The Case for Engagement - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 32

Fig. 3.2. Regular Internet Users (Accenture 2004).
A challenge for all in a democratic society is to ensure that it is not just
the privileged few who enjoy the benefits of connection, but that the whole
of the world's population can do so. Concerns about the digital divide have
led to numerous initiatives to provide free or cheaper access to computers,
software and the Internet. However, evidence also shows that the digital
divide is not simply a consequence of whether or not people have access to
digital technologies. Even when equipment and services are provided free of
charge, there are many barriers to prevent people from making effective use
of them. Cultural diversity, lack of relevant content, language and liter-
acy are significant barriers to uptake (Warschauer 2003). Thus, the exist-
ing divide between materially rich and poor is now exacerbated by the
related divide between the information rich and information poor. To stem
the digital divide, therefore, requires not only improvements in access to the
Internet, but also the provision of meaningful and appropriate content.
The value of the Internet is determined by what people put on it and how
people interact with it; thus, citizens with diverse needs and interests as yet
not represented must be actively engaged and enabled to develop that con-
tent and stimulate interaction.