Author: BKRHET105
Title: Impacts of the digital divide at the University of Illinois
About the Author: I am a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I am at the
end of my freshmen year and plan to transfer from Division of General Studies to Engineering
next year.
Keywords: Digital Divide, Technology gap, Race
Abstract: The technology gap, also known as the digital divide is a growing number of people
who have not been exposed to a computer or the internet and lack the necessary skills in order to
be successful in today's technology driven world. An entire generation of people are growing up
without the necessary technical skills. I assessed the University of Illinois to see if there is a
group of people who fall into this category. With the information from a survey, I was able to
discover an answer and research ways for the reasons why my results are the way that they are.
Question: Is there a digital divide at the University of Illinois and what can be done to bridge the
gap?
Plan: My original idea for my research project was to compare the amount of computer skills
each race/ethnicity had. This changed when I found an FCC study about high-speed internet. My
research paper now focuses on whether the University of Illinois has a digital divide. Through a
survey I will find this answer. If there is a digital divide, I will propose ideas in order to help the
University solve this problem. If no divide is evident, I will try and find out why there is not a
digital divide at the University of Illinois. My assumptions going into this research paper are that
I have no idea if the University had a digital divide, and this is what motivated me to find out
more information.
Impacts of the digital divide at the University of Illinois
This rhetoric research paper has forced me to look at the world through the lens of
race/ethnicity and social justice at the University of Illinois. While brainstorming topics for my
rhetoric research project, I wanted to focus on technology. This lead me to choose the video
gaming culture at the University of Illinois. After further research, I did not feel that this topic
contained enough outside information for me to pursue it. I ended up changing my topic to
computer skills and their importance to success at the University of Illinois. The problem with
this topic was the subjectivity and the wide range of possible computer skills that one can posses.
I decided to strip the required skills down to the bare essentials that one needs in order to
succeed. I built my survey around this idea and made sure that my questions, while simple,
would single out the people who needed help with technology.
Seeing an article about a recent Federal Communications Commission Survey on internet
access gave my research a definitive direction. This survey highlighted the fact that 35% of
Americans over the age of 5 do not have access to high speed internet (Albanesius). Of the 93
million Americans who do not have high-speed internet access, 22% said they lack the skills to
use the internet (Albanesius). This is almost 8% of America. In a world where technology is an
important part of the economy, jobs, and school, how can so Americans lack the necessary skills
to use a computer? Can these national statistics be applied to the University of Illinois?
History of the Digital Divide
The term digital divide became mainstream around the same time as the internet. In the
late nineties, fears arose that there would be a generation of people who could not afford new
technologies and would inevitably fall behind and be unable to contribute to a technology driven
world. What was not taken into account was technology proliferation. As technology advanced,
computers were able to be produced for a cheaper price. This has allowed computers to enter
schools, libraries, and other public places. Even though this has increased people's exposure to
computers, there is still a big disparity between races when it comes to home ownership of
computers.
The spread of more economical computers has helped public entities, but it has not
helped the digital divide between different races. According to a press release by the United
States Department of Education, 77% of whites have access to a computer outside of school
hours compared to 41% for blacks and Hispanics (U.S. government). Owning a computer at
home has become an important part of completing school work. More assignments are being
completed on a computer, and students who do not own a computer are at a disadvantage due to
the lack of internet access. It is evident that there is a digital divide in the United States. I wanted
to see if any of these national statistics apply to the University of Illinois.
Survey Results and Analysis
My survey contained a set of five questions with multiple parts. The first set of questions
asked how long the participant had used a computer and how many computers their family owns.
No one had used a computer for less than five years. 37% of participants had used a computer
anywhere from 6-10 years and 63% of participants have used a computer for more than ten years
(Appendix A) .Everyone who was surveyed had a computer and averaged four computers per
family. The survey continued by asking participants if they have high speed internet or dialup.
All participants answered that they had high-speed internet . A red flag would popped up if
someone owned a computer for less than five years, had one computer or less per family, and did
not have high-speed internet.
My third question asked participants if they had ever done a list of basic computer skills.
I included an entry asking the people surveyed if they had ever handwritten an entire college
essay. My rational behind this question was that if a person only checked the box about
handwriting an essay, then they would display a lack of basic technological skills. All of the
participants clearly showed that they had an understanding for technology. I was surprised to
find out that 20% of the peopled surveyed had written an entire college essay by hand. Of the
20% who had hand written an essay, 71% were female. My survey failed to contain a follow up
question, but in hindsight, I would have gotten better results if I included one. Based on the
answers from the previous questions, it would appear that the University of Illinois does not have
a digital divide, but there is one question on the survey that would give a definitive answer to this
question.
The key question on my survey was one that asked if anyone ever lacked the technology
skills required to meet their desired grades at the University of Illinois. All participants answered
no. If someone answered yes to this question, it would have meant that the participant felt that
their lack of technological skills directly resulted in a poor grade while in a class at the
University of Illinois. The results of my survey clearly show that the University of Illinois does
not have a digital divide. If the University of Illinois had a digital divide, my survey would have
been able to discover it. If the survey mirrored national statistics, three black/Hispanic surveyed
would not have had a computer and twelve participants would not have access to high-speed
internet. Maybe there is another, more important factor other than race/ethnicity that contributes
to the digital divide.
