What not having Internet means in a society where the assumption is that everyone is connected


Posted on August 19, 2013  /  1 Comments

As everyone assumes that everyone is connected to the Internet (not an assumption we have to deal with in our countries at this moment), the consequences of not using the Internet become quite serious.

“As more tasks move online, it hollows out the offline options,” said John B. Horrigan, a senior research fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “A lot of employers don’t accept offline job applications. It means if you don’t have the Internet, you could be really isolated.”

Seventy-six percent of white American households use the Internet, compared with 57 percent of African-American households, according to the “Exploring the Digital Nation,” a Commerce Department report released this summer and based on 2011 data.

Report.

1 Comment


  1. Indeed, the ITC poverty is an interesting emerging trend in developmental studies. It exacerbates existing income-based and spatial inequalities, and can have dramatic impact on households’ ability to benefit from basic necessities. While lots of stress is being placed on formal education and structured labour market, in fact lack of access to ITC as well as lack of ITC skills can hinder chances of social progress.