There is a chasm. It is big. It is wide. It is known as the Great Digital Divide. (yes, I did make that up on the spot.)
If any of you have been paying attention to the blogosphere, you'll already know about the Stolen Sidekick. (a LOT of reading on that page, reserve 30-60 min to read it all)
Summary: Person A has a friend who left their Sidekick (a T-mobile email thingy/cell-phone) in a NYC taxi. Person B finds it and keeps it. Person A offers reward and tries to get it back. Person B refuses. Person A is appalled at the lack of consideration from Person B. Person A decides to humiliate Person B on the internet to try to get the Sidekick back.
I don't care to comment on the morality of the situation or how it all played out, but what struck me was this: It's obvious that Person A is definitely in the "technology haves" while Person B (who is a 16-year-old mother) is probably in the "technology have-nots". While Person B may have a computer/cell-phone/myspace page, she definitely does not have as much knowledge as Person A (who works in the IT industry). What if the roles had been reversed? Person A wouldn't have the knowledge to create a website to publicly shame Person B and get the support of thousands/millions of readers. Or the money to pay for the bandwidth. Or the ability to take that much time off (the guy missed a week of work; he's a consultant).
Is this fair? Essentially, those who are tech-savvy have a tremendous advantage over those who are not. While this is true with many other things (born a certain race, class, or in a certain country), the information age is widening this gap and making it even more difficult for the weak/oppressed/poor to move up. While the Internet/technology is a huge boon to economic activity and is changing our lives forever, it's also leaving people behind.
What's the moral of this story? Teach your kids how to use a computer. I know a great tutor who is about to get his Master's in Computer Science, loves kids, and has really long hair.
Just kidding, the real moral of the story is we need to help those on the other end of the chasm to come to our side, but you already knew that.
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7 comments:
stop slacking off at work :) that's the real moral of the story.
i need help with my computer
i don't get this post. my brain's fried so maybe that's why. but who're we sposed to feel sorry for? the person who kept the sidekick or the one who wanted it back? i didn't go to the links u had up so maybe that explains it. but how come the divide means we gotta help ppl who steal our stuff?! that's the msg i'm getting. that can't be right, rt? i'm so confused! jeff!! post something i can read and undersatnd!!
You're supposed to feel sorry for the people whose life circumstances prevent them from having access to/knowledge of digital technologies.
I don't feel sorry for the person who stole the sidekick, I think the person who put up the website was right. But that doesn't change the fact that he has a huge advantage vs. the thief when it comes to swaying public opinion. Think about it: if the thief had been the victim, do you think she would have been able to put up a website to try to get the Sidekick back?
If she had a friend who was technologically saavy, yes. Just like the girl who had her Sidekick stolen. Her friend was the one who put up the website, not her.
Which brings me to my point: if I ever get a Sidekick and that Sidekick is stolen and the people who stole it refuse to give it back, I expect you to put up a website, Jeff.
you don't have really long hair. not yet.
keep trying.
HEY! Can we put up a website to get my camera phone back???!!? It was stolen by some random chaperone at disneyland. even if i don't get the phone back, i'd just like to get the pictures. . . they could be uploaded. . .HOW do we do this, oh tech-savvy one???
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