TEDxSanMigueldeAllende - Aleph Molinari - Bridging the Digital Divide

Summary

The digital divide refers to the gap between those with and without access to information technology. It affects job prospects, communication, and education. Despite 7 billion people globally, only 2 billion are digitally included. The speaker proposes a community-based model, Ria, to increase computer access, reduce costs, and create digital citizens through education and technology integration, emphasizing the need for sustainable, human-centered solutions.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The digital divide is a significant gap between those who have access to information technologies and those who do not.
• 💻 The divide is caused by three main factors: affordability, lack of knowledge on how to use technology, and unawareness of the benefits of technology.
• 🌍 Globally, about 30% of the world's population is digitally included, leaving 70% without access to computers or the Internet.
• 📈 Internet connectivity is heavily concentrated in North America and Europe, highlighting a stark digital divide for the rest of the world.
• 🏢 The digital divide excludes a large portion of the world from the digital revolution, impacting their ability to compete in future labor markets.
• 🌱 Internet should be considered a basic social necessity and a right, not a luxury, for its essential role in modern society.
• 💡 Initiatives like One Laptop Per Child have limitations, including the potential to add financial burdens to families and environmental concerns.
• 🌟 A more sustainable model is proposed through the Learning and Innovation Network (Ria), which focuses on community centers to increase computer usage and reduce costs.
• 🏠 The Ria model emphasizes creating welcoming spaces, establishing human interconnections, providing relevant content, and offering training to both users and facilitators.
• 🔄 The process involves a virtuous cycle of providing content, training, analyzing user patterns, and improving content to meet diverse user needs.
• 🌱 Technology alone won't solve the world's problems; it's human energy and initiative that can leverage technology to create positive change.

Q & A

What is the digital divide?

The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals and communities that have access to information technologies and those that don't. It manifests as a new form of illiteracy, affecting those who cannot afford, do not know how to use, or are unaware of the benefits of technology.

Why does the digital divide exist?

The digital divide exists due to three main reasons: affordability, lack of knowledge on how to use technology, and unawareness of the benefits that technology can provide.

What percentage of the world's population is digitally included?

Approximately 30% of the world's population, which is around 2 billion people, are digitally included.

How many people in the world do not have access to a computer or the Internet?

Around 70% of the world's population, which is close to 5 billion people, do not have access to a computer or the Internet.

What is the significance of the map by Chris Harrison mentioned in the script?

The map by Chris Harrison illustrates the concentration of internet connections, primarily in North America and Europe, while the rest of the world remains in the dark shadow of the digital divide.

Why should the Internet be considered a right rather than a luxury?

The Internet should be considered a right because it is a basic social necessity of the 21st century that enables connection, empowerment, social participation, and serves as a tool for change.

What are the challenges with the One Laptop Per Child model?

The One Laptop Per Child model faces challenges such as transferring costs like internet connection, electricity, maintenance, software, and updates to the families, which can be a burden, especially in adverse conditions.

What is the Ria model and how does it differ from One Laptop Per Child?

The Ria model, or Learning and Innovation Network, is a network of community centers that provide education through technology. It differs from One Laptop Per Child by increasing the number of users per computer to dilute infrastructure costs and by ensuring educational use of technology.

How many users has the Ria model reached in less than 2 years?

The Ria model has reached 140,000 users in less than 2 years, with 34,000 of them having graduated from the courses.

What are the four basic elements considered when using education through technology according to the script?

The four basic elements are: creating spaces, establishing connections, providing content, and conducting training.

How does the Ria model ensure that technology is used effectively for education?

