The Digital Divide!

After recording my use of electronic CMC for one of the days this week I really just feel like I need to go for a long run! Its incredible how much of the day I seem to dwindle away, using technology, and if I'm not at the high end of the continuum of access then I struggle to imagine who would be! I averaged my usage out over a couple of days so it was more accurate and came to the conclusion that I spend about:

• 4-5 hours a day on my laptop/ the internet
• 30 mins-1 hour a day on my cellphone (mainly on texting!)
• 2 hours watching a projector in lectures (I really need to start going to more of those things..!)

          and

• 3+ hours a day watching television

I'm not so much of a radio listener but in total I calculate that to be approximately 10 and a half hours everyday spent using technology! How many hours is there supposed to be in a day again!!?

Now that is most certainly more time than I spend eating... does this mean that technology has become more essential to me than food? I don't think so!

I feel that the people who are debating the usefulness of the OLPC (one laptop per child) programme are not considering the digital divide or global social inequality. Of course food and clean water are essential to these underprivileged countries but that comes under the realms of survival NOT global social inequality. If we want to start bridging the gap in equality between countries of different economic statuses, I personally think the OLPC programme is an awesome place to start! People need more than just the basics to remove themselves from cycles of poverty and social inequality, especially in this age where technology is so prominent. Let's face it, we can give the poor people food but all this is going to do is make them less hungry, poor people. We need to start doing something different and the OLPC movement IS that 'something different'. While there are still improvements to be made regarding the supporting infrastructure, the features of the XO laptops are spot-on for children.

Aside from the obvious advantages to education that having a laptop gives, imagine the excitement a child would experience after being given one of these nifty little lime-green contraptions! It'd be just like christmas!

Well I better be off and do something about this essay!

Happy writing!

XO (<--- get it? ;p )