Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Carlson, E. (2016). The state of the urban/rural digital divide. Retrieved from
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2016/state-urbanrural-digital-divide
Edward Carlson is a policy analyst at the Office of Policy Analysis and Development
Based on Carlson’s credentials, he seems to have a vast amount of knowledge on the subject he
is writing about. Carlson’s article discusses the digital divide based on the urban/ rural division
and explains what the NTIA has been attempting in order to shorten this gap. Carlson’s position
does not seem to be biased in any way and there does not seem to be any sort of conflict of
interest. The article was published very recently which leads me to believe that the information is
up to date. This is important because I wanted to ensure that I had the most relevant facts and
data.
Carlson demonstrates through the use of graphs four factors that may contribute to
internet accessibility. These four factors are location (urban vs. rural), race, income, and level of
education. Carlson goes on to describe the action that his company has taken to reduce the
amount of people who suffer at the hands of the digital divide, but also recognizes that based on
the trends from the chart,s there is still a lot more that can be done. This article does not provide
any potential solutions that have not already been tested, but seems to have value because it does
recognize the problem and one of the most influential factors that lead to the digital divide.
Davies, J. (2014). Intel's John Davies on global access to technology. (2014). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPQB67-YKM0
John Davies is the Vice President of the Intel Corporation and the General Manager of
the Intel World Ahead program. This leads me to believe that Davies is very extensive
knowledge about the topic he is speaking on. There does not seem to be any conflict of interest
present in his posting of this video and he does not seemed to be biased in his presentation of
information because I did not notice if he was sponsored by any particular companies that would
impact his presentation. The video was also released relatively recently which leads me to
believe that the information presented in this video is quite accurate and timely.
This video discusses not only the importance of having affordable and globally spanning
technology in an increasingly digitized society, but also discusses some of the ways that a
company like Intel would go about trying to combat this issue. This video will allow me to gain a
better understanding of a few of the factors that contribute to the discrepancy as well as an idea
of potential solutions.
Dunne, N. (2017). Technology can reinforce the global divide. Let's use it to bridge the gap.
https:// Dunne, N. (2017). Technology can reinforce the global divide. Let's use it to
can-reinforce-the-global-divide-lets-use-it-to-bridge-the-
gap/www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/technology-can-reinforce-the-global-divide-lets-
use-it-to-bridge-the-gap/
Niall Dunne is the Chief Executive Officer of Polymateria Limited, a company devoted
to decreasing the amount of plastic waste that is polluting the water. The company designs and
creates the technology needed to help them achieve their goal as well. This leads me to believe
that Dunne does not have the most extensive knowledge that he could in this area. Nonetheless,
his work does not seem to be biased and there is no apparent conflict of interest.The recent
publication of this work also leads me to believe that the information it contains is still relevant.
This source discusses a potential solution to the issue or at the very least, a starting point
that can later lead to a solution. It explains that while the prices of new technology have
decreased in price, there is still some progress to be made if providing everyone with access to
technology, especially in the form of computers or cell phones, can be a reality. I can use his
article to explore yet another potential solution as well as understand the background and
Katti, N. (2013). "Re-engineering access to global health care with mobile technology" Nahush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpqFmlJc7E4&t=408s
Nahush Katti is a high school senior who is aspiring to be a biomedical engineer. He,
along with a fellow classmate, co founded DoctorOn, a program that allows for people remote
areas to have quality access to healthcare that they would otherwise not be able to receive. Katti
does not seem to be biased and there does not seem to be any conflict of interest in his reason for
presenting his talk.In fact, he stated that the main reason he chose to start this company was to
help people like his grandfather who live in rural areas but also require medical care. While Katti
may not have the most extensive knowledge about his field based on his education, he has
This video discusses some of the ways that new technology can be beneficial, such as
providing easier access to healthcare by way of virtual meetings with patients in rural areas.This
will allow me to form a basis of not only what the new and advanced technology is, but also its
Levin, B., & Downes, L. (2016). Opinion | A new digital divide has emerged - and conventional
solutions won't bridge the gap. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/10/14/a-new-digital-divide-
has-emerged-and-conventional-solutions-wont-bridge-the-
gap/?utm_term=.288aaa024de8
Blair Levin and Larry Downes are the co-authors of this article published in the
Washington Post. Levin is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and in
Broadband Plan. His co-author, Downes, is a project director at the Georgetown Center
for Business and Public Policy. Their credentials lead me to believe that they are well
educated in the area they are writing about. There does not seem to be much bias in the
article and there does not seem to be any conflict of interest or companies funding this
particular article. The information within this article was also received as fairly relevant
This source discusses some of the unforeseen causes of the digital divide, such as
location, age, and education level within an area where technology is usually available.
These causes are not treated like other causes of the digital divide and do not have the
same solutions. This source will help me understand that while areas seem to have
abundant access to technology, it is not a guarantee that there are not people who are left
out in these areas. This source will also help me understand the difference in handling the
Logue, D., & Edwards, M. (2013, Fall). Across the digital divide. Stanford Social Innovation
Review, 11, 66-71. doi:
http://ezproxy.co.wake.nc.us/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1460983782
?accountid=14867
Danielle Logue and Melissa Edwards are co-authors for this next publication. Logue is a
Technology Sydney Business School. Edwards is a senior lecturer in management and a core
member of the Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre at the University of Technology
Sydney Business School. These women both seem to be well educated and qualified to be
publishing research in their topic area. There does not seem to be any bias in the article, nor any
clear conflicts of interest. The article was published recently, which led me to believe that the
information was still relevant and could be applied when considering potential solutions.
