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Investigating the Digital Divide in a Rural Community in the Philippines
Abstract
The digital divide is a global social issue that deals with the inequality of availability, access, and utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This study investigated the incidence of the digital divide and its factors among the residents in a rural community in the Philippines. A survey based on the concepts of measurement of Digital Divide on a micro level was conducted to identify factors based on ICT Development Index (IDI), Digital Access Index (DAI) and Digital Opportunity Index (DOI). It was found that majority of the respondents were “non-users” of ICT due to lack of knowledge, access, and comfort in doing so. Based on the measurement indices, the digital divide exists and the factors that cause the gap are age, employment status, educational attainment, and household income.
... Considering this, purchasing ICT equipment or internet subscription for their children's online classes will unlikely be a priority in the budget of these families unless they sacrifice spending on their essentials like food, water, clothing, and other household expenses (Beaunoyer et al., 2020). Specifically, in a developing country like the Philippines, prior work found a strong correlation between the combined household income and owning a computer system and access to internet (Talandron et al., 2016). ...
... Aside from income, another significant factor affecting individual's access to ICTs is geographic location in developing countries where those living in rural areas are expected to lag behind those from urban areas because of limited telecommunication infrastructure, availability of equipment, and culture (Acılar, 2011;Hindman, 2000;Talandron et al., 2016;Talandron-Felipe, 2019). Even in a developed country, it was found that urban children had better conditions/performances in every aspect of Internet behavior than rural children and in total, 99% of urban children owned a PC at home, while less than two thirds of rural children owned a PC at home (Li & Ranieri, 2013). ...
... The study focused on two major factors of the digital gap: location (urban vs rural) and socio-economic (various income clusters). Results are consistent with findings from prior research that geographic location (Acılar, 2011;Hindman, 2000;Li & Ranieri, 2013;Talandron et al., 2016;Talandron-Felipe, 2019) and income (Ferro et al., 2011;Hilbert, 2011;Hill et al., 2015;Novo-Corti et al., 2014;Wu et al., 2014) affect digital inequality. Both aspects impacted device ownership, having stable internet connection at home, and frequency of access while prior online learning experience showed dependency on location. ...
This paper investigated the digital divide among students of a state university in the Philippines in relation to its implementation of technology-led flexible learning due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. The study focused on two major factors of the digital gap: location (urban vs rural) and socio-economic (income clusters). Results provided further evidence that geographic location and income affect digital inequality among students. Both aspects have an impact on device ownership, stable internet connection at home, and frequency of access. Prior online learning experience also shows dependency on a student’s geographic location. Location groups and the alternative ways to access the internet have a significant relationship where students from urban areas are more likely to spend money for temporary data subscription, go to internet cafes, or use their neighbor’s, friends’, and relative’s Wi-Fi connection. On the other hand, those from rural areas are more likely to utilize free data and free Wi-Fi in public areas or have no other means to connect at all. The students were also categorized based on the context of flexible learning implementation of the university: those with device and with connectivity, with device but no connectivity, no device and no connectivity. For each category, different support initiatives were developed including utilization of school’s ICT facilities, funds for internet subscription, and tablet lending. The study emphasized that school administrators and teachers must take digital divide into consideration in crafting instruction, support guidelines, and policies for flexible learning. A follow up study is also recommended to validate the effectiveness of the university’s ICT support initiatives presented in this paper.
... These scenarios give a glimpse of digital divide in an academic community in the Philippines. During this time of pandemic, digital divide is more than just "the gap between those who do and those who do not have access to new forms of information technology" [17] as it also encompasses a global issue that deals with the uneven distribution, access, and utilization of ICT [18] where certain parts of the population have substantially better opportunities than other parts of the population [19]. Open Access Library Journal cause segments or groups who have no or limited accessibility to these technologies to be denied of socioeconomic opportunities [20]. ...
