Op-Ed: Digital Divide

In a world where information and opportunities are increasingly digital, millions of people in developing third-world countries need more access to the internet and modern technology. This digital divide hampers educational and economic opportunities, continuing inequality, and creating a barrier to progress that is becoming ever harder to overcome. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), over 2.6 billion people still lack internet access, with the majority residing in developing nations (https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx). As the COVID-19 pandemic has largely shifted services and jobs to an online system, the urgency to bridge this digital divide has never been more critical. Furthermore, the divide is exemplified by the urgent need for targeted efforts to expand internet access in underserved regions. For example, in the African subcontinent, only 25% of the population uses the internet, compared to 80% in Europe (https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/02/22/internet-access-growing-worldwide-but-remains-higher-in-advanced-economies/). This disparity in access is not just a technological issue but a pressing social and economic challenge that requires immediate and sustained global attention. However, “conquering” the digital divide requires nuance and attention to the implications and consequences of the application of technology. Nonetheless, the overall direction of growth for developing countries should try to provide for this digital divide.

Education is one of the most affected sectors by the digital divide. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic underscoring the critical role of internet connectivity in maintaining educational continuity, students in developing countries were not able to seamlessly transition to online learning as compared to those in developed countries. A scholarly article that examined the research on how the pandemic has affected underprivileged youth's educational outcomes because of remote learning and the digital divide stated that “COVID-19 resulted in the unexpected transition to remote learning for K-12 schools, exacerbating the existing digital divide and impacting the educational outcomes of marginalized youth.” (10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101632) Without access to digital devices and reliable internet, millions of students lacked access to months, if not years, of education. This educational gap threatens to widen existing inequalities, as children in developing countries fall further behind their peers in digital literacy and skills essential for the modern workforce.

In the realm of healthcare, digital technologies offer vast potential to improve outcomes, particularly in remote and underserved areas. Especially for poorer countries and regions, good communication promotes faster and better overall healthcare. Telemedicine, mobile health applications, and digital health records can enhance access to medical services, streamline health management, and facilitate disease monitoring and response. Yet, in many developing regions, lack of connectivity hampers these advancements, leaving populations without critical healthcare innovations that could save lives and improve quality of life. The healthcare sector is also in danger of falling behind novel developmental technology, so utmost consideration must continue with the sector. Moreover, a recent study that analyzed the digital divide in overall healthcare found that “the rapid evolution of technology will bypass advances in health education if practitioners do not explore how technology can best be implemented to address public health priorities.”  (https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2008.10599023) 

While AI and more recent technological networks have the potential to close the digital divide in developing nations, several obstacles must be overcome before they can be put into practice. These obstacles include bias resulting from biased data, privacy and security concerns brought on by lax regulations, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of skilled workers. Furthermore, AI-driven automation carries the risk of economic displacement, and the efficacy of AI solutions may be impacted by social and cultural differences. Thus, building local capacity and maintaining regular updates are necessary to guarantee the long-term viability of AI projects and AI must address these problems if it is to promote inclusive and equitable development in underserved areas.