I wanted to relate an issue that we have discussed several times in class and one that always seems to be prominent in our textbooks and other technology related writings. The issue of digital divide always lurks in the background during any discussion of new media. Essentially this issue relates to the haves and the have not’s, which is nothing new, Marx addressed this idea in his theories. And as the name suggests, digital technology in the hands of the powerful/rich allows the gap/divide to grow between these two groups. The rich get richer is another way of looking at this, and digital technology is a tool that can perpetuate this issue.
So my question is (perhaps more so for those of you who are not in my class that read this) do new technologies make rich people richer? Or is it a case of having the technology and knowing how to use it as opposed to just having the technology. I tend to think it is more of the former. What do you think? If the next revolution begins with the diffusion of nanotechnology (please see last week’s post) will the digital divide increase? Will the rich get even richer?
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I think in a way new technology can make the rich people richer. Maybe I'm just bitter because I'm a poor grad student and I don't foresee being able to own that big flat screen tv someday.. Businesses are going to take advantage every way they can in order to profit off of technology, it ultimately drives our economy.
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