Professor Dunn Wants Action to Deal with Digital Divide

There is need to address the digital divide between the rural and urban Internet users in Jamaica, says Professor of Communications Policy and Digital Media at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Hopeton Dunn.

He pointed out that findings from a recent survey conducted by a department at the university, revealed the gap between urban and rural users of the Internet. “Urban respondents make up 59 per cent of the population of internet users in Jamaica, while rural respondents make up 41 per cent. This is part of the digital divide that we must all work to address,” he said.

Professor Dunn was speaking at the recent launch of the St. Elizabeth Parish Website, at a ceremony held at the Everglades Conference Centre in Parrottee, Black River, in St. Elizabeth.

The website was launched to promote tourism in the parish and expose other developmental activities. It was developed by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) and funded under the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI)

Professor Dunn, who is also the Director of Telecommunications Policy and Management Programme at the Mona School of Business, said the survey also showed that there is some way to go to get internet access up to the levels that will ensure economic impact.

“Seven out of every ten homes still lack internet connectivity or a functioning personal computer, laptop or tablet,” he said. The Professor further argued that young people  are keener users of the technology,  with the study showing that persons between 15 and 34 years of age make up 60 per cent of internet users.

Citing the importance of the internet, Professor Dunn said it is the single most important communication device that has been invented so far.

“The Internet is a key enabler of commerce, education, social linkages and essentially anything that you want to do in 2012. If you are not on the internet, you are missing from the global virtual space and you are missing out on a whole world of possibilities,” he added.

He lauded members of the St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation for putting St. Elizabeth on the map, while urging them to seriously consider the establishment of tele-centres and to make internet accessible to young persons and persons with disabilities.

“We need to establish more community tele-centres for fostering educational and creative efforts of young persons, so that instead of our young people leaving school to play marbles or drop in at the nearest game shop on the way home, they can instead drop in at an internet café or tele-centre and be guided with homework or some other research activities,” Professor Dunn said.

By E. Hartman Reckord, JIS Reporter