The Digital Divide in the Age of the Coronavirus

Will COVID-19 result in “a computer in every home”?

In the early days of Microsoft, Bill Gates and Paul Allen set forth a bold mission for their new company — a “computer on every desk and in every home”. Now, 45 years after Microsoft’s inception, it turns out that at least in the United States, Microsoft has come pretty close to meeting that goal. In research done by the Pew Research Center, roughly 74% of Americans had a home desktop or laptop computer in 2019. If we add smartphones into the mix, as we undoubtedly should, the number jumps to around 81%. On top of that, about 90% of Americans have access to the internet and roughly three-quarters of Americans have broadband internet service at home.

While these are without question impressive numbers, and Gates and Allen have every right to be proud of the role Microsoft played in the growth of computer usage, the current numbers beg the question — will 100% of Americans ever have a computer in their home? Until recently, one could make the argument that not every home needed a computer. But in the age of the Coronavirus, does that still hold true? Will one of the ultimate effects of the Coronavirus be that more Americans than ever will have a computer and access to internet in their homes?

Today, there is arguably little value in having a computer at home without having access to the internet. According to the Pew Research Center, when surveyed in 2013, of the roughly 10% of the population report that they do not use the internet, a little over a third of this group reported that their primary reason for not using the internet was that they had no interest or did not think the internet was relevant to their lives. Another third said that the internet was too difficult to use. It’s worth noting that 8% of this third said that they were “too old to learn”. Another 19% said that the expense of internet services or owning a computer were what prevented them from using the internet. Indeed, internet non-adoption can be linked to socioeconomic status. Roughly 18% of individuals from households earning less than $30,000 a year do not use the internet, compared to 2% from households earning more than $75,000. 29% of individuals without a high school diploma report never using the internet, compared to 2% of college-educated individuals.

These Americans who do not have internet access or who have historically chosen not to use the internet have likely been disproportionately impacted by the onslaught of the Coronavirus already. In an Axios/Ipsos poll conducted in March, just 3% of participants who had a high school education and a $15,000 median income said they were working remotely or from home, compared to 40% of upper class participants ($200,000+ income) who were working from home. 15% of participants in the lowest income segment had furloughs or their business closed.

What does this mean for Americans without internet access at home as the pandemic shifts many basic, daily activities from work to grocery shopping online? Where previously a significant portion of non-internet users may not have needed internet access at home in order to do their jobs, some workplaces are now scrambling to enable their employees to work remotely. Similarly, schooling, especially of grade-school age kids, has primarily been an activity done in-person in a physical classroom. With the vast majority of schools in the United States now closed for the remainder of the academic year many educators are turning to online learning. For the record number of workers who have lost their jobs during the crisis, finding a new job soon may mean having to take a job where work is done online. And for older Americans, those who reported that they were “too old to learn” how to use the internet, connecting with family and keeping loved ones close may mean learning how to use video conferencing tools.

The result of this online shift has been a spike in demand for technology that enables people to work or educate from home, including Wi-Fi routers, hot spots, monitors and laptops. Staples and Best Buy both say that have seen a surge in sales of these remote working tools, and consumers have reported empty shelves and a lack of stock in stores. Sales of Wi-Fi hotspots have also risen significantly as individuals look to use their mobile data plans to bring internet into their homes. Google Trends reveals that searches for “free wifi” have surged in the past month compared to historical levels. Most strikingly, a map showing areas of the country that do not have internet at home looks remarkably similar to the map showing the states searching for “free wifi” most frequently.

So will Bill Gates and Paul Allen ever see their vision of a computer in every home come to life? The Coronavirus pandemic may certainly be helping things along. But for those Americans who are among the least privileged groups in society, a computer in the home may still be a long way off.