This source discusses the One Laptop Per Child or OLPC policy that was established in
countries all over the world. Australia expands on its experience with his program and how it
was a complete failure. This source will be a useful tool when considering potential solutions
that I present because I will know that even though this was a noble effort to reach a wide group
of people, it was ultimately ineffective and should not be included as a realistic solution.
Miniwatts Marketing Group. (2018). The digital divide, ICT, and broadband internet. Retrieved
from https://www.internetworldstats.com/links10.htm
The Miniwatts Marketing Group is an organization that is responsible for the statistics
provided on the Internet World Stats website. The CEO of the organization, Enrique de Argaez,
MBA, personally oversees all of the research, statistics, and content published on their website.
The information present on the website is very recent, which ensures its relevance. There does
not seem to be any bias or conflict of interest in the information presented. The CEO states that
the purpose of this organization is strictly to report the internet usage worldwide and ensure that
the information is accurate. Although this was not the goal, the organization also assesses the
This source not only clearly defines what the digital divide is but also provides reasons
as to why it is important to bridge the gap between communities within a country as well as
between countries when it comes to uneven distribution of technological access. This source will
Schradie, J. (2011). Who's connected? sociologists and the global digital divide.
the-global-digital-divide/.
Jen Schradie is a Post-doctoral research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in
Toulouse, housed in the Toulouse School of Economics. She obtained her masters in sociology
from Harvard Kennedy School and received her master’s from the University of California-
Berkeley. Her focus tends to be on digital democracy claims and she is currently finishing a book
with Harvard University Press titled Digital Activism. Schradie seems to be an expert in the topic
she is writing about and does not display any bias or conflict of interest in her research. The
article was published in 2011, so her information is still relatively recent and quite relevant.
This source looks at the sociologist perspective on the topic of the digital divide and how
they view the issue. The author discusses other issues that countries may face during this digital
divide, even if they have access to a computer or telephone. This source will provide me with a
differing perspective on how the digital divide is impactful. This source will help me to not only
try and understand how sociologists would view the issue but also the factors they look at when
determining why an area or group of people are facing little access to technology.
https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/digital-divide/start.html
This website was created by the computer science students from Stanford University. This
website gives much detail as to what exactly the digital divide is along with some factors that
contribute to the digital divide and some potential solutions. There is no date for when the
information on the website was published, but the students seem to have done their research and
found the most accurate information they could find. There does not seem to be any bias or
conflict of interest and the students responsible for the creation of the website and all of its
This source discusses a lot of information surrounding the background of the digital divide.
While this does tend to focus on the digital divide within the United States, the reasons for it can
be applied when comparing countries as well. I plan to use this source to gain a better
understanding of what exactly are the factors that contribute to the likeliness of having access to
Talbot, D. (2017). Why the digital divide still lingers, and why it matters. Retrieved from
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603083/the-unacceptable-persistence-of-the-
digital-divide/
David Talbot is the senior writer for MIT Technology Review. His main areas of focus
also include information and communications technologies. The article was published in
2017, which allows for me to trust its relevance. The article has no clear bias or conflict
of interest and to author seems to have a great understanding of the topic he is writing
about. The article only seems to discuss the issue of the lack of access to broadband and
This article speaks to a large scale problem by discussing a personal story about a girl
who lives in Cleveland who requires extra help with math that is available on Khan
Academy, but due to her financial situation, she is not able to afford broadband. The
article does recognize that there is a nearby library, but quickly establishes that it would
not be safe for the girl to walk in the neighborhood by herself. This article also explains
that people in lower income areas should receive broadband training in order to know
how to effectively use the internet as well as advise companies to distribute broadband to
Thomas, E. Technology and global health: closing the loop: Evan Thomas at TEDxSantaCruz.
Evan Thomas is the director of the Sustainable Water, Energy and Environmental Technologies
(SWEET) Laboratory at Portland State University. Thomas obtained his masters in Public health
and his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences form the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Sweet lab focuses on technologies that can be used to better assist with the collection of data
about global health programs. The TED talk was given in 2014, which speaks to the content’s
relevance. Thomas does not seem to display any bias or conflict of interest in the topic he speaks
about. Thomas also seems to be very knowledgeable about his topic, which adds to his
credibility.
This source discusses the impact of technology on a nation through the perspective of the health
of that country’s inhabitants. Thomas proposes a closed loop system to ensure that less fortunate
countries have better access to the technology that they need in order to have better healthcare.
This source will be useful when trying to understand one of the important reasons that the digital
Vick, K. (2017). The Digital Divide: A Quarter of the Nation Is Without Broadband. Retrieved
from http://time.com/4718032/the-digital-divide/
Karl Vick is a journalist at TIME magazine, but also has work published in the
Washington Post, Money Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune. His topics usually include politics
and mainly focuses on the United States. The article does not present any bias and there does not
seem to be any special incentive or conflict of interest for creating such a piece. The article was
published in 2017, which speaks to its relevance and the author seems to have a general
This article describes how the digital divide is most obvious among the rural/urban divide
and economic status. It describes that the digital divide will not be an easy issue to resolve at it
would require a lot of money, time, and effort in order for everyone to have access to the
internet, especially in a setting where many students have assignments that are online. The
students who do not have access to the internet at home are at a disadvantage because they are
not able to complete their assignments. There are many solutions presented in the article, but
Vick claims that in order for them to actually occur, there would need to be a president who