This study aimed to investigate the context of digital divide in teacher education institution (TEI) students during the COVID-19 pandemic setup. An online questionnaire was administered to 264 students from a state university in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Spearman Rho Correlation was used as statistical tool with 5% level of significance. The central finding of this study has confirmed the existence of digital divide as predicted by demographic factors such as residence, annual family income and parents’ highest educational attainment. Significant differences were found to exist not only in access to the internet but also in mobile internet expenses and hours spent on the internet. This study provides a better understanding for further research to generate a more conclusive and generalizable result based on the strong starting points on digital divide found among higher education institution students.
The diffusion of the Internet is reaching a level between 80% and 90% in Western societies. Yet, while the digital divide is closing for young cohorts, it is still an issue when comparing various generations. This study focuses specifically on the so-called ‘grey divide’, a divide among seniors of age 65+ years. Based on a representative survey in Switzerland (N = 1105), it is found that Internet use is strongly skewed in this age group leading to a partial exclusion of the old seniors (70+). Logistic regression shows that gender differences in usage disappear if controlled for education, income, technical interest, pre-retirement computer use and marital status. Furthermore, the social context appears to have a manifold influence on Internet use. Encouragement by family and friends is a strong predictor for Internet use, and private learning settings are preferred over professional courses. Implications for digital inequality initiatives and further research are discussed.
Information technology (IT) allows members of the growing elderly population to remain independent longer. However, while technology becomes more and more pervasive, an age-related underutilisation of IT remains observable. For instance, elderly people (65 years of age and older) are significantly less likely to use the Internet than the average population (see, for instance, European Commission, 2011). This age-related digital divide prevents many elderly people from using IT to enhance their quality of life through tools, such as Internet-based service delivery. Despite the significance of this phenomenon, the information systems (IS) literature lacks a comprehensive consideration and explanation of technology acceptance in general and more specifically, Internet adoption by the elderly. This paper thus studies the intentions of the elderly with regard to Internet use and identifies important influencing factors. Four alternative models based on technology acceptance theory are tested in the context of comprehensive survey data. As a result, a model that explains as much as 84% of the variance in technology adoption among the elderly is developed. We discuss the contribution of our analyses to the research on Internet adoption (and IT adoption in general) by the elderly, on the digital divide, and on technology acceptance and identify potentially effective paths for future research and theoretical development.
Empirical studies clearly show that women in the developing world have significantly lower technology participation rates than men; a result of entrenched socio-cultural attitudes about the role of women in society. However, as studies are beginning to show, when those women are able to engage with Internet technology, a wide range of personal, family and community benefits become possible. The key to these benefits is on-line education, the access to which sets up a positive feedback loop. This review gives an overview of the
digital divide, before focusing specifically on the challenges women in developing countries face in accessing the Internet. Current gender disparities in Internet use will be outlined and the barriers that potentially hinder women’s access and participation in the online world will be considered. We will then look at the potential opportunities for women’s participation in a global digital society along with a consideration of current initiatives that have been developed to mitigate gender inequity in developing countries. We will also consider a promising avenue for future research.
This paper attempts to highlight the role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century. In particular the paper has argued that ICTs have impacted on educational practice in education to date in quite small ways but that the impact will grow considerably in years to come and that ICT will become a strong agent for change among many educational practices. It is evident from the study that use of ICT in education is increasing very rapidly in various states of India. One of the most common problems of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education is to base choices on technological possibilities rather than educational needs. In developing countries where higher education is fraught with serious challenges at multiple levels, there is increasing pressure to ensure that technological possibilities are viewed in the context of educational needs. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings and often this creates some tensions for some teachers and students. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. Thus, the paper suggests that ICT in higher education is not a technique for educational development but also a way of socio-economic development of the nation.
