The Digital Divide

The Schlozman, Verba, and Brady article ended with what I thought was an unexpected conclusion. Internet usage seems to be one of the most obvious mechanisms by which to increase political participation in America. However, the article concludes on a rather uninspiring note, as it does not seem to be the case that the internet will decrease the gap in participatory inequality with respect to politics. On the one hand, inequality in America is definitely too severe to be corrected through just one medium. It may take a variety of different factors over the course of many years to bridge such a vast gap in participatory equality - if ever. Yet, on the other hand, the authors seem to downplay the impact the internet has had upon the electorate. They tend to reference social networking sites constantly, such as Facebook; yet they underestimate the importance of accessibility to public officials like President Obama. Had it not been for the internet, who is to say that the election would have turned out in exactly the same way? My guess is that it would have been a different race entirely, as Obama targeted the young voting population through a medium that they were already extremely familiar with. He knew his target audience - and he exploited their strengths in order to win the election. The older generations, on the other hand, are essentially clueless when it comes to technology. While there are some exceptions, I know from personal experience that even our parents are less than competent when it comes to things like the internet, laptops, and (unfortunately) cell phones. Yet, they are more than willing to learn - so why is it that a younger generation that is extremely learned when it comes to technology is not so willing to learn about our own political environment? That difference is not accounted for in the article, but it is important to distinguish between the older and younger generations with respect to political motivation. Therefore, the article's conclusion may not be as surprisingly as I initially thought because we tend to use the internet for personal use only, which unfortunately does not include political material. If adults were more technologically inclined, I would assume they would use it for more practical purposes that would, in turn, increase political participation. For instance, many parents may find it difficult to get to the polls on time due to various external factors. If voting could somehow become available on-line, maybe parents who would not have had time to vote otherwise could have the opportunity to do so. Another problem voting on on-line could ameliorate is the number of students who did not receive their absentee ballots on time in the last election. Most of my friends who are not residents of Virginia did not, in fact, receive their absentee ballots on time (or in some cases at all). Thus, though they wanted to participate, they were not able to due to a problem that could be easily solved through the internet. It would be difficult to create a system that would be secure enough to ensure no one from the outside could tamper with the system - but in the long run, wouldn't it be worth it?

The article specifically refers to the ways in which the internet could reduce the barriers to political activity among all citizens, yet they their findings are more or less inconclusive. The internet does lower the cost of accessing information, as it is extremely abundant on the internet. However, a lot of that information is biased and may lead to more Free Rider problems as individuals start to pick up on certain viewpoints exposed in blogs, etc. Then there is the issue of the actual cost of the internet - which is obviously not cheap. Those in lower socio-economic households may not have a computer, much less the internet. Therefore, the internet has the potential to increase the gap between the rich and the poor. Yet, even households that do have a computer and internet access may not be benefitting from it because they do not know how to use it properly. In this sense, there are many barriers to internet usage in general - the cost of a computer, the cost of internet, and the cost of learning how to use them simultaneously - that make older generations steer clear of the technological world. Yet, for the younger generations, does the internet act as a symbol of socio-economic status? Being able to afford a computer and the internet is one thing - being taught how to use them is entirely separate, as it is typically something that is taught in schools with enough money to have computers or laptops. Ultimately there are many advantages to the internet, but these advantages cannot be realized unless access to the internet is equal for all citizens. Therefore, the internet as a political component is inextricably tied to the economic divide. Without a solution to the latter, the former may never reach its full potential. But how?