Digital Divides: Video

The film we viewed last week after our exam on Digital Divides was a great embodiment of all we have been covering this semester. It is one thing to talk about the divide, know it exists and realize how detrimental it is, but it is another issue entirely to see firsthand how devastating this divide can be. The different students followed in the video encompassed all aspects of the digital divide, from the high, technologically gifted end to those who are struggling to keep up every day.

It is unfortunate that preconceptions were reinforced in this film with the most successful student at the end being Cedra, the girl from Silicon Valley with the wealthy parents, high-quality education and easy access to technology. She was admitted to Brown University, a wonderful opportunity but one that also made the futures of her video counterparts glaringly less glamorous.

Cedra's counterpart was found particularly in Luisa, a former gang member who worked many many hours a week to purchase her first computer. It gave me hope that she had this drive to turn her life around, eventually buying her own PC, but in the end when we learned that she was unable to graduate with her class, it was disappointing. I had hoped for 4 success stories and only ended up hearing two. I had hoped she too would be able to bridge the digital divide and while she was significantly better off than many around her, especially those who were still in the gang she was in, I had hoped she would succeed fully. Her hope for her future was still there, though perhaps not as bright as it could have been and that was reassuring.

Overall, the film, while dated, was a nice enrichment to our course material and enhanced our views, personifying so many of the issues we have been researching.