The present study relies on the 2010 Canadian Internet Use Survey to investigate differences in people's access to the internet and level of online activity. The study not only revisits the digital divide in the Canadian context, but also expands current investigations by including an analysis of how demographic factors affect social networking site (SNS) adoption. The findings demonstrate that access to the internet reflects existing inequalities in society with income, education, rural/urban, immigration status, and age all affecting adoption patterns. Furthermore, the results show that inequality in access to the internet is now being mimicked in the level of online activity of internet users. More recent immigrants to Canada have lower rates of internet access; however, recent immigrants who are online have significantly higher levels of online activity than Canadian born residents and earlier immigrants. Additionally, women perform fewer activities online than men. People's use of SNSs differs in terms of education, gender, and age. Women were significantly more likely to use SNSs than men. Interestingly, high school graduates had the lowest percentage of adoption compared to all other education categories. Current students were by far the group that utilized SNSs the most. Canadian born, recent, and early immigrants all showed similar adoption rates of SNSs. Age is a strong predictor of SNS usage, with young people relying heavily on SNSs in comparison to those aged 55+. The findings demonstrate that the digital divide not only persists, but has expanded to include inequality in the level of online activity and SNS usage.
The Survey of Schools: ICT in education commissioned in 2011 by the European Commission took place between January 2011 and November 2012, with data collection in autumn 2011. This article presents the main findings of the Survey based on over 190,000 questionnaire answers from students, teachers and head teachers in primary, lower and upper secondary schools randomly sampled. The article details the analytical framework design and the survey methodology implemented. It then presents the main ‘state of the art’ indicators that have been built, concerning ICT infrastructure and access to it, frequency of students' ICT based activities during lessons, level of teachers' and students' confidence in their digital competences, their opinion about using ICT for teaching and learning, and the school strategies to support ICT integration in teaching and learning. The article also presents the main findings of the exploratory part of the analysis, introducing the concepts of digitally supportive school, digitally confident and supportive teacher and digitally confident and supportive student, estimating their respective proportion at EU level on average and by country and investigating whether high percentage of digitally supportive schools include high percentages of digitally confident and positive teachers and students. A few recommendations for policy making at European, national, regional/local and institutional levels conclude the article.
Singapore’s remarkable success in economic development has been strongly associated with the country’s vigorous efforts to embrace the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution to promote economic growth. This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the contributions of ICT to Singapore’s economic growth during the 1990–2008 period. It documents three key findings. First, there is a strong positive association between the intensity of ICT use and value-added and labor productivity growth at the sector level. Second, ICT investment contributed approximately 1 percentage point to Singapore’s GDP during 1990–2008, and its role in driving economic growth has become increasingly important over time. Third, the contribution of the ICT manufacturing sector to Singapore’s growth was notable, but it was on the decline and faced difficult restructuring challenges. This paper also provides valuable policy lessons and strategic insights for governments in both developed and developing countries that aspire to embrace ICT to promote economic growth.
This article discusses the danger of a growing digital divide between rural and other areas. It presents broadband as increasingly necessary for the delivery of information, health, education, business, social security, public and leisure services. Access to broadband has become vital for rural communities to participate in a progressively digital economy and to overcome problems of physical and social isolation. Yet rural areas are among those most excluded from fast broadband developments. Although this is partly due to technological/economic barriers in reaching more remote locations, even where technology is available, adoption can still be low in rural areas. This article explores the problems of providing broadband in rural Britain, considers various technological approaches and concludes with key development areas for policy and government.
Background
Internet technology can provide a diverse array of online resources for low-income disabled and homebound older adults to manage their health and mental health problems and maintain social connections. Despite many previous studies of older adults’ Internet use, none focused on these most vulnerable older adults.
Objective
This study examined Internet use patterns, reasons for discontinued use, eHealth literacy, and attitudes toward computer/Internet use among low-income homebound individuals aged 60 and older in comparison to their younger counterparts—homebound adults under age 60.
