I'm Not the Only Worry Wart

So my last two posts talked about the concern of the digital divide, and then my troubled list of problems with finding a solution for it. Luckily, however, I'm not the only person who has a growing concern about this. And I do think there are some savvy solutions we can start implementing right away.



The first, is education. First we need to educate the more priviledged nations with technology about this problem. And it needs to be in such a way that they understand that even if they're not sympathetic, this is affecting them as well. Then, hopefully with their help we can also educate the governments of societies around the world about the importance of introducing technology to their societies.



Check out this site for some examples of how education can be introduced, and also for more information on the digital divide:

http://www.itefa.org/

This is a non-profit organisation that is focused on humanitarian issues as well as the digital divide however. In some cases, it is very traditional and the multi-focus may add a degree of difficulty when trying to reach different technological goals -specifically in regard to building business.



Another solution is to introduce a much different approach, that may not mean that the countries who have previously been on the negative side of the divide will have to adapt or educate themselves as traditionally thought. Rather, ideas on how technology could be introduced, but more smoothly and beneficially may be in order. In other words, technology solutions need to be developed which are more "outside the box."



This organisation is attempting to do just that:

http://www.digitaldivide.org/dd/index.html

This organisation started work in Indonesia and is then branching out to try to do the same in other countries. It is hosting conferences with governments in hopes of making a change.

This site is very balanced, and notes many of the fallacies with the divide. I recommend the read as it goes into some intricate issues of my solutions that I agree with, but do not have space to delve into in these posts. I especially think this is a good resource as this is non-profit organisation rather than a more capitalistic venture.



Finally, on the logistics note, I found some interesting tools for providing Internet access - which is also environmentally friendly here: www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/solar_wifi_to_b.php

Solar power for technology is a great solution. And, whilst the site obviously has an interest in pushing it's environmentalist agenda more than an agenda of bridging a digital divide, it is a good idea that would offer a faster solution than trying to suddenly wire vast areas with electricity.

I find the feasibility of cost of the generators at first to be questionable, however, and the ability to always have the sunlight needed to constantly power all the technology you would need at once. It would be interesting to look into other more objective sites on the issue to determine if the system will support the high speed technology needed for reliable business and communication.