The Ria model ensures effective use of technology for education by creating a learning route that teaches computer, internet, and office software usage, creating digital citizens within 72 hours, and providing ongoing training and content improvement based on user patterns.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Digital Divide

The speaker describes the digital divide as a significant social issue affecting various demographics, including the elderly, immigrants, and children who lack access to technology. The divide is characterized by a lack of access to computers and the internet, which is exacerbated by three main factors: affordability, knowledge of technology use, and awareness of its benefits. Statistics highlight that only 30% of the global population is digitally included, with the remaining 70% lacking access. The speaker emphasizes the disparity in internet connectivity, particularly between North America, Europe, and the rest of the world. The digital divide's consequences are severe, as it excludes a large portion of the world from the digital revolution, potentially impacting their future in the labor market and their ability to be informed and responsible citizens. The speaker argues that internet access should be considered a basic right, not a luxury.

05:00

💡 Bridging the Digital Divide

The speaker critiques the One Laptop Per Child model for its potential to burden families with additional costs and for not ensuring educational use of technology. Instead, they introduce the Ria model, a community-centered approach that provides education through technology in shared community centers. This model aims to increase the number of users per computer to reduce infrastructure costs and make education and technology accessible to everyone in the community. The speaker outlines the four essential elements of the Ria model: creating welcoming spaces, establishing human interconnections, providing educational content, and training both users and facilitators. The model focuses on creating a digital learning community that adapts to different user needs and intelligence types. The speaker shares a personal story about living in a poor community and witnessing the potential of education to break the cycle of poverty, suggesting that technology can be a powerful tool in this process.

Keywords

💡Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses, or geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to access to information and communication technologies (ICT). In the video, it is described as a 'new illiteracy' and is exemplified by the mother who can't get a job due to lack of computer skills, the immigrant unable to communicate with family, and the child unable to complete homework due to lack of access to information. The video emphasizes that 70% of the world's population does not have access to a computer or the Internet, which is a significant part of the digital divide.

💡Affordability

Affordability in the context of the video refers to the economic barrier that prevents people from accessing information technologies. It is one of the three reasons why people can't get access to these technologies, as mentioned in the script. The video implies that the high costs of computers and internet services are prohibitive for many, thus contributing to the digital divide.

💡Literacy

In the video, literacy is used to draw a parallel with the digital divide, suggesting that just as one can be illiterate in reading and writing, one can also be illiterate in the digital realm. The 'new illiteracy' mentioned is the inability to use technology effectively, which is a significant barrier to participation in modern society.

💡Access

Access, as used in the video, denotes the ability to connect to and use information technologies. It is a central theme, with the speaker discussing how approximately 2 billion people are digitally included, while the remaining 5 billion are excluded from access to computers or the Internet.

💡Technology Benefits

The benefits derived from technology are discussed as something that many people are unaware of, which contributes to the digital divide. The video suggests that understanding and appreciating these benefits can motivate people to overcome barriers to access and use technology.

💡Global Inequality

Global inequality is highlighted by the video through the map showing internet connections centered on North America and Europe, while the rest of the world is in the 'dark shadow of digital divide.' This visual representation illustrates the unequal distribution of technological resources and access worldwide.

💡One Laptop Per Child

One Laptop Per Child is a program mentioned in the video that aims to bridge the digital divide by providing a child with one laptop. However, the speaker critiques this model for potentially transferring costs like internet connection and electricity to the child's family and for not ensuring the educational use of the computer.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the video refers to the long-term viability of solutions to the digital divide. The speaker argues that giving one laptop per child is not sustainable due to the high costs associated with each device and the potential environmental impact.

💡Urban Acupuncture

Urban Acupuncture is a method described in the video for strategically placing technology centers in communities to maximize their impact. It involves considering various factors like geography, income, and education levels to identify the most effective locations for these centers.

💡Digital Learning Community

A digital learning community is a concept introduced in the video where technology is used to create a network of community centers that provide education. This model aims to increase the number of users per computer to reduce costs and make education and technology accessible to everyone in the community.

💡Human Energy

Human energy in the video is the driving force behind technology. The speaker emphasizes that it is human effort and creativity that move technology forward, and this energy can be harnessed to use technology as a tool for positive change in the world.

Highlights

The digital divide is a new form of illiteracy affecting millions globally.

Approximately 70% of the world, close to 5 billion people, lack access to computers or the Internet.

