15 Digital Divide and Race

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, readers will be able to:

• understand how the digital divide affects people of color;
• learn how factors like the education system and the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to the digital divide; and
• identify strategies and tools libraries can use to address the digital divide and provide access to users.

The Digital Divide Has Disproportionately Affected People of Color.

The digital divide is a systemic bias that has historically impacted people of color more severely than compared to White people. As Tracy Hall points out, people of color are often economically disenfranchised, making it difficult for them to afford home broadband internet access and personal technology (Pun, 2021). This economic inequality exacerbates the digital gap. A study by Kienbaum in 2020 on racial disparities in digital access found that “children in one of every three Black, Latinx, and Native American households [in the United States] did not have broadband access at home” (Pun, 2021).

A study from Pew Research Center shares that compared to 80% of White adults, 69% of Black adults and 67% of Hispanic adults have access to a desktop or laptop computer. Compared to the same 80% of White adults, 71% of Black adults and 65% of Hispanic adults have broadband internet (Atske & Perrin, 2021).

This lack of access creates significant obstacles for BIPOC individuals in various socio-economic areas, including job seeking and retention. As more jobs require consistent internet access, and considering how many have come to rely on technology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, those without it are left at a disadvantage. Furthermore, limited access to technology complicates educational efforts, further hindering socio-economic progress. The inability to consistently access digital tools also disrupts the right to intellectual freedom, a fundamental right to which all citizens are entitled. While many BIPOC individuals rely on library services to bridge the digital gap, these resources often come with their own set of challenges. Barriers such as transportation issues, limited availability of public computers or devices, and short time limits for computer use create further difficulties. Though essential, reliance on public resources is not always sufficient to close the digital divide.

As technology and the internet become increasingly central to success in education, work, and personal development, addressing this digital disparity is critical to promoting equal opportunities for all. This digital divide is further perpetuated within the public school system, where resources and technology are often unevenly distributed across schools and communities.

The Digital Divide in Schools: How the COVID-19 Pandemic brought us back to square one—and how educators are swamped with technology now.

The education system plays a role in the digital divide not only through the technology standards States choose to teach to students but also by validating (or not validating) student use of computers and digital spaces. Educators should be asking how students (especially students of color) want to use computers and digital spaces for their education, but often the problem of the digital divide in schools is a biased interpretation of data that ignores how and when Black and Latino students choose to make digital spaces their own––and that makes overall technology use seem like an ‘ineffective’ tool in the classroom (Tichavakunda & Tierney, 2018). Classroom technologies that are perceived as ‘ineffective’ make quite the convenient argument for not investing in technologies for public education, among others, such as how introducing tech to curriculum might advantage the already advantaged (O’Brien & Scharber, 2008). And this would have been the tone of the digital divide problem in schools—had it not been for COVID-19 and the post-pandemic classroom.

A call to action for technology and refined social media (and video games) has become the standard message of upscaling technology—especially laptops—in public education nationwide. Most of this momentum can be attributed to the “homework gap,” our present manifestation of the digital divide in which students of color without adequate computers or internet failed to meet homework requirements during and after the pandemic (Anderson, 2022).

The response to the call has been a mix of Roblox Education, more hybrid learning, and the continued question of what to do about student cell phones (Hatfield, 2024; Herold, 2023). Teen cell phone use has also entered the digital divide with its own new problem: how do we understand the student who does not own a laptop but owns a smartphone and knows the who’s who of gaming, streaming, and e-book reading, but they might not have a real way to turn in digital homework?

And there is also the question of “The Second Digital Divide,” how students of color and their educators can capitalize on the use of student-made digital spaces, like social media platforms, to benefit academics (Tichavakunda & Tierney, 2021). And with that, will the problem of students’ ‘effective’ use of technology return once access to computers reaches a new post-pandemic equilibrium?

Most likely.

How Libraries Can Bridge the Gap.

Libraries are a vital tool in bridging the digital divide, access to the internet and computers are free to patrons within a library––and sometimes it’s the only place they have such access. Libraries are doing what they can to provide this with the resources they have, but this access can be heavily dependent on how many computers libraries have at their disposal, the hours they’re open, and time restrictions amongst other things (MacKenzie, 2021).

There is a high demand for technology from libraries, especially public libraries. Because they are a public institution they are susceptible to budget cuts in less wealthy areas. Which greatly impacts the already limited access some of these communities have to technology and the internet. Libraries are doing their best to step up to the challenge of the digital divide, with 47% of libraries offering Wi-Fi hotspots for patrons to check out––providing their communities with vital internet access (Goek, Jones, & Thompson, 2024). Combined with the standard that libraries will assist with the technology provided, resulting in 95% of public libraries offering training within the realm of digital literacy (Goek, Jones, & Thompson, 2024).

But there is always more that can be done, especially in regards to keeping libraries open in underserved communities, which is dependent on sustained effort from the government that provides funding, and librarians and patrons whose use of a library encourages the continued support from said government (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation & AARP, 2004). Programs that offer Wi-Fi hotspots could be implemented––when libraries have the funds to do so––a broader range of languages could be implemented within the technology libraries provide for easier access for patrons. There are many tools libraries can implement to help bridge the digital divide.

Key Takeaway

Differences in technology access and digital skills are influenced by broader social and economic patterns. Libraries help mitigate these effects by providing consistent access to technology, instruction, and support.