Information technology is forging a new frontier and a globally connected digital economy is emerging. While the number of Americans with access to computers and the Internet is growing at an exponential rate, there is also a growing split - which breaks down along racial, economic, educational and geographic lines - between the information haves and have-nots.

Information tools, such as the personal computer and the Internet, are increasingly critical to economic success and personal achievement. More Americans than ever before have access to telephones, computers and the Internet. This digital divide is a widening gap between those with access to new technologies and those without. Information technology is thriving, but not everyone is benefiting.

Some significant facts:

• Over 60% of people with college degrees now use the Internet, compared to less than 7% of those with an elementary school education or less
• Households with incomes of $75,000 or more are nine times more likely to have a computer at home and 20 times more like to have access to the Internet than those at the lowest income levels
• Whites are more likely to have access to the Internet from home than African Americans or Hispanics have from any location, even including work
• Regardless of income levels, people in urban areas are more than twice as likely to have Internet access than those earning the same income in rural areas.
• In mid-1997, 16% of US females and 37% of US males used the Internet. By December 1998, these percentages were 38% and 46%, respectively.
• At the end of 1998, over 40 percent of American households owned computers and one-quarter of all households had Internet access.
• By August 2000, over 50 percent of American households owned computers and 42% of all households had Internet access.
• According to a January 2001 survey, about 2% of freshmen women planned to enter computer programming as a career - compared to over 9% of freshmen men.

People, businesses and whole communities without ready access to information technologies - like the Internet - are being left behind in the fast paced new economy. A few years ago, a gender gap existed in computer knowledge and use. Computer usage used to be a male dominated area. Similar changes need to occur in these other areas.

For instance, small companies demand quick access and will not locate where high speed access is not available. Small towns or rural areas that lack high speed, inexpensive Internet access are finding it harder to attract commerce and are declining in economic growth.

Socio-economic factors.
A digital divide exists between the information rich (Whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders, those with higher incomes, those more educated and dual-parent households) and the information poor (such as those who are younger, those with lower incomes and education levels, certain minorities and those in rural areas or central cities). For many groups, the digital divide has widened as the information 'haves' outpaced the 'have-nots' in gaining access to electronic resources.

According to a 1999 study, Asian-Americans have the highest access to the Internet at 65%, followed by Caucasians (47%), Hispanics (33%) and African Americans (30%).

Individuals with limited education, people in rural areas as well as many people of color who do not have ready access to new technologies are finding themselves stuck on a plateau with few opportunities and dimming prospects. If knowledge is the most important asset people will compete with, now and in the future, then ready access to information is the most dynamic dimension shaping our lives.

One of the problems seems to be that there are very few sites that have the information that the lower income families need and there are even fewer sites for the people with literacy problems. There is a need to target these groups and provide the needed information. People that fall into the lower income and literacy groups need to be taught how to use and harness these technologies.

Many families buy computers so that their children can use them for school work. Many times, this is one of the primary usages in the US home.

Gender factors
A study of the digital divide between genders reveals some interesting characteristics. According to a recent survey, the most widespread uses of the Internet are:

• Send email (91%)
• Look for information on a hobby (76%)
• Research a product or service before buying it (74%)
• Get travel information (64%)
• Surf the Web for fun (63%)
• Check the weather (62%)
• Look for information about entertainment (62%)
• Get news (60%)

On the Web, the gender gap is quite pronounced in some areas. Women are more likely to seek health information, get religious information, email and chat. Men are more likely to use the Web to get news, shop, seek financial information and do online stock trading, participate in online auctions, access government Web sites and search for sports news. On a typical day, twice as many men will go online to look for jobs as women.

One might summarize that, in general, women talk about technology as a tool to do things with, men talk about technology as a way to get things done. Female computer users tend to focus on verbal activities, they tend to ignore the hardware and look at ways to use the technology. Males have a higher interest in the hardware.

Regions
As mentioned earlier, in August 2000, 50% of American homes had computers. At that time, 73% of the households in Salt Lake City, Utah had computers. San Francisco and Washington DC also had over 70%. Austin, Texas had a 69% rating. Seven of the top ten cities were west of the Mississippi and three were in California. Among the lowest ranking cities were Memphis, Tennessee (49%), Birmingham, Alabama(48%), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (48%), Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (47%) and Charleston, West Virginia (46%). This study found that 20% of households without computers planned to buy one by the next year.

Access speed
In the past, the information difference was whether you had an encyclopedia set in your home or not. A few years later, the difference depended upon whether or not there was a computer in the house. Currently, it seems that the difference is between whether a family has access to the Internet or not. The next level seems to be a bandwidth issue. Those families with high speed data access will have an advantage over those with lower levels of access speed.

In a society that increasingly relies on computers and the Internet to deliver information and enhance communication, we need to make sure that all Americans have access. Ready access to information tools will help produce the kind of technology literate work force that will enable the United States to continue to be a world leader.

World regions
And the problem extends to the global society. In 2000, the top ten on-line nations (according to the number of users) are:

1. United States (110,825,000)
2. Japan (18,156,00)
3. United Kingdom (13,975,000)
4. Canada (13,277,000)
5. Germany (12,285,000)
6. Australia (6,837,000)
7. Brazil (6,790,000)
8. China (6,308,000)
9. France (5,696,000)
10. South Korea (5,688,000)

According to region, here are the number of Internet users in 2000 and 2002: (millions)

World Region	2000	2002
North America	125.8	191.7
Europe and Africa	85.1	134.7
Asia-Pacific	65.1	110.1
Latin America	14.1	20.7
TOTAL	290.1	357.2

Not only does a digital divide exist within the US borders - it also exists in the world-wide society. In January 2000, high income countries account for only 15% of the world's population but they represent more than half of the world's telephone lines and some 4/5 of the world's Internet users. Low income countries account for almost 60% of the world's population but just 5% of the world's Internet users. In 2001, it was reported that 6% of the US homes did not have telephones, this figure was 72% for homes in Africa.

• Increase the access to technology
• Provide informational sites that lower income people need
• Create sites that target people with literacy problems - are informative and easy to read and navigate
• Most computer games are targeted at traditional male interests (action games and sports) - more games need to be written for typical female interests

If we don't give the economically disadvantaged access to the means to compete in the digital economy, then their fate is to remain forever where they are now. Part of the problem is education. If people don't know how to read and write, then Internet access is not the real problem.

Overall, the rapid uptake of new technologies is occurring among most groups of Americans, regardless of income, education, race, ethnicity, location, age, or gender, suggesting that 'digital inclusion' is a realizable goal. Internet access is no longer a luxury item but a resource to be used by many.