Most internet connections are concentrated in North America and Europe, leaving much of the world in digital darkness.

Digital exclusion limits competition in future labor markets and reduces access to information and inspiration.

Internet access is framed as a basic social necessity of the 21st century, not a luxury.

The One Laptop Per Child model faces challenges, including high costs and adverse home conditions.

The Ria model promotes community centers that provide education through technology, increasing user access.

In less than 2 years, the Ria model reached 140,000 users, with 34,000 graduates from its courses.

Urban Acupuncture is used to strategically place centers in communities based on geography and needs.

Four key elements for bridging the digital divide: space, connection, content, and training.

Creating welcoming spaces with recycled materials minimizes ecological impact.

Training facilitators is crucial to help users overcome stigmas and fears related to technology.

Education through technology must include a structured learning route to create digital citizens.

Technology should be dynamic and adaptable to human processes and needs.

The speaker emphasizes that technology alone won't save the world; human energy and initiative are essential.

Transcripts

Transcriber: Elisabeth Buffard Reviewer: Elisabeth Buffard

The digital divide is a mother that is 45 years old and can't get a job

because she doesn't know how to use a computer.

It is an immigrant that doesn't know that he can call his family for free.

It is a child who can't solve his homework

because he doesn't have access to information.

The digital divide is a new illiteracy.

Digital divide is also defined as a gap between individuals and communities

that have access to information technologies and those that don't.

Why does this happen?

It happens because of 3 things.

The first is that people can't get access to these technologies

because they can't afford them.

The second is because they don't know how to use them,

and the third is because they don't know the benefits derived from technology.

So let's consider some very basic statistics.

The population of the world is nearly 7 billion people.

Out of these, approximately 2 billion are digitally included.

This is approximately 30% of the entire world population.

Which means the remaining 70% of the world,

close to 5 billion people,

do not have access to a computer or the Internet.

Let's think about that number for a second.

5 billion people: that's 4 times the population of India

that have never touched a computer, have never accessed the Internet.

So this is a digital abyss that we're talking about,

this is not a digital divide.

Here we can see a map by Chris Harrison

that shows the internet connections around the world.

What we can see is that most of the internet connections are centered

on North America and Europe,

while the rest of the world is engulfed in the dark shadow of digital divide.

Next we can see connections, city-to-city around the world,

and we can see that most of the information generated

is being generated between North America and Europe,

while the rest of the world is not broadcasting their ideas or information.

And so, what does this mean?

We are living in a world that seems to be having a digital revolution,

a revolution that everyone here thinks that we're part of,

but the 70% of the world that is digital excluded is not part of this.

What does this mean?

Well, the people that will be digitally excluded

won't be able to compete in the labor of markets of the future.

They won't be connected. They'll be less informed.

They'll be less inspired, and they'll be less responsible.

Internet should not be a luxury, it should be a right,

because it is a basic social necessity of the 21st century.

We can't operate without it.

(Applause)

Thank you.

It allows us to connect to the world.

It empowers us.

It gives us social participation. It is a tool for change.

And so, how are we going to bridge this digital divide?

Well, there are many models that try and bridge the digital divide,

that try and include the population at large,

but the question is, are they really working?

I'm sure everybody here knows One Laptop Per Child,

where one computer is given to one child.

The problem with this is,

do we really want children to take computers to their homes?

Homes that have adverse conditions?

And we also must understand that by giving a child a computer,

we're also transferring costs, very high costs,

such as internet connection, electricity,

maintenance, software, updates.

So we must create different models.

Models that help the families rather than add a burden on them.

Also, let's not forget about the carbon footprint.

Imagine 5 billion laptops.

What would the world look like then?

Imagine the hazardous residue that would be generated from that.

Imagine the trash.

So, if we give one computer to one person,

and we multiple that times 5 billion,

even if that laptop is $100,

then we would have $483 trillion dollars.

Now let's consider we're only counting in the youth

- ages 10 to 24 -

that's approximately 30% of the digitally excluded population,

then that would be $145 trillion dollars.

