Assignment: Examining the Mobile Digital Divide

The digital divide is the term used to describe the gap between people and communities that have access to information and communication technology (ICT) and those that do not. Ethicists worry about disadvantaging the socioeconomic groups that do not have ICT. Because even fewer people have access to connected mobile technology, the divide widens even further. Those who have this technology can use it anytime, anywhere, with the advantage of additional application. People who instead rely on non-mobile computers at home, in Internet cafes, or libraries can access this technology only at limited times or locations. Keep in mind that many of the mobile handsets popular throughout the world do not have browsers and cannot access the Internet.

The mobile digital divide allows an elite portion of the population to access information and influence opinions and events at will. Most people have only limited or no such opportunities, and may be partly or wholly detached from the exchange of information and the opportunity to have their voices heard. It is equally true that they are free of the endless demands of social networking, work-related communication, continual downloads from the many application built into mobile devices, and influences and communications from others whose intentions may not always be good or honest.

For this Assignment, you will examine the mobile digital divide.

In a 3- to 4-page written report:

• Explore at least three major advantages to individuals or social groups of mobile or pervasive technology and their potential consequences.
• Explore at least three major disadvantages to individuals or social groups of mobile and pervasive technology and their potential consequences
• Describe the most important social and ethical effects of the mobile digital divide. Explain with detailed examples.
• Offer a strategy to narrow the mobile digital divide either in your country or internationally. Show how predicted advances in mobile technology affects your strategy.

Write a report that is well organized and contains grammatically correct, complete sentences that are free of spelling errors. Your report should conform to APA style.

Required Readings

Loo, B. P. Y., & Ngan, Y. l. (2012). Developing mobile telecommunications to narrow digital divide in developing countries? Some lessons from China. Telecommunications Policy, 36(10–11), 888–900. doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2012.07.015

Margulis, A., Boeck, H., Bendavid, Y., & Durif, F. (2016). Building theory from consumer reactions to rfid: Discovering connective proximity. Ethics and Information Technology, 18(2), 81–101. doi:10.1007/s10676-016-9388-y

Puspitasari, L., & Kenichi, I. (2016). Digital divides and mobile internet in Indonesia: Impact of smartphones. Telematics & Informatics, 33(2), 472–483.

Vlachos, I. P. (2014). A hierarchical model of the impact of rfid practices on retail supply chain performance. Expert Systems with Applications, 41(1), 5–15.

Zejnullahu, F., & Baholli, I. (2017). Mobile technology bridges the digital divide: Case of Kosovo. European Journal of Economics, Law and Social Sciences, 1(1), 50–56.

Zhou, W., & Piramuthu, S. (2013). Technology regulation policy for business ethics: An example of rfid in supply chain management. Journal of Business Ethics, 116(2), 327–340.