Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 2.10 Map of proportion of U.S. adults using the Internet, 2010. Source Author, using data
This growth, however, did not occur at identical rates among all social categories.
Take, for instance, age. The young (i.e., under 30 years of age) steadily exhibited the
highest internet penetration rates, reaching 83 % in 2011. For many children who
grow up surrounded by digital technologies, the internet is hardly mysterious. In
contrast, in both benchmark years, the elderly experienced the lowest rates of internet
usage (a mere 2 % in 1995 v. 33 % in 2011), as well as the slowest rate of increase in
users. Many elderly find new technologies to be difficult or intimidating, do not
appreciate the potential benefits, and are easily frustrated by their lack of technical
skills. The digital divide, therefore, is closely wrapped up with generational
differences.
One dimension of the U.S. digital divide that has drawn the most serious scrutiny
concerns racial or ethnic differences. Given the profound inequalities in U.S. society
in terms of income, educational opportunities, and employment that exist between
whites and ethnic minorities, it is not surprising that this gap is manifested in terms of
access to cyberspace, i.e., i.e., much of the racial ravine in digital access is due to
income discrepancies. In 1997, for example, white internet usage rates were more
than double that of Latinos/Hispanics (37.7 v. 16.6 %), and roughly double that of
African-Americans (19.0 %). In 2011, internet access rates for whites remained well
above those for minorities or the national average. There are signs, however, that this
dimension of the digital divide is slowly, if hesitantly, diminishing. Today, the
majority of ethnic minorities uses the internet, and the relative difference between
them and the white population has declined significantly. There are important dif-
ferences within minority populations, however. Among African-Americans, internet
usage tends to be concentrated among the young and the college-educated,
