Digital Divide is Clear in Africa

Photo Credit: NetworkCable-Tester.com

Have you ever thought about how lucky you are? If you’re currently living in the United States, you’re rather fortunate. You happen to enjoy many freedoms that others do not. Here, in the United States, you have a wide variety of ways to access the Internet.  You can surf the web from your phone. You can surf the web from your Laptop or tablet. You can surf the web from your living room on your desktop. You have the whole word wide web at the touch of your fingertips. All of this is possible through Internet providers such as Xfinity, Verizon, Vonage, etc. You are fortunate enough to have so many choices and so many ways to access content. 

Africa Falls Behind in Internet Usage

Some people are not as lucky. Not all of the world can get to the world wide web. As we learned in JOUR150, in developing countries, the Internet isn’t as accessible, and when it is, it’s typically regulated. Out of all the populated continents (penguins in Antarctica don’t count), Africa currently lags behind in the digital divide.  While some of Africa’s heavily populated and urbanized countries such as Egypt and South Africa have high Internet activity rates, the rest of the continent fails to reach the same par. 

Many Factors Contribute to Africa’s Lack of Usage 

There’s no sole source of Africa’s low Internet usage. Most of the problems stem from a wide variety of issues. Some of these problems include: 

• • Cost: Internet services are costly, and it’s a luxury not many people can afford. 
• • Computer Literacy: Because computers are such a luxury, many don’t know how to use them. 
• • Low Bandwidth: According to Wikipedia, “The total bandwidth available to Africa was less than that available to Norway alone (49,000 Mbps).”
• • Connectivity: The majority of Africa does not have the telephone lines necessary to connect to the Internet. Furthermore, most are connected to servers located in Europe. 
• • Black Outs: Going along with the connectivity problem, Africa frequently experiences power black outs even in developed urban countries. 

Graph Depicting % of Population with Internet
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Internet is Growing in Africa 

Despite Africa’s low usage rates, Internet operations are growing, just not as quickly as the rest of the world. However, the further looks promising for Africa. According to recent data, “Between 2000 and 2008, Internet subscriptions have grown by 1030.2%, versus the world's average of 290.6%” What this means is that most of the world has already grown and Africa is now rapidly catching up. 

Increased Internet Usage Means a Brighter Future

If Africa’s Internet continues to grow as rapidly as it is, it will soon reap the benefits. Internet most definitely increases the quality of life for those who have it. There’s no doubt that the Internet provides many opportunities to learn, communicate, and interact all on a global scale. Africa is home to many rural areas. As soon as they receive such access, they will discover a whole new world, the world of the world wide web.