What nation has this amount of money?

This is not a sustainable model.

So with this in mind, we created a different model.

We created the Ria, in Spanish,

or in English, Learning and Innovation Network.

Which is a network of community centers

that bring education through the use of technology.

We wanted to increase the number of users per computer

in such a way we could dilute the cost of infrastructure, the cost per user,

and that we could bring education and technology

to everybody within these communities.

So, let's look at a basic comparison.

the Ria has 1,650 computers.

If we had used the One Laptop Per Child model

of a 1 to 1 ratio, then we would have benefited 1,650 users.

What we did instead is we set up centers

that have longer hours of operation than schools,

that also include all of the population

-our youngest user is 3 years old, the oldest is 86 -

and with this, in less than 2 years, we were able to reach

140,000 users, out of which

(Applause)

34,000 has already graduated from our courses.

Another thing with One Laptop per Child

is that it doesn't guarantee the educational use of a computer.

Technology is nothing without that content.

We need to use it as a means, not as an end.

How did we accomplish such a high impact?

Well, you can't just go into a community and pretend to change it,

you need to look at a lot of factors.

So what we do is we do a thing we call Urban Acupuncture.

We first start by looking at the basic geography of a site.

So take, for example, Ecatepec.

This is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Mexico.

It has a very low income level.

So we look at the basic geography, we look at roads, streets,

the flux of pedestrians and vehicles.

Then we look at income, we look at education.

Then we set up a center there

in the place that's going to heal the body.

A little needle to change the city body.

And there we go.

And so, there are four basic elements that we need to consider

when we're using education through technology.

The first one is we need to create spaces.

We need to create a space that is welcoming to the community,

a space that is according to the needs of the children, and of the elders,

and of every possible person that lives within that community.

So we create these spaces that are all made with recycled materials,

we use modular architecture to lower the ecological impact.

Second, connection.

By connection, I mean

not only a connection to the Internet, that's too easy.

We need to create a connection, an interconnection of humans.

The Internet is a very complex organism

that is fueled of the ideas, the thoughts, and the emotions of human beings.

We need to create networks that aid in exchanging information.

Third, content.

Education is nothing without content.

And you can't pretend to have a relationship of a computer with a child.

So we create a route,

a very basic learning route,

where we teach people how to use a computer,

how to use the Internet, how to use office software,

and in 72 hours, we create digital citizens.

You can't just pretend

that people are going to touch a computer and become digitally included,

you need to have a process,

and after this, they can take on a longer educational route.

And then fourth, training.

We need to train not only the users but we need to train

the people that will facilitate learning for these people.

When you're talking about the digital divide,

people have stigmas, people have fears,

people don't understand how that can complement their lives.

So what we do is that we train facilitators

so that they can help in breaking that digital barrier.

So we have four elements.

We have a space that is created.

We have a connection.

We have content, and we have training.

So we have created a digital learning community.

But there is one more element

which is the benefits that technology can create,

because it is not printed, static content.

It is dynamic, it is modifiable.

So we have we do is, we provide content, then we do training,

then we analyze the user patterns so that we can improve content.

So it creates a virtuous circle.

It allows us to deliver education

according to different types of intelligence,

and according to different user needs.

So with this in mind, we have to think that technology is something

that can modify according to human processes.

I want to share a story.

In 2006, I went to live here.

This is one of the poorest communities in all of Mexico.

I went to film a documentary on the people that live off trash,

entirely of trash; their houses are built with trash.

They eat trash. They dress in trash.

And after 2 months of living with them,

of seeing the children, and the way they work,

I understood that the only thing

that can change and that can break the poverty cycle is education.

And we can use technology to bring education to these communities.

Here is another shot.

And the main message is

that technology is not going to save the world, we are.

And we can use technology to help us.

I'm sure everybody here has experienced it,

what moves technology is human energy,

so let's use this energy to make the world a better place.

Thank you.

(Applause)