🔒How To: Keep ‘must-have’ gadgets from taking the place of practical tools

The term “digital divide,” which has been used since the beginning of the internet era, was coined to reference the chasm between groups: those with internet access and those without. Traditionally, due to prohibitive factors like cost and infrastructure, wealthier people living in urban or suburban areas had wider access and their less affluent, rural counterparts had less.

For many reasons, that divide has nearly closed in the United States, with over 84% of citizens now possessing the ability to get online, up from 9% in 1995.

Yet as a society we now face a new divide, this time between the digital users and the digital makers — between those who read articles and those who write them, those who code apps and those who use them, those who program games and those who play them. 

At the Information Technology Exchange, we pay attention to where and why these lines are drawn and to how the demographic gaps can be closed.

Here are just a few of the avenues we've identified:

In with the mobile device, out with the laptop

In 2008, 80% of the total time adults spent with digital media was on a laptop or desktop computer. In 2015, that percentage dropped to 42%, according to Mary Meeker, a noted investor who studies internet trends at Menlo Park, Calif.-based Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Surely there's an app for a lot of things, but many professional tasks still can't be accomplished on your phone. Think: job applications, resume design, typing and editing a strong cover letter. You're less likely to write in general without the benefit of a keyboard and the same goes for pursuing creative outlets like graphic design, video editing, coding or programming. These are in-demand career skills, yet with the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, people aren't equipping themselves with the tools to build them. It's a growing trend worthy of talking about and of exploring solutions for.

Increase personal desktop and laptop computer ownership

Over the past five years, laptop and desktop ownership has dropped among younger (age 18-29) adults from 88% to 78%, according to the Pew Research Center. Among adults of all ages, it has grown, but only from 71% to 73%. Among adults with family incomes under $30,000, the ownership rate is 50%. It makes sense when you consider the cost-benefit analysis: By investing limited funds in a smartphone, you get basic cellular connectivity and can at least browse the internet. But just because you can access the internet doesn't mean you can use it in a value-adding way.

Increase technical training

The great news about the internet is that it has vastly scaled the opportunities available for upward mobility. Just about any form of knowledge or training you could seek is available online, typically for free. Yet we know that people can't benefit from these educational and self-improvement opportunities if they lack basic computer skills.

Increase access to tech support

Being able to purchase a machine at an affordable price is only the first barrier to computer ownership. Adults who have never owned a desktop or laptop can be intimidated by the learning curve and maintenance requirements of an unfamiliar device. Through the nonprofit PCs for Maine, we teach basic troubleshooting skills to help them fix common computer issues like printer failures or frozen programs. When the simple solutions aren't enough to solve the problem, PCs for Maine provides affordable and quality technology support. Often, we're able to connect people to a manufacturer's support team. With a plan in place for the whole life cycle of owning a computer, we empower Mainers to fully and fearlessly embrace technology — and, in doing so, to travel a newfound bridge across the new digital divide.