INFO 331 WK7: Digital Divide, and Ethical Implications of E-Waste

INFO 331 WK7: Digital Divide, and Ethical Implications of E-Waste

1. In addition to reading your assigned textbook chapters this week, also conduct additional research the topic of the digital divide to learn more. Describe one problem caused by the digital divide and propose one solution to this issue. Discuss at least one article you found online that addresses this problem (include the url to the article).

1. In addition to reading your assigned textbook chapters this week, also conduct additional research the topic of e-waste to learn more about this problem. Explain what you understand about the problem of e-waste and its many causes, and then propose at least one solution for this issue. Discuss at least one article you found online that addresses this problem and/or its solutions (include the url to the article).

Describe one problem caused by the digital divide and propose one solution to this issue.

It is very hard to believe that we are living in the year 2022 that there is still a huge digital divide. From the article I found the digital divide used to be who was without telephone access. However, after the late 1990s, the term began to be used mainly to describe the split between those with and without internet access. From my article it states that the digital divide typically exists between those in urban areas and those in rural areas; between the educated and the uneducated; between socioeconomic groups; and lastly, globally, between the more and less industrially developing countries. One solution listed is some nonprofit groups have taken to providing internet access and laptops to school districts and areas with internet users of a lower-income level.

Explain what you understand about the problem of e-waste and its many causes, and then propose at least one solution for this issue.

I was unaware of how harmful e-waste was to the environment until I read the article I found. The increase in consumption of electronics has two major adverse ecological effects. First, it significantly increases mining and procurement for the materials needed for production of gadgets. And second, discarded devices produce large quantities of electronic waste. Consumers are the number one bandit for e-waste, but companies are to blame for the devices constantly needing to be updated. The solution for e-waste is simple: reuse, repair, or resale. Everyone has a role to play in reducing electronic waste. Consumers can resist, or at least delay, acquiring new devices until they really need them. They can repair devices, when possible, rather than abandoning them. And after a new purchase, they can resell or recycle their old devices. But consumer intervention only goes so far. Governments need to regulate electronic waste, and the companies that make the consumer electronics they sell repeatedly to the same people, at great profit.

References

Ahmed, S. F. (2016, September 29). The global cost of electronic waste. The Atlantic. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/the-global-cost-of-electronic-waste/502019/

Hanna, K. T. (2021, August 11). What is the digital divide and how is it being bridged? WhatIs.com. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-divide