Knowledge divide

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The knowledge divide is the gap between those who can find, create, manage, process, and disseminate information or knowledge, and those who are impaired in this process. According to a 2005 UNESCO World Report, the rise in the 21st century of a global information society has resulted in the emergence of knowledge as a valuable resource, increasingly determining who has access to power and profit. [1] The rapid dissemination of information on a potentially global scale as a result of new information media [2] and the globally uneven ability to assimilate knowledge and information has resulted in potentially expanding gaps in knowledge between individuals and nations. [3] The digital divide is an extension of the knowledge divide, dividing people who have access to the internet and those who do not.[ citation needed ] The knowledge divide also represents the inequalities of knowledge among different identities, including but not limited to race, economic status, and gender.

Contents

Overview

In the 21st century, the emergence of the knowledge society becomes pervasive. [4] The transformations of world's economy and of each society have a fast pace. Together with information and communication technologies (ICT), these new paradigms have the power to reshape the global economy. [5] In order to keep pace with innovations, to come up with new ideas, people need to produce and manage knowledge. This is why knowledge has become essential for all societies. While knowledge has become essential for all societies due to the growth of new technologies, the increase of mass media information continues to facilitate the knowledge divide between those with educational differences. [6]

Between nations

According to UNESCO and the World Bank, [7] knowledge gaps between nations may occur due to the varying degrees by which individual nations incorporate the following elements:

The knowledge divide in gender, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status

First, it was noticed that a great difference exists between the North and the South [ where? ] (rich countries vs. poor countries). The development of knowledge depends on spreading Internet and computer technology and also on the development of education in these countries. If a country has attained a higher literacy level then this will result in a higher level of knowledge. Indeed, UNESCO's report details many social issues in knowledge divide related to globalization. There was noticed a knowledge divide with respect to

Closing the knowledge divide

Scholars have made similar possibilities in closing or minimizing the knowledge divide between individuals, communities, and nations. Providing access to computers and other technologies that disseminate knowledge is not enough to bridge the digital divide, rather importance must be out on developing digital literacy to bridge the gap. [28] Addressing the digital divide will not be enough to close the knowledge divide, disseminating relevant knowledge also depends on training and cognitive skills. [29]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ UNESCO World Report: Toward Knowledge Societies (Paris: UNESCO, 2005), 158–159.
  2. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 160.
  3. ↑ Joseph Stiglitz, "Knowledge as a Global Public Good," in Global Public Goods: International Cooperation in the 21st Century, ed. I. Kahl et al. (Oxford University Press, 1999), 318.
  4. ↑ UNESCO World Report (2005): Towards Knowledge Societies; retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001418/141843e.pdf
  5. ↑ Information Society Commission (2002). Building the Knowledge Society – Report to Government, December 2002 retrieved from http://www.isc.ie/downloads/know.pdf Archived 2007-11-21 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Lind, Fabienne; Boomgaarden, Hajo G. (2019-07-03). "What we do and don't know: a meta-analysis of the knowledge gap hypothesis". Annals of the International Communication Association. 43 (3): 210–224. doi: 10.1080/23808985.2019.1614475 . ISSN   2380-8985.
  7. ↑ World Bank World Development Report: Knowledge for Development (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999).
  8. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 28.
  9. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 28.
  10. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 60.
  11. ↑ Stiglitz, 317–318.
  12. ↑ Stiglitz, 317.
  13. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 72.
  14. ↑ Stiglitz, 317.
  15. ↑ Stiglitz, 317.
  16. ↑ World Bank World Development Report, 1999, 36.
  17. ↑ World Bank World Development Report, 1999, 36.
  18. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 96.
  19. ↑ World Bank World Development Report 1999, 36.
  20. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 28.
  21. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 160.
  22. ↑ Stiglitz, 311.
  23. ↑ World Bank World Development Report 1999, 34.
  24. ↑ UNESCO World Report 2005, 167–168.
  25. ↑ Jackson, Linda A.; Zhao, Yong; Kolenic, Anthony; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.; Harold, Rena; Von Eye, Alexander (23 August 2008). "Race, Gender, and Information Technology Use: The New Digital Divide". CyberPsychology & Behavior. 11 (4): 437–442. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.463.213 . doi:10.1089/cpb.2007.0157. ISSN   1094-9313. PMID   18721092.
  26. ↑ Jackson, Linda A.; Zhao, Yong; Qiu, Wei; Kolenic, Anthony; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.; Harold, Rena; von Eye, Alexander (17 September 2008). "Culture, gender and information technology use: A comparison of Chinese and US children". Computers in Human Behavior. 24 (6): 2817–2829. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2008.04.007. ISSN   0747-5632.
  27. ↑ Wei, Lu; Hindman, Douglas Blanks (2011-02-28). "Does the Digital Divide Matter More? Comparing the Effects of New Media and Old Media Use on the Education-Based Knowledge Gap". Mass Communication and Society. 14 (2): 216–235. doi:10.1080/15205431003642707. ISSN   1520-5436. S2CID   144745385.
  28. ↑ "Learning to Bridge the Digital Divide". Education + Training. 43 (2). 1 March 2001. doi:10.1108/et.2001.00443bad.003. ISSN   0040-0912.
  29. ↑ UNESCO 2005, 22.

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References

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