. last year.Vice President Al Gore, who is aiming for the next president, also pointed out that the conflict between the "informational" and the "informational" will become a more serious factor of social unrest than the conflict between the "rich" and the "poor."．
Even now, the population of rural areas and other parts of the country has gathered in Seoul over the past 40 years.They gathered to find opportunities to make use of their abilities to earn money.If Seoul was an analog opportunity, the Internet would be a digital Seoul.It's just hard to see.
What would have happened if there were restrictions on going to Seoul at that time?It is impossible for a democratic society, but if it had decided to move to Seoul by discriminating against the region, age, and educational background, it would not have remained sacred even if there was a lot of fuss.．
Digital inequality is not such a hypothetical phenomenon, but it is difficult to make money to block access to the center of society and the land of opportunity because there are no places to work, and there are many obstacles to leisure. Even if they try to express their dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction, there is no suitable passage for them. That's why the digital divide is the most important human rights issue in the future.
According to the recent digital index released by Hyundai Economic Research Institute, Seoul is the highest at 207.8 (100 on average) and Jeonbuk is the lowest at 48.8. There will be more than four times the gap between regions. According to the data released by the Samsung Economic Research Institute in March, the Internet usage rate among high-income and low-income families was 6.5 times higher, and the computer ownership rate for college graduates and under-middle school graduates was 1.4 times higher. There is a big difference among generations, and only 4.9% of people in their 50s and older use the Internet. Gender differences between men and women are not small.
The number of Internet sites in New York City is larger than that of Africa, and the number of Latin American and Caribbean countries is less than that of Finland. Today, when the gap between the rich and the poor is serious, if the digital gap becomes serious, the future will be very unstable.
Starting this month, the Ministry of Information and Communication will provide computer education to elderly people aged 55 and older at 221 education centers nationwide, including post offices, public education facilities, and private education facilities. Of course, there are still many shortcomings. The government will have to prepare a system and equipment equivalent to compulsory education at primary schools.
Even if the education system and facilities are good, it is also a problem if the willingness to do so is low. Individuals should learn with the determination that they will not be left out. We have experienced the gap between rich and poor, but we should make efforts to create an equal society where digital is not the only one.
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
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