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Thursday, August 1, 2002
Friday, January 18, 2002
Digital Divide
Recently (2002) I attended an international conference where one session was devoted to discus the ‘Digital Divide’: the gap between those able to benefit by digital/information technologies and those who are not. One NRI professor from a US university discussed the different studies that have been conducted in the US on this issue. He discussed the digital divide between the people in the different age groups, regions, and different religious/ ethnic/ social/ economic/ political/ cultural groups etc etc. He also elaborated on the efforts of the US government to tackle this issue and to reduce the gaps between the ‘have’ and ‘have-nots’. He also mentioned that a digital divide existed in the US between the people hailing from the different regions of the world. Not surprisingly, the Indians in the US were not on the wrong side of this divide. However, unfortunately a majority of the Indian in India are on the wrong side of this divide. Their case is indeed very sad because not much work is being done to tackle this issue.
The problems due to the ‘Digital Divide’ assume greater significance in our context because the language issue is very closely linked to it. The computers in our country are available in English, a language which is spoken by only about 5% of the people. The remaining 95% have no opportunity to use the Information technology and to reap the rich dividend that is available to the ‘English’ speaking population. Our problem is therefore, more acute. On one hand we have problem of digital divide on account of the ethnic/social/cultural/economic differences between the people within the English speaking group and on the other hand we a have major problem that the other 95% of the population cannot even use computers because it is not in their language. This large majority, therefore, remains on the wrong side of the divide and will continue to remain there unless something is done. Will all of them have to first learn English before using the computers or will someone in the Government/Non-Government organization wake up those who matter and demand through agitation on the streets or requests or petitions to the courts of justice that the computer is made available in their language? It is high time that the common man (non-English speaking) demands a ‘level playing field’. This demand for the level playing field will be both for Intra-country and Inter-country. They have to demand a ‘level playing field’ vis-à-vis English speaking group within the country and also vis-à-vis the citizens of the other countries like China, Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Spain etc. The citizens of these countries and many other have computers in their language and, therefore, they are not barred from joining the main stream and taking advantage of the advances in the Information technology. I also hope and pray that their plea for a ‘level playing field’ gets as much importance, if not more, as the plea being made by the different confederations of Industries against the foreign companies competing in the same domain/market.
We have to appreciate that tackling the issues of ‘Digital Divide’ is very important particularly for the welfare of our non-English speaking (95%) population because unlike the earlier technologies the Information Technology is not language neutral. Earlier, while harnessing other technologies a few persons knowing ‘English’ could study the relevant books and manuals and set-up the factory/plant and many others would run it without knowing a word of English and benefit from the technology. Such a thing cannot happen in the IT field as this technology is not language ‘neutral’. People have to know the language the computers are in before they can operate them and make use of them.
Talking of ‘divide’, i.e., the gap between the have and have-nots, reminds me that divides have always existed and exist in case of other technologies as well. The printing technology was invented centuries back but still there are people who cannot read or write. The automobile and railways were invented in the 19th century but there are regions where there are not roads or rails. Owning a personal vehicle is a luxury that only a few can afford and there are millions who do not have access even to a public transport. Telephone and Electricity were invented over a hundred years back yet there are people who do not have access to phones and there are millions who have to walk miles to see a light bulb/tube glow. When ‘Printing Divide’, ‘Electricity Divide’, ‘Transport Divide’ and the ‘Phone Divide’ have existed for such a long time do we really think that the ‘Digital Divide’ can be removed?
Suddenly it dawned on me that, perhaps, I am totally wrong and we should not worry about the ‘digital divide’ because similar divides have existed over the centuries and will continue to exist and the new ones will come up in the future. Moreover, the digital divide appears benign and it is not as fatal as the ‘weapon-technology divide’ was during the 19th century. We all know that the ‘weapon-technology divide’ has always played a decisive role during the wars. Other day I read the book “Rani of Jhansi” by Mahasweta Devi and learnt that this divide was so acute in those days that in a particular battle about 5,000-6,000 soldiers died on our side fighting the first war of independence while the tally on the side of the East India Company stood at only 4 casualties and 15 wounded. The story of the recent crusade against the Talibans was perhaps no different. Compared to this the ‘digital divide’ is non fatal and, in fact, appears quite harmless. Therefore, I wondered that since it is not fatal and it is going to stay with us then why don’t we learn ways to live in peace with it.