Methods
Face-to-face or telephone surveys were conducted with 980 recipients of home-delivered meals in central Texas (78% were age 60 years and older and 22% under age 60). The eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) and the efficacy and interest subscales of the Attitudes Toward Computer/Internet Questionnaire (ATC/IQ) were used to measure the respective constructs. Age groups were compared with chi-square tests and t tests. Correlates of Internet use were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression, and correlates of eHEALS and ATC/IQ scores were analyzed with OLS regression models.
ResultsOnly 34% of the under-60 group and 17% of the 60 years and older group currently used the Internet, and 35% and 16% of the respective group members reported discontinuing Internet use due to cost and disability. In addition to being older, never users were more likely to be black (OR 4.41; 95% CI 2.82-6.91, P
Background
Developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supported health communication in PHC could contribute to increased health literacy and empowerment, which are foundations for enabling people to increase control over their health, as a way to reduce increasing lifestyle related ill health. However, to increase the likelihood of success of implementing ICT supported health communication, it is essential to conduct a detailed analysis of the setting and context prior to the intervention. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of health communication for health promotion in PHC with emphasis on the implications for a planned ICT supported interactive health channel.
Methods
A qualitative case study, with a multi-methods approach was applied. Field notes, document study and focus groups were used for data collection. Data was then analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results
Health communication is an integral part of health promotion practice in PHC in this case study. However, there was a lack of consensus among health professionals on what a health promotion approach was, causing discrepancy in approaches and practices of health communication. Two themes emerged from the data analysis: Communicating health and environment for health communication. The themes represented individual and organizational factors that affected health communication practice in PHC and thus need to be taken into consideration in the development of the planned health channel.
Conclusions
Health communication practiced in PHC is individual based, preventive and reactive in nature, as opposed to population based, promotive and proactive in line with a health promotion approach. The most significant challenge in developing an ICT supported health communication channel for health promotion identified in this study, is profiling a health promotion approach in PHC. Addressing health promotion values and principles in the design of ICT supported health communication channel could facilitate health communication for promoting health, i.e. ‘health promoting communication’.
This paper focuses on the extent to which university-based research on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) addressed and impacted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in education, social and economic development in the countries of Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Twenty-two ICT-related projects were selected on the basis of (a) having a focus on ICT research knowledge production, (b) intensive involvement of ICTs, and (c) not being more than five years old. The study was descriptive in nature and used both qualitative and quantitative in design using questionnaires, structured interviews and documentary schedules. The data collected was qualitatively analyzed. The findings of the study showed that ICT applications were a means to extend access to wider educational opportunities and this added value to productivity-related socio-economic activities. It was concluded that the studies surveyed did make some positive contributions and education was the base for socio-economic development in attainment of MDG’s agenda through the use of ICT.
This article provides a systematic review of the potential and limitations of mobile phones in the delivery of rural services for agricultural and rural development in developing countries. The review indicates a rapid expansion of research in recent years, and a growing number of primary research studies that have developed rigorous methodologies for data collection and analysis, with welcome contribution from developing country institutions and researchers. Gaps in the literature suggest areas where future research priorities may lie. These include the provision of agricultural data sources that can provide the basis for effective planning and policymaking, and the assessment of information and service needs that take into account gender differences and the potential for user involvement in the design of service provision. Research is also needed to assess the potential for financial market integration, sustainable business models, consideration of indicators of sector performance and productivity, and assessment of broader impacts at the community and societal level. © 2016 European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes.
This research examines student information and communication technology (ICT) literacy and its relationships to a student’s socio-economic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity of middle school students. We recruited 5,990 students from 13 school districts across the state of Florida. Student participants completed the Student Tool for Technology Literacy (ST2L), a performance-based assessment of ICT literacy skills based on the 2008 National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS.S). Results show a digital divide between low and high SES, white and non-white, and female and male students on all measures of the ST2L. Specifically, high-SES, white, and female students outperformed their counterparts. The results provide compelling evidence of a digital divide within Florida schools. The article discusses the implications of the findings for practice and future research.
