User:Lucymobe/Digital divide in the United States

The digital divide in the United States refers to inequalities between individuals, households, and other groups of different demographic and socioeconomic levels in access to information and communication technologies ("ICTs") and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information gained from connecting. The global digital divide refers to inequalities in access, knowledge, and skills, but designates countries as the units of analysis and examines the divide between developing and developed countries on an international scale.

Although the digital divide in America has decreased considerably, there are still certain groups of Americans with limited access, + with correlations to race, income, geographic location, and age. These groups include certain income brackets, ethnicities, and less educated people. The digital divide for children is different. While adults in poor households are less likely to have access to the internet, children in wealthy families are less likely to be permitted to have any screen time or to use digital technologies than children in middle-class and lower-class families.

As of 2016, approximately 11.5% of the total U.S. population did not have Internet access. Out of the 324,118,787 Americans, there were 286,942,362 total Internet users (88.5%). redundant

Gender
By 2001, women had surpassed men as the majority of the online United States population. The 2009 Census data suggests that potential disparities in gendered connectivity have become nearly nonexistent; 73% of female citizens three years and older compared to 74% of males could access the Internet from their home. When controlling for income, levels of education, and employment, it turns out that women are clearly more enthusiastic ICT users than men.

+ Women in the United States are taking advantage of the freelance employment opportunities the Internet offers. For example, women make up the majority of online shop owners on Etsy, and the majority of hosts on Airbnb.

+ Although more women in the United States use the Internet than men, there still remains significant gender gaps in content creation and website development. For example, a 2013 survey found that about 27% of Wikipedia editors from the U.S. are female. In 2009, a Wikimedia Foundation survey revealed that 6% of editors who made more than 500 edits were female, with the average male editor having twice as many edits.

Income
Household income and Internet use are strongly related. In 2010, 57% of individuals earning less than $30,000, 80% of individuals earning $30,000 – $49,999, 86% of individuals earning $50,000 – $74,999, and 95% of individuals earning $75,000 and more used the Internet.

In 2010, 57% of Latinos living in <$30,000 household incomes used the Internet. 79% of all Latinos in households who earn between $30,000 and $49,999 per year were connected to the Internet in 2010. 91% of Latino households earning $50,000 or more per year were connected to the Internet in 2010. 59% of Whites who earned less than $30,000 per year used the Internet, followed by 82% of Whites who earned $30,000 – $49,999, and 92% of Whites who earned $50,000 or more. For African Americans, 54% who earned less than $30,000 connected to the Internet, 88% who earned $30,000 to $49,999, and 89% who earned $50,000 or more.

+ In 2016, roughly half of all households with an income less than $25,000 owned a desktop or laptop computer. Over 90% of all households with an income over $100,000 owned a desktop or laptop computer. The same relationship can be seen for households owning smartphones, tablets, and Internet/broadband subscriptions.

+ While Internet usage has increased in low-income households, these households are more likely to be smartphone-dependent. This leaves them at a disadvantage when applying for jobs or doing other tasks traditionally formatted for a larger screen. As for its effects on school-age children, in 2015 over a quarter of low-income students did not have access to broadband Internet at home, leaving them to rely on either smartphones or public library access to complete online homework.

A reverse divide is also apparent in the choices that parents make for their children and teenagers. Kids in poor families spend more time using digital devices for entertainment and less time interacting with people face-to-face compared to children and teenagers in well-off families. Wealthy families, especially the tech-savvy families in Silicon Valley, choose child care options and schools that limit or ban screen time. This has led to concerns that wealthy families are buying face-to-face human interaction for their children, with all the benefits that brings to them, while other children will be left with the poor substitute of an artificial game.

Region
Internet connectivity also varies a lot by State. In 2011, the US Census Bureau conducted a survey to determine internet access in each State. New Hampshire reported the highest rate of Internet access, with only 20.3% reporting no internet access at home or elsewhere. Mississippi reported the lowest rate of access, with 41.0% of people reporting no internet access at home or elsewhere. As a general trend it is easy to see that Appalachian and Southern States in general have a much lower rate of Internet usage when compared to other regions. This correlates greatly with the average income of those states. Lower income states reporting lower rates of usage, and higher income states reporting higher rates of connectivity. Also it may be a matter of population density. There are a lot more disconnected individuals in states with many counties of low population density. This could be because Internet Service Providers are less likely to make a profit in these areas. (not true since Alaska has low pop density and high connectivity.)

+ Nonmetropolitan areas in the South have the lowest percentages of households with computers or Internet connection. Metropolitan areas in the West have the highest percentages. Southern states tend to have higher poverty levels that correlate with low levels of Internet connectivity. For example, Arkansas and Mississippi reported the lowest levels of broadband use (71% of households) and both states have low median incomes compared to the rest of the country.

Educational attainment
In 2008, 44% of high school graduates were internet users, while 91% of college graduates were internet users. In 2004, higher numbers of educated seniors had connected to the Internet: 62% of all connected seniors had at least some college education.

The reverse divide is related to education. The more educated parent are, and especially the more parents know about how computers work, the more likely they are to ban or sharpy limit the use of computers, tablets, smartphones, and other digital devices for their children.

+ In households where the house owner has a bachelor's degree or higher, desktop/laptop computer ownership exceeds 93%. However, in households where the house owner did not graduate high school, that figure sharply drops to 45%.

This trend exists across races and regions. 46% of Whites online in 2010 reported no high school diploma, compared to 43% of Blacks and 42% of Hispanics who had no diploma. 68% of Hispanics who graduated from high school are online, compared to 64% of Whites and 58% of Blacks. Finally, 91% of Hispanics who received some college education or more are online, with 90% of Whites and 84% of Blacks achieving some college education or more are also connected.

Location
Internet connectivity can be accessed at a variety of locations such as homes, offices, schools, libraries, public spaces, Internet cafes, etc.

Of the 88% of individuals who connected on their laptop or netbook to a wireless connection, 86% used the device at home, 37% at work, and 54% somewhere else other than home or work.

A digital divide was noted between urban and rural areas by the NTIA in 1999, but more recently that gap has closed. Currently, environmental racism may account for some of the disparities in Internet access between residentially segregated areas according to race. The difference in Internet access and skill level can be explained by racial segregation and concentrated poverty, resulting in restricted options and availability of networks to connect to the Internet and use of ICTs.

+ If Internet is inaccessible from the home, one can often find Wi-Fi connections at restaurants and coffee shops, schools, and libraries.

+ According to the American Library Association, over 70% of public libraries in the United States claim to be the sole provider of free Internet or computer access in their community. However, the quality of that Internet access varies, with connections to the community's poverty level and community type. In a 2011 survey by the American Library Association, rural libraries were much less likely to report having fiber optic Internet connections, while a majority of urban libraries reported having it. Rural libraries were also less likely to have connectivity speeds higher than 6.0Mbps.

+ Nine out of every ten library surveyed by the ALA reported that providing services to job seekers was one of the most important services free Internet services provided. Other important services included providing government information such as tax forms, and educational information to school-aged children.