Information Inequality and Social Barriers

The lack of information that some members of the society obtain is referred as information inequity. Around the world, people’s ability to obtain and access information is creating very noticeable social barriers. Countries who are information rich have almost an unlimited source of information and information poor countries are those with very limited or even no access at all. Less than twenty percent of the world’s six billion people currently have access to the educational, social, and economic opportunities information technology can create. Nowadays we live in an information driven economy where information technology is vital part to a country.
Information Age and Society
Since the inventions and creations of the Internet, email, personal computers, laptops, mobile phones have all played a vital role in today’s society for many countries. The information age has created a society in which the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity for a country. This is called the Information Society. Since the Internet was invented it has created new ways for citizens to communicate/interact, congregate, and share information. It is obvious that the Internet has and will continue to change the way we live.
The Internet’s main purpose was to increase the opportunities for all people to share knowledge. But this opportunity for developing countries is not happening. Most developing countries, especially those with large populations, do not have the necessary infrastructure to be able to take part as equal partners in the worldwide enterprise knowledge production.
Tribal organisation “Survival” acknowledges that there are over one hundred tribes around the world, many of which choose to reject contact with outsiders. They are the most vulnerable people on the planet. Many developing countries, especially traditional tribal groups do not have access to information. They are excluded from the rest of the world this creates a social barrier. The types of social barriers:
· Gender inequality.
· Social stratification.
· Social fragmentation ().
Because of their way of life they have never been exposed to any sort of information technology and also do not any have access to power to use these devices. An example of gender inequality is that men in Guatemala can restrict the kind of employment their wife can accept outside the home. In some countries women need their husband’s permission to obtain a passport and move about freely. Social stratification is where social classes are in a hierarchal arrangement.
Information Technology and Globalization
Globalization is a driving factor in the process of Information Technology (IT). The effects of globalization and IT are Social development, the way world communicates, obtain, share information with each other. Globalization has advanced the development the process of IT. The IT industry provides many high paying job opportunities. The workers in the IT industry are the cause of Software development by making user-friendly computers for citizens to help enhance their knowledge. This will provide a more enhanced education for children, giving them a successful future after they leave school.
Benefits and Concerns
Today IT is a part of every day life for many people. Advances in IT have created many changes in today’s society.
Some benefits of IT;
· Globalization
· Easy access to information
· Economic growth
· Communication
· Entertainment
· Human effort and time
Some concerns of IT ;
· Social Barriers
· Human costs
· Human interaction
· Data security
· Digital divide
Economic Effect
Easy access to information technology is an important way for countries to promote economic development and growth. In developed and developing economy countries Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a basic need. But for this needs to be affordable for a majority of a country’s residents to expand its economy. The enormous benefits that IT can bring to businesses and governments is that; it enhances productivity, improves efficiency, provide better services, an increase competitiveness, reduce costs. IT also provides a international market with access to ICT and IT services, it will help attract Foreign direct investment. Countries with an inadequate access to ICT and IT will find it hard to compete with other countries.
Information Warfare
Developed countries conflicting in war will be able to over power those countries with a lack of IT and access to information to gain information superiority this is referred as Information Warfare. Countries with superior Intelligence will be able to stop threats like Organized Crime and Terrorism. Information used warfare helps collect information by using Global Positioning System(GPS) and Infrared to help know the position of the enemy. Information collection is a less dangerous approach to infiltrate situations, it also obtains accurate information. Transporting the information to important sectors in the military by using computers, phones and protocols. With these technologies , the ability to send important information is faster.
Projects
Students usually learn more, and learn more rapidly, in courses that use Computer Assisted Instructions or Computer-assisted language learning (CALL).To help lessen the social barriers and the effects of the global digital divide, projects such One Laptop per Child and 50x15 help offer a solution to this division. One Laptop per Child is a project to help provide children in developing countries with access to the Internet by providing them a laptop each. 50x15 is a project that aims to establish a digital inclusion to information poor countries by providing accessible Internet connectivity. For these projects to have a major effect on the society, the government in these countries which need the help and support of these projects needs to help fund these projects. With out sufficient funding by these governments these projects will only have a short-term effect on our society.

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