Mind the Gap: Closing the Digital Divide in America | Detroit Digital Inclusion Week 2022

According to the Federal Communications Commission, in Detroit - my hometown - 46 percent of residents do not have internet access of any kind at home. Additional data also states 15 percent of adults in America rely on a smartphone to get online. This trend is important to note because it is reflected in the households in Detroit without fixed line Internet that would be more likely rely solely on their smartphones to get online.

What challenges do people without Internet access face? What limitations do people with mobile-only Internet access encounter? How does this put them at a disadvantage? As technology (and our relationship with it) continues to evolve, how can we better serve those who fall into the gaps of the Digital Divide?

In this talk I discuss some of the efforts in Detroit and across America which seek to address the chasm that separates those who can readily access technology and information from those who cannot.

Together, we will see what this divide looks like, what grassroots initiatives are doing about the problem, and how we can help close this gap.

Transcript

1. Mind the Gap: Closing the Digital Divide in America Stephanie Vaughn Detroit Digital Inclusion Research Symposium October 4, 2022 McGregor Conference Center 2:15 PM
2. Feel free to live-tweet this talk! Tag me while you live-tweet: @_SLVaughn Use hashtags: #DIW2022 #MindTheGap Photos are welcome too!
3. About Me • Detroit native, Chicago transplant • Communications professional-turned-Techie • Studied Front-End Web + Software Development • Passionate about Tech Literacy + Computer Science Education _@SLVaughn
4. 1996 • America Online leaves behind its pay-per-hour system for a flat $19.95 monthly fee for dial-up Internet. The modern Internet era begins. • Millions of America Online trial CDs are repurposed as frisbees, coasters and levelers for uneven table/chair legs. SOURCE: A Brief History of AOL [Fast Company] _@SLVaughn
5. Poll #1: Were you an AOL user when it became widely available as an ISP? Answer at PollEv.com/stephanievau160 @_SLVaughn
6. Poll #2: How did having Internet access for the first time impact your life? Answer at PollEv.com/stephanievau160 @_SLVaughn
7. 2022 • There’s no way around it. The Internet is ubiquitous. • We can get it in our cars, on planes, hot spots on the street - even underground on the subway or while riding the bus! _@SLVaughn
8. Poll #3: If you lost your Internet access, how would your life be impacted? Answer at PollEv.com/stephanievau160 @_SLVaughn
9. 46% of Detroit residents do not have fixed broadband Internet access at home. _@SLVaughn SOURCE: National Digital Inclusion Alliance
10. SOURCE: National Digital Inclusion Alliance
11. • It is important to note that the term “Fixed broadband Internet” as used by the Census includes wireline broadband technologies (cable Internet, DSL, fiber to the premises) as well as satellite and “fixed wireless” technologies. • It does not include 5G mobile service such as one purchases for a smartphone, or non-broadband connections like dial-up modems. _@SLVaughn
12. Smartphone Dependency • Today 15% of American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users – meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have traditional home broadband service. • Compared to 20% in 2018, there has been a steady decline of those who use smartphones as their primary means of online access at home in recent years. SOURCE: Pew Research Center _@SLVaughn
13. This trend is still important to note because it is reflected in the 46% of households in Detroit without fixed line Internet that would be more likely rely solely on their smartphones to get online. _@SLVaughn
14. _@SLVaughn
15. SOURCE: National Digital Inclusion Alliance
16. What does this look like in everyday life for people within these demographics? • Everyday tasks you perform on a computer: think about trying to do them exclusively on your phone in a mobile app or mobile browser. • Overall user experience: desktop device vs. mobile device. • How do the devices that we have at our disposal inform both Internet access and tech literacy? _@SLVaughn
17. The Big Question™ after all of that sobering data: Where do we even begin to approach solutions to the Digital Divide? _@SLVaughn
18. Equitable Internet Initiative: • Addresses Internet access in Detroit through neighborhood-governed community wireless networks. • Supports and develops historically marginalized residents to build and maintain neighborhood-governed internet infrastructure • Fosters accessibility, consent, safety, and resilience. SOURCE: Equitable Internet Initiative _@SLVaughn
19. • In 2018, Housing Authority of Baltimore City arranged to give away 500 tablets with two-year Internet subscriptions to tenants enrolled in their self-sufficiency program. • Just 21 percent of households with incomes <$25,000 were highly connected (i.e. computer, tablet, smartphone and broadband Internet) SOURCE: The Washington Post _@SLVaughn
20. • People aged 65+ will soon make up the largest single age group in the United States, according to the US Census. • 61% of U.S. adults aged 65+ have a smartphone; 64% have home broadband. • AARP offers workshops to assist with learning new devices and technology tools, but older people are largely left out of digital literacy efforts. SOURCES: BuzzFeed News; Pew Research Center _@SLVaughn
21. Stiegler EdTech • Charlotte, NC-based tech ed program • Career Technology Apprenticeship provides $17,500 stipend for 24 weeks of training • Partners with local community leaders and orgs to provide wrap-around services, including: ◦ Laptops & Hardware ◦ Counseling Services ◦ Housing and Transportation ◦ Food Stability SOURCE: Stiegler EdTech
22. Back to The Big Question™ _@SLVaughn SOURCE: FCC
24. Thank You! Feel free to: • Come up to me after the session and chat! • Follow me on Twitter: ◦ _@SLVaughn • Connect on LinkedIn: ◦ linkedin.com/in/slvaughn7