Mobile technology and internet is an inexorable force that is, at this point, completely unavoidable to those who have access by default. What I mean when I say ‘by default’ is that those who live in urban areas, whether they have internet access or not, cannot avoid it completely. They have access simply because they live within a geographic location that, by its level or infrastructural and technological development, will create access to mobile technology for them in various ways and means. However, this is not within the scope of this text. What I aim to discuss here is the effects of the Digital Divide on eDemocracy and eGovernment.
The Digital Divide
The following image graphically explains the Digital Divide:
(http://wireless.ictp.trieste.it/simulator/img/world.jpg) This world map bar graph shows the level of internet access as per country, and we can clearly deduce from it that the global superpowers (Europe, US, Australia and Far-East Asia) have most internet accessibility. The rest of the world is generally at a similar level with the exception of Africa, parts of the Middle-East and India. 60% of the top ten are European nations and 30% are Far-East Asia. The bottom five countries are all African nations. Most of Africa seems to dominate the bottom of the accessibility list with the exception of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Nigeria and Ethiopia. The Digital Divide is the difference between those who have access to internet media and those who don’t. This is a comparison that can be levelled on a global level, continental level, national level or community level. In South Africa, the Digital Divide extends between those living in rural areas, suburban areas and urban areas. Those in the urban areas generally have internet access on demand, those in suburban areas are similarly enabled, and those in rural areas (the bulk of South Africa’s population) are generally left without.
eDemocracy and eGovernment
“Establishing a clear and comprehensive definition of eDemocracy is a difficult task. It is a term of two components; ‘e’, which signifies the online component, and ‘democracy’, which refers to a theory and system of governance. While this may, at first glance, appear to be an obvious statement to make, it in fact underpins the complexity of the concept. eDemocracy is a relatively new notion and remains somewhat fluid due to its fundamental relationship with technology and the internet – fields that are themselves ever-changing, and somewhat unpredictably so. Any outline of precisely what constitutes the ‘e’ of eDemocracy is thus at risk of obsolescence within a short time-frame.” (http://edemocracy.weebly.com/what-is-edemocracy.html)
Rachel Silcock (p. 88) describes eGovernment as the “use of technology to enhance the access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens, business partners and employees… has the power to create a new mode of public service where all public organisations deliver a modernised, integrated and seamless service for their citizens.”
Conclusion
With the above aspects considered, I conclude that the effects of the Digital Divide on eGovernement and eDemocracy in South Africa are limiting service provision and delivery of technological services, as well as the ability for people to speak and give feedback to their government through the internet medium is limited. Until regular, affordable and reliable access to new technologies is provided to those is rural areas, this will continue to be a hurdle for the South African government. Contrariwise, those with access are already actively giving internet media based feedback to their government, usually involving issues such as eToll and internet censorship. This is evidence that ePolitics is a growing phenomenon and cannot be ignored.
References
- Digital Divide World Map image source http://wireless.ictp.trieste.it/simulator/img/world.jpg
- What Is eDemocracy? [Author Unknown]. [Date Unknown] Accessed: 22 April 2013. Available: http://edemocracy.weebly.com/what-is-edemocracy.html