Digital Divides
Recently I was tasked with folding a origami sakura star. I had to create this star without the use of any technology. The first thought that came to mind was to hit the library. The library was the only place that I could think of that would not have technology. I arrived at the library and took a look around. I was lost. I haven’t been to the library to actually check a book out in years. I went to a librarian and asked about origami books and she didn’t know where they were but she would look it up for me. To look it up she needed a computer which was against the rules of this assignment so technically I already failed. However I kept going and found the books. I looked through them all and didn’t find the sakura star. If it wasn’t written in a book the only other way to fold this star without technology was to find someone who already knows how to make it and I didn’t. I had to look up how to fold it online and of course there was a tutorial video.
I decided to do my analysis on a tutorial video I found, since I could not find a way to make the star without technology. My first impression of the tutorial was that it was going to be extremely difficult. There was a difficulty rating of 4 stars and the star just looks really intricate from the picture we were provided. I gave it my best to try to make the star and it was an utter failure. I ripped my paper from folding to much. The star is just too difficult to fold. There are so many little folds and the video does not do a good job of teaching as there is no voice walking us through each step. Instead the video just goes fold by fold and it was impossible to follow along. If it was this difficult to fold a sakura star that I couldn’t finish, I could only imagine how hard it must be to fold this star with no technology at all.
My failure to find a way to fold the sakura star without technology perfectly illustrates what digital divide is. Digital divide is the gap between those with access to technology and those without. My experience with the sakura star made me realize how bad the digital divide really is. Without technology at this point in the world, people are put at such a disadvantage. Not having this access makes it more difficult to learn. Without a good education people will have a harder time in life due to the fact that education is the key to a successful career. This digital divide is cause by a multitude of things. The biggest thing is a lack of money. People who have families that have a low paying job just can’t afford the technology and this put their family in the digital divide as they don’t have access to the technology. Another reason for the digital divide is social class. Depending on which social class you belong to it can affect the digital divide. If someone in a social class has a bad experience with technology, then the rest of the people in that social class will adapt the opinion of that person. If they do this they will avoid technology and create a larger digital divide. The digital divide is a problem that needs to be fixed. Many people are not getting an equal opportunity to be successful. I am able to see that it is a problem due to the sakura star. It is extremely difficult to fold and without technology it is nearly impossible. This can be directly linked to life. Life is already difficult with technology. Without it life is nearly impossible. Technology is an aide that everyone should have access too.
