Internet Has the Power to Overcome Poverty - But How?

What is the Digital Divide?

The term "digital divide" has been used to describe variations in access to the Internet and Internet-related technologies (such as computers) that are available in various countries and even in developed countries. As the Internet is becoming more ubiquitous in many countries around the world, the amount of people accessing its resources still varies widely. There is a clear trend linking countries where poverty is more common to the lack of internet access and undeveloped technological infrastructure in those countries.

The existence of the digital divide, which distinguishes between developed and undeveloped countries, does not imply that the evolution of the Internet has somehow created inequality in the world. In fact, the digital divide generally follows historical patterns of development and technology use between developed countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan and more primitive countries such as Africa and South America.

But there is one thing that becomes clear when you think about what the Internet offers. People with consistent Internet access will, of course, have more opportunities to communicate, learn, do business, and make general use of the world's resource networks. A study published in 2014 showed a high correlation between median household income and average internet speed.

 

How does the Internet create opportunities?

Example from Honduras

There are countless ways offered by the Internet to overcome poverty and create opportunities. While writing this article, I'm in Honduras helping a nonprofit charity teach students internet marketing skills. An important part of our program for raising funds for schools involves building a student-run online dental store. They will learn how to use search engine optimization and social media marketing, order processing, customer service, technical writing, and other skills that are not freely available without the opportunity provided by the Internet.

education

Perhaps the most important factor in making the Internet accessible to as many people as possible is access to the information and education that accompanies it. Learning has certainly evolved over the last two decades. YouTube, Wikipedia, and other online learning tools provide education to everyone who has access to their pages, instead of relying on face-to-face class lectures consisting of programs that require tuition and flexible schedules. To do.

jobs

The ability of a company to sell products on the Internet can level the competition and make it more profitable for those who spend their time learning how to configure the Internet to take customers to them. .. Techniques for attracting customers are explained in detail on the web-wide inbound marketing tutorial site for free or at low cost.

A market for entrepreneurs building businesses from home, such as mom bloggers who sell ads, YouTubers who profit from simply filming their daily work, and YouTubers who film their own demonstrations of opening toys, thanks to the Internet. Has evolved. E-commerce business owners who dropship products for sale using online stores, and many other creative ways to create revenue machines using the Internet.

Conclusion

The digital divide has not created a wealth gap between developed and lagging countries, but expanding the Internet to make it easier to use where it is not yet accessible will change the game. There is a possibility. Otherwise, the lower classes and the poor can take advantage of the opportunities currently being used to generate wealth among Internet-enabled people.