Income is an important factor when looking at the digital divide. Going to college is not
cheap, but families that can afford to have their kids go to college are more likely to have
computer access. According to a national University of California Los Angeles survey, incoming
college freshman have a family income that is 60% above the national average (Wyer 1). That is
almost $75,000. With more money, it makes it easier for a family to have computer access.
According to a Survey by U.S. Department of Commerce, computer access for families that have
an income of $75,000 or greater is 86.3% (Madigan 54). Most college students have enough
money to buy a computer. Also with a campus that offers free high-speed, people who did not
have internet access now do. Not only does income matter, but the level of education that the
father has, has an influence on computer access.
Fathers who have higher educations have a higher percentage of computer access. A
survey conducted by Penn State University shows that fathers with some college education or
better increased the chances of having computer access by 15.1% (57). The survey also found
that the mother's education had no influence on computer access. Students who have higher
educated parents are more likely to go to college. Incoming freshmen have a higher family
income than that of an average American, and their father has likely gone to college before them
provides a legitimate answer to why there is no technology gap at the University of Illinois.
Conclusion
I started this research paper out without any idea if the University of Illinois had a digital
divide. I found national statistics that supported the idea of a digital divide, and I conducted a
survey that would clearly show if the University of Illinois had a digital divide as well. With my
survey results displaying that the University of Illinois did not have a digital divide, I did further
research into the reasons why. My survey only focused on race/ethnicity and not socioeconomic
status. If a family can afford to have their kids go to college, then they make enough money to
have access to computers and the internet.
Work Cited
Albanesius, Chloe. "FCC: 35% of Americans Lack Broadband." PC Magazine. 23 Feb. 2010. Web. 8
May 2010. <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2360263,00.asp>.
Madigan, Elinor, and Marianne Goodfellow. "The Influence of Family Income and Parents Education on
Digital Access: Implications for First-Year College Students." Sociological Viewpoints (2006): 53-62.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.
United States Government. Education. Internet Access Soars in Schools, But "Digital Divide" Still Exists
at Home for Minority and Poor Students. U.S. Department of Education. 10 Oct. 2003. Web. 10 May
2010. <http://www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2003/10/10292003a.html>.
Wyer, Kathy. "Today's College Freshmen Have Family Income 60% Above National Average, UCLA
Survey Reveals." Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) - HERI Home. 9 Apr. 2007. Web. 10 May
2010. <http://www.heri.ucla.edu>
EUI Links: n/a
Reflection: I started with the idea of observing the video game culture at the University of
Illinois, but changed after I saw the FCC survey published in February. After reading the article,
it brought back memories of other articles I read four years ago describing the same problem
with the digital divide. Back then they described it as the next big social injustice in America.
Through my research, I found out that the digital divide is still existent today, but it is not as big
as it was projected in four years ago. My survey focused on simple computing, such as being
able to use a word processes program, send/receive emails, and social networking sites. I was
completely surprised when everyone that I surveyed felt that technology has never held them
back in a class. Also, I was surprised by the amount of computers families owned. My family
only had one computer until I got my own for college. I was so focused on seeing a digital divide
based on race/ethnicity that I did not understand what to do when my survey showed that no one
had a problem with technology. This is when I did further research and discovered that computer
access is more related towards income than race/ethnicity.
Recommendations: When I was doing research to find out why my survey displayed that
everyone could use a computer for basic tasks, I came across some interesting articles that
related gender and computer skills. These Articles referenced the idea of a computer being more
of a masculine object and that even at a young age, men naturally gravity toward computers than
women. Also an article described how women tended to feel more anxiety toward technology
than men. Another area worth researching further is the link between family income and
computer access. My survey failed to included the socioeconomic side of the digital divide.
Appendi
xA
APP
EN
DIX
A
Ag
re
e
to
su
rv
ey
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
How long have
you used a
computer?
05
Y
e
ar 6-10 11+
s years years
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
Doe
s
your
fami
ly
own
a
com How
put man
er?
y
1
4
1
3
1
2
1
5
1
5
1
4
1
5
1
4
1
10
1
5
1
3
1
3
1
6
1
2
1
4
1
2
1
7
1
4
1
4
Do
es
you
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me
hav
e
int
ern
et?
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Hig
h
spe
ed
int
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et?
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
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1
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S
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1
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1
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1
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Sav
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1
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1
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1
1
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Use
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1
1
1
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1
1
1
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1
1
1
1
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1
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Ha
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1
0
0
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0
0
1 0
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0 0
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0
0
0
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1 0
0
0
0
0
1
0 0
0
0
0
0
0
1 0
0
0
0
0
1
0 0
0
0
0
0
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1 0
0
0
0
0
1
0 0
0
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0
0
1
0 0
0
0
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0 0
0
0
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1
0 0
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0 0
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1 0
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1 0
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1 0
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Pa
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0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Whit
e
(not
hispa
nic)
0
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
Nativ
e
Amer Ot
ican
her
0
0
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0
1
0
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0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
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1
1
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Tot
als
Ave
rag
es
0
0
0
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1
0
1
1
0
1
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1
0
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1
1
1
1
1
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2
6
2
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4
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1
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N/A
(ans
wer
was
lots)
3
4
3
4
4
6
5
3
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
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1
1
1
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1
1
1
1
1
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1
1
1
1
1
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1
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1
1
1
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1
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
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0
1
0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
0
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1
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0
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0
0
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35
35
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
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3
5
35
33
0.94
2857
143
35
7
0
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0.0
571
43
4
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142
86
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0.1
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22
0.62
8571
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1
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