I do hope some NGOs and IT companies take up studies in this area and we learn to live at peace with this divide. I am making this genuine appeal because I am sure that no one will listen to the plea of common man (non-English speaking) for giving him a ‘level playing field’ against the elite in our country and against the citizens of the other countries. However, I am certain that in the times to come such studies will come in handy for keeping social harmony intact and maintaining peace and, of course, Law & Order.
The problems due to the ‘Digital Divide’ assume greater significance in our context because the language issue is very closely linked to it. The computers in our country are available in English, a language which is spoken by only about 5% of the people. The remaining 95% have no opportunity to use the Information technology and to reap the rich dividend that is available to the ‘English’ speaking population. Our problem is therefore, more acute. On one hand we have problem of digital divide on account of the ethnic/social/cultural/economic differences between the people within the English speaking group and on the other hand we a have major problem that the other 95% of the population cannot even use computers because it is not in their language. This large majority, therefore, remains on the wrong side of the divide and will continue to remain there unless something is done. Will all of them have to first learn English before using the computers or will someone in the Government/Non-Government organization wake up those who matter and demand through agitation on the streets or requests or petitions to the courts of justice that the computer is made available in their language? It is high time that the common man (non-English speaking) demands a ‘level playing field’. This demand for the level playing field will be both for Intra-country and Inter-country. They have to demand a ‘level playing field’ vis-à-vis English speaking group within the country and also vis-à-vis the citizens of the other countries like China, Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Spain etc. The citizens of these countries and many other have computers in their language and, therefore, they are not barred from joining the main stream and taking advantage of the advances in the Information technology. I also hope and pray that their plea for a ‘level playing field’ gets as much importance, if not more, as the plea being made by the different confederations of Industries against the foreign companies competing in the same domain/market.
We have to appreciate that tackling the issues of ‘Digital Divide’ is very important particularly for the welfare of our non-English speaking (95%) population because unlike the earlier technologies the Information Technology is not language neutral. Earlier, while harnessing other technologies a few persons knowing ‘English’ could study the relevant books and manuals and set-up the factory/plant and many others would run it without knowing a word of English and benefit from the technology. Such a thing cannot happen in the IT field as this technology is not language ‘neutral’. People have to know the language the computers are in before they can operate them and make use of them.
Talking of ‘divide’, i.e., the gap between the have and have-nots, reminds me that divides have always existed and exist in case of other technologies as well. The printing technology was invented centuries back but still there are people who cannot read or write. The automobile and railways were invented in the 19th century but there are regions where there are not roads or rails. Owning a personal vehicle is a luxury that only a few can afford and there are millions who do not have access even to a public transport. Telephone and Electricity were invented over a hundred years back yet there are people who do not have access to phones and there are millions who have to walk miles to see a light bulb/tube glow. When ‘Printing Divide’, ‘Electricity Divide’, ‘Transport Divide’ and the ‘Phone Divide’ have existed for such a long time do we really think that the ‘Digital Divide’ can be removed?
Suddenly it dawned on me that, perhaps, I am totally wrong and we should not worry about the ‘digital divide’ because similar divides have existed over the centuries and will continue to exist and the new ones will come up in the future. Moreover, the digital divide appears benign and it is not as fatal as the ‘weapon-technology divide’ was during the 19th century. We all know that the ‘weapon-technology divide’ has always played a decisive role during the wars. Other day I read the book “Rani of Jhansi” by Mahasweta Devi and learnt that this divide was so acute in those days that in a particular battle about 5,000-6,000 soldiers died on our side fighting the first war of independence while the tally on the side of the East India Company stood at only 4 casualties and 15 wounded. The story of the recent crusade against the Talibans was perhaps no different. Compared to this the ‘digital divide’ is non fatal and, in fact, appears quite harmless. Therefore, I wondered that since it is not fatal and it is going to stay with us then why don’t we learn ways to live in peace with it.
I do hope some NGOs and IT companies take up studies in this area and we learn to live at peace with this divide. I am making this genuine appeal because I am sure that no one will listen to the plea of common man (non-English speaking) for giving him a ‘level playing field’ against the elite in our country and against the citizens of the other countries. However, I am certain that in the times to come such studies will come in handy for keeping social harmony intact and maintaining peace and, of course, Law & Order.
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