This chapter offers an overview of digital inequalities in three neighboring North American countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their respective gross domestic product (GDP) values place them in the top 25 countries globally and collectively accounts for more than one-fourth of the world’s GDP. GDP is a notable factor for consideration of global digital inequalities given that income and work are closely associated with technology use among the respective populace; however, it is not a complete measure of technological well-being as divides remain in nations with the highest rates of economic growth and broadband penetration. Although access to computers and the internet is believed to enhance educational outcomes, it does not address the underlying structural inequalities in society. The rise of information and communication technologies has heightened expectations for equitable knowledge distribution, yet disparities remain, reinforcing existing cultural divides rather than resolving them. The goal of this chapter is to describe the increasingly nuanced presentation of digital divides in the lives of socially and economically marginalized groups throughout North American G20 nations. This chapter will first summarize digital inequalities in three need areas: access to affordable home internet, access to digital devices, and possession of or access to digital literacy—the know-how to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support well-being. Next, authors describe the commonalities and differences in the presentation of digital divides. Lastly, government efforts to address digital inequalities in these nations are discussed since the early 2000s when the rapid global expansion of internet-enabled devices began.

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Lasting Digital Inequities in Flourishing North American Countries

  • Tianca Crocker,
  • Hiram Herrera-Rivas

摘要

This chapter offers an overview of digital inequalities in three neighboring North American countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their respective gross domestic product (GDP) values place them in the top 25 countries globally and collectively accounts for more than one-fourth of the world’s GDP. GDP is a notable factor for consideration of global digital inequalities given that income and work are closely associated with technology use among the respective populace; however, it is not a complete measure of technological well-being as divides remain in nations with the highest rates of economic growth and broadband penetration. Although access to computers and the internet is believed to enhance educational outcomes, it does not address the underlying structural inequalities in society. The rise of information and communication technologies has heightened expectations for equitable knowledge distribution, yet disparities remain, reinforcing existing cultural divides rather than resolving them. The goal of this chapter is to describe the increasingly nuanced presentation of digital divides in the lives of socially and economically marginalized groups throughout North American G20 nations. This chapter will first summarize digital inequalities in three need areas: access to affordable home internet, access to digital devices, and possession of or access to digital literacy—the know-how to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support well-being. Next, authors describe the commonalities and differences in the presentation of digital divides. Lastly, government efforts to address digital inequalities in these nations are discussed since the early 2000s when the rapid global expansion of internet-enabled devices began.