Digital Revolution Essay -- Internet Inequality Web Access Essays

Digital Revolution The world we live in today is a very fascinating and mysterious place. While many people are intrigued that there might be life on another planet, cyberspace is a whole other world on earth. The widespread impact and use of the Internet did not mesmerize the world until the early 1990s. The author, John Schwartz, examines some of the effects the Internet has had on a small town. Another author, Dale Spender, focuses on the effects of the Internet on the world as a whole. In spite of everything, the Internet is an innovative technology and the consequences that the Internet has on the world is unknown. Dale Spender is a feminist scholar, writer, teacher and consultant. In the article Social Policy for Cyberspace, she is mainly concerned with the digital divide. The digital divide classifies those who have Internet access and those who do not. Spender believes that before people worry about getting a personal computer in every household, we should worry about those who are just trying to survive everyday life. Spender says that she wants to resolve the use of technology to improve the quality of life. I dont want to see it (the internet) used or misused to enhance the lives of the few at the expense of the many (266). Throughout the article, Spender argues that access to information should be a divine human right. In the article The American Dream, and Email for All, John Schwartz examines all the positive effects of having a town completely wired. Blacksburg, Virginia may seem like your average small town community. However, this town is different because Bell Atlantic gave grants to the town to have 60% of the citizens connected online. This community is known as the Blacksburg Electronic Village or htt... ...is nation should not feel obligated to act as a charity organization to help modernize third world countries. As one can see, Dale Spender and John Schwartz both bring up good points about having Internet access. Spender focuses mainly on the digital divide. She wants people to worry about the status of third world countries before technology advances. John Schwartz focuses mainly on a small town being connected and all the positive effects that the Internet has had on the small town. I believe that the Internet is a wonderful tool that everyone can benefit from but we need to let this technology advance before we worry about third world countries. Works Cited Schwartz, John. The American Dream, and Email for All. Composing Cyberspace. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Spender, Dale. Social Policy for Cyberspace. Composing Cyberspace. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998.