Innovation drives economic competitiveness and sustained long-term economic growth. Especially the emergence and intensive utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs), which spawned the beginning of the digital economy two decades ago, heavily affected the opportunities and efficiency of how firms produce and provide goods and services. We provide an overview of the empirical literature on ICT and productivity and highlight the main results and methodological differences. The majority of studies indicates that the productivity effect of ICT is indeed positive and significant. However, methodological approaches of how to appropriately estimate the ICT effect matter. While aggregate and sectoral growth accounting exercises suggest stronger differences of the ICT effect between US and Europe, firm-level analyses suggest no significant country differences. Moreover, we shed light on the notion of ICT being a General Propose Technology (GPT) enabling further innovations. Most of the GPT evidence on ICT is found for the US, while evidence for European countries is harder to come by. However, more theoretical and empirical research is needed to better understand spillovers and externalities of ICT and how these technologies transform our economies.
This paper investigates the hypothesis that technological convergence has been a major driving force for the recent productivity increase in Korea. Based on the dynamic panel data of Korean industries, the direct impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on labor productivity is assessed through growth accounting, and the indirect network effect of ICT on industrial total factor productivity (TFP) is estimated. The results confirm the essential role of broadband networks for successful convergence. The policy implications for the regulatory change are drawn from the empirical analysis.
Digital technologies are becoming more pervasive in all areas of society. Enabling everyone to have access and capability to use the Internet and associated digital technologies, summed up in the term 'digital inclusion', is seen to have wide-ranging benefits to the individual, to the economy and to society. For older people, being digitally included can help them to maintain their independence, social connectedness and sense of worth in the face of declining health or limited capabilities, as well as also offering new opportunities to improve their quality of life. At present however, access to the technology and to the benefits is not equally distributed either between or within nations, and older people tend to be on the 'wrong' side of what is termed the 'digital divide'. Governments globally are developing strategies to promote digital inclusion and indeed Internet uptake is increasing steadily, including amongst older people. However, such strategies have focussed on getting people online, and there appears to be an assumption that once someone is online they will remain 'digitally engaged'. In fact statistics show that some users give up using the Internet, and there is emerging evidence that older people are more vulnerable to the factors which can lead to this outcome. The authors see this phenomenon as a potential but largely unrecognised 'fourth digital divide' which has serious implications for social inclusion. The objectives of this article are (a) to raise awareness of the phenomenon of digital disengagement by considering some of the emerging evidence, (b) to explore some of the potential implications of not recognising and therefore not addressing the needs of the digitally disengaged older population, and (c) to reveal the prevailing gap in knowledge which future research should address.
The article outlines a set of visionary scenarios on how the European society could develop by 2030 by using advanced ICT tools and modelling techniques and integrating them into governance processes and policy making mechanisms. These scenarios have been designed through a foresight exercise conducted by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) as part of the CROSSROAD Project, a support action of the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme. After presenting the conceptual framework and methodological approach followed, the scenario design framework developed and the resulting views of what the European Information Society might be by 2030 are presented. The article follows with a discussion of the implications of the scenarios design in terms of key areas of expected change and grand challenges to be addressed. It concludes by identifying policy challenges and proposing possible future research directions in the domain of ICT for governance and policy modelling needed to build a truly open Digital Europe twenty years from now.
The role of information and communication technologies (ICT) has been growing in the economic and social life recently. Information and communication technologies are one of the basic priorities of research and development (R&D) in the information society. In recent years, analyses on the impact of ICT on business and economic environment have been widely addressed by policy makers, technology developers, and science and business societies more and more often. Studies of the socio-economic impact of ICT cover a wide spectrum of questions. The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) defines five important thematic trends in ICT research: macroeconomic and social conditions for ICT-based innovations; ICT, organizational changes and transformation of work processes; the social dimension of ICT; political instruments related to ICT development.
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