The Digital Divide in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas is said to be the next Silicon Valley, but what are the effects of this technological expansion? With over 130 tech-start ups declaring Austin their home, the city is now closing the doors of vintage shops and paving the way for the construction of tech-hubs (Athwal, 2015). The mix of the unique music scene, growing population, and nearby natural attractions lure thousands of tech based start-up companies. However promising the technological innovation of the city might seem, over 27% of the Austin population east of I-35 does not have access to the internet (City of Austin, 2016).
The concept of the digital divide refers to the growing gap between the underprivileged members of our society who do not have access to the internet and the middle-class Americans who have access to the internet. Currently, there are four billion people in the world who do not have access to the internet (Zickuhr & Smith, 2012). On a national level one in five American still do not use the internet due to lack of access to the resources necessary for internet access such as affordable internet networks and computers (Neter, 2012). This digital gap not only marginalizes a large percent of our population, but it can effect their health. According to a study conducted by the University of Cambridge, having access to the internet enhances your health by providing accessible health care information, guides on nutrition, and ways to manage diseases (Anyangwe, 2012). Additionally, not having internet access decreases the chances of attending a university, job prospects, and ostracizes a community from benefiting from the advantages of the internet (Anyagnwe, 2012).
The digital divide in Austin is very much due to cost associated with access to the internet (City of Austin, 2012). A graphic created by the city of Austin’s Digital Literacy Citywide Report found that the districts west of I-35 have almost a 99% net-connectivity rate, while districts east of I-35 only have an 88% net-connectivity rate. I-35 not only acts as a highway, but a physical separation deeply rooted in the classist division of our city. The west side of Austin is the highly renowned “tech-hub” and tourist attraction area. Places like east Austin are met with gentrification and the exponential increase of housing as a result of the city’s population growth. Several city programs intended to better the city through the use of apps, for example, online access to public transportation, completely ignore a large demographic that would benefit from these programs. As Austin shifts to a tech-based city, it is necessary for the city to find a solution to the large number of citizens that are excluded and will continue to be excluded from these developments.
Additionally, the Austin Digital Literacy Citywide Report also found that the number one barrier associated with the digital divide was because the internet was too expensive, among other reasons, some barriers listed was the difficulty of the internet, inability to speak English, and no one to teach them.
The City of Austin’s vision is for every resident to have access to the knowledge and resources needed to participate in our emerging digital society. We need affordable and available devices for all residents. And it is critical that all Austinites understand technology and its relevancy to their daily lives, whether for helping with their kids’ homework, looking for jobs, getting access to health information, or accessing online government information. (City of Austin, 2016)
The City of Austin created a Digital Inclusion strategy in order to increase digital literacy. Digital literacy is the ability to use digital technology and understand how an internet network works in order to communicate with others, research, and a plethora of other important things that the internet provides access to. The City of Austin has partnered with non-profits and government based programs in order to create equal access to the internet.
Austin’s Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) launched Unlocking the Connection, an Austin based initiative to help bridge the digital divide for over 4,300 people who live in public housing (Google, 2015). Unlocking the Connection finds ways to provide resources such as affordable Internet access, basic computer skill training, and access to devices.
Google Fiber will then bring infrastructure to Austin’s public housing unit and provide a free Google Fiber connection to HACA properties around the Austin area. Although this is a wonderful solution, Austin has a large undocumented population, meaning that programs like Unlocking the Connection will not benefit them.
However, non-profit programs such as Google Austin’s creation of the Google Community Leaders Program (CLP) in which selected UT students host digital inclusivity workshops for the residents of Dove Springs Austin. These workshops are co-partnered with Google and River City Youth Foundation. As a member of the Google CLP, I’ve first hand exhibited the execution of a program intended to bridge the digital divide. The participants of this program do not have to be legal residents of the United States; however, they have to be residents of the Dove Springs area.
Mona Gonzales, founder of the River City Youth Foundation, created this non-profit in hopes of enriching the community around her. In addition to hosting digital inclusivity programs for adults, Mrs. Gonzales hosts summer camps focused on coding for the kids of Dove Springs, Austin.
“This isn’t just about teaching people how to use the internet, this is much more than that. This is their future, their lives.” says Mona Gonzalez, the founding Executive Director of River City Youth Foundation.
The participants of the digital inclusivity program, Tech Community, are taught in Spanish due to the predominately Hispanic based demographic. After attending the ten-week program, the participants are awarded a free laptop. Several participants who have graduated from the program are now active members of the online community. Maria, a graduate from the program, found scholarships for her children through the online scholarship segment taught in Tech Communidad. Programs like the River City Youth foundation in Austin exemplify the unification of our city in order to fix an issue at hand. The digital divide is a difficult challenge; however, the development of these programs is a step towards bridging the divide and a better tomorrow.
References
Athwal, N. (2015, September 11). 5 Cities Poised To Be The Next Silicon Valley Tech Hub. Retrieved February 09, 2018, fromhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/navathwal/2015/02/12/5-markets-poised-to-be-the-next-silicon-valley-for-real-estate/#15e054ec703e
Anyangwe, E. (2012, May 15). 20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education. Retrieved February 09, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education network/blog/2012/may/15/digital-literacy-in-universities
Gonzalez, M. (n.d.). About River City Youth Foundation. Retrieved February 09, 2018, from http://rivercityyouth.com/about/
Neter, E., & Brainin, E. (2012). eHealth Literacy: Extending the Digital Divide to the Realm of Health Information. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14(1), e19. http://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1619
Radovanovic, Danica. (2011, December 14). Digital Divide and Social Media: Connectivity Doesn’t End the Digital Divide, Skills Do. Retrieved February 09, 2018, from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/digital-divide-and-social-media-connectivity-doesnt-end-the-digital-divide-skills-do/
Ricke, C. (2016, May 13). Digital Divide: 55,000 Austinites without Internet access. Retrieved February 09, 2018, from http://kxan.com/2016/05/13/digital-resource-fair-helping-austin-community-stay-connected/
Rodriguez, Jesse. (n.d.). Digital Divide. Retrieved February 09, 2018, fromhttp://austinfree.net/about-2/
Sipior, J. C., & Ward, B. T. (2005). The Digital Divide: A Case Study of a United States Community. Retrieved February 5, 2018, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.578.4251&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Sipior, J. C. (2011). The digital divide and t-government in the United States: Using the technology acceptance model to understand usage. Retrieved February 4, 2018, from https://digital.library.villanova.edu/Item/vudl:178695
Zickuhr, K., & Smith, A. (2012). Digital differences. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved 5 February 2018, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/04/13/digital-differences/
