The current discourse around the “digital divide” is often focused on technology rather than the human impact of the gap. However, the poverty problem isn’t due to a lack of technology, but a lack of resources, among other factors like inadequate or inaccessible local learning systems. Lisa Servon argued in 2002 that the digital divide is “a symptom of a larger and more complex problem–the problem of persistent poverty and inequality.”

Besides those in developing countries, what about computer skills learning systems right here, in the United States? The digital divide and lack of computer learning systems is certainly not just a global phenomenon, separating countries into technological haves and have-nots. The gap exists in the richest countries in the world–and it’s often a big one. According to research firm Parks Associates, roughly 20% of Americans are disconnected from the internet and have never used e-mail.

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