The Digital Divide: its Continued Relevance

In the United States the digital divide entered the public discourse in the mid-1990s. Over the next two decades, a number of national, regional, and local interventions were implemented to bring information and communication technologies (ICT) to populations who would otherwise go lacking in access to these resources. Some argued that these gains in broadening access to ICT suggested a closing of the digital divide and that the United States was now a nation online. However, as access increased, new and evolving divides in the quality of access, the skills to effectively use online resources, and the availability of culturally salient online content emerged. This article discusses these new and evolving divides, and argues for the continued relevance of the digital divide as an issue for policy makers, educators, researchers, and communities.