Educational Digital Gap. When Territory Matters
Abstract
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines digital divide as “the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and to their use of the Internet, which reflects various differences among and within countries” (OECD, 2001).
The European Commission establishes that “the digital divide is the gap between individuals, businesses and territories in terms of opportunities to access and use ICTs” (European Commission, 2006).
A digital divide is, primarily, an expression of inequalities in use and access the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and, as an inequality, it triggers processes of social exclusion. The causes of its occurrence are multiple, from lack of skills and competences needed to use ICTs, to inability to have access to the required electronic resources and Internet connection due to low income thresholds. We can speak of “Ditigal Divides”, since they constitute multidimensional processes including barriers of different kinds (Cabero 2004).
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