A New Paradigm for Measuring Digital Divide

Dr. Asoke K. Laha, Chairman- Emeritus and Founder- InterraIT

In most of the debates relating to digitization, one key phrase used very often is the Digital Divide. Policymakers, digital service providers and a whole lot of other people pondered over years how to bridge the widening digital divide. Why is that phrase no longer the favorite topic and thread of discussions among meetings of all hues- large, small and mini? Is it because that digital divide has been largely attended to since a lot of space has been covered in this regard?

Let us understand the nuances of the digital divide first. To my understanding, it emanates from the existence of two types of people; one knowledgeable about digital devices: how to use and knows wherewithal to use it to their advantage in all spheres of life including communication, affecting business transactions and getting updated with the huge range of services that can be downloaded from the internet by the medium of their smartphones or tablets or any other digital devices wherever they are. The other set of people are those who do not have the knowledge base to use the smartphone or any other devices and that way cut off from availing the goodies that internet, Apps or any other platforms can give.  

If that is crude categorization of the digitally included and excluded people, should we assume that the second category of people cease to exist, and they have subsumed to the first category? I feel it is too simplistic an assumption to make. Let me examine some of the factors that would have given an impression to the world: most of the people have become digital savvy, and the phrase digital divide has become a hackneyed concept.  Countries after countries these days highlight how digitization has swept into the daily lives of their citizens. Amongst the claimants of heightened percolation of digital culture include some of the African countries, which remain at the rock bottom of development ranking.

Undeniably, they made some progress. But a close look at their digital breakthroughs reveals a stunning fact.  The digitization can be traced mainly to mobile money. There has been a quantum leap in the number of people using mobile money in most of the poor countries in Africa or elsewhere because of the widespread use of mobile money transactions, which are easy, convenient and above all grossly beneficial to a large mass of people, who are cut off from the mainstream because of the absence of banking networks. Money transfer is made extremely simple, cost less and quick because of the widespread prevalence of mobile money, where you need to have a bank account in a bank or a financial entity, which can be distant from your home or place of work.

Importantly, the emergence of digital money service providers in hordes have made the spread of mobile money easier.  Most of them are telecom service providers who have introduced mobile money as an add on service. The other day, I saw a documentary about a country in Africa-Rwanda wherein the documentary producer was asked to cough up money for shooting in a rural area to a different set of people whom he wanted to portray. As a part of the documentary making, he visited a few places. First, he visited a shopkeeper and asked him a few questions about how his business was doing. A shot which would have taken a half a minute. While taking a step ahead to shoot some other spot, he was stopped by the shopkeeper who demanded money for what he was doing. The documentary maker immediately pulled out his mobile and transferred some money to his account.

Should we consider that petty shopkeeper or the owner of that rural household as a digitally emancipated person? Is he using the digital device to know the latest prices in the nearby market and use that as pricing the products that he sells from his shop or getting to know from where he can source goods from different markets? Does the rural house owner use his mobile phone to know the real time weather conditions to tend the small plot of land he owns or for getting to know the most lucrative markets for selling his produce? Do the rural folks use their digital accessories to get the right type of education to their children or availing the right medical help from the hospitals, which are not in the vicinity but lying thousands of miles away? It is also introspective to know how far those holding a digital device take advantage to connect him or his immediate family with the outside world and try to be in the mainstream?

 I am a votary of strengthening and deepening the digital landscape across the world. Like in the case of mobile money, benefits that can accrue to the people who are in the digital sphere are many and varied. But I strongly feel that to wish the phrase digital divide is wrong, is far- fetched.  Digital divide can go only when people who have bypassed the digital revolution can safely and confidently access the same set of benefits that a highly techie savvy fellow can avail by sitting either at his home, office or any other place. Basing money transfer as the only benchmark for assessing the digitization process is lopsided and creating a wedge among the citizenry or even among countries. Digitization should become a way of life. It must permeate into every aspect of human life. While acknowledging whatever landmarks that we have achieved in that direction, my submission is that we have to go miles to achieve that goal. Let that be our mission and vision for a new world order since coming generations will be upfront with more complex digital operations. We should have different rules for robots and man, because technology and robots are created by man, for man and for his well -being, not the other way round.