In 2010, Michael Powell, the former chairman of the U.S. Federal Communication Commission (FCC) wrote an op-ed in which he endorsed a universal “national broadband plan,” to provide high speed internet to all Americans. He argued that it was a question of equality, because high speed internet access was “the great equalizer, leveling the playing field so that every willing and able person, no matter their station in life, has access to the information and tools necessary to achieve the American Dream“ (Powell). Such government funded universal internet already exists in Switzerland, Finland, and Taiwan, and proponents of such programs argue that it is a social policy issue, like education or health care, and to get ahead in life, or socioeconomically thrive, people need access to high speed internet. Academic research has supported the conclusion that cyber inequality exists around the world, and is based on a variety of factors, including income, age, and education (DiMaggio, 44). Powell’s argument about the power of broadband involves a growing worldwide discussion on the “digital divide,” which is social and economic inequality involving computers and internet access (Wakefield).
In 1995, only 1% of people worldwide had internet. Today, it is close to 40%, but those without access are missing out; they do no have access to a valuable tool that the rest of the world is able to exploit, for employment, entertainment, or information (Rubin, 44). The Internet is part of a globalization process that has help life many countries out of poverty. Computer and internet access has become a socioeconomic and quality of life indicator, like education, employment or health care. For those who do have access to the internet, the digital divide can also involve logistic inequalities, such as inability to access social media technologies due to governmental censorship.
The debate is often technical, but the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) offers a simple indicator, computers per 100 people, is closely correlated to a counties GDP and socioeconomic status. Internet speed is another indicator, with South Korea, a country with a huge “video gaming culture” topping the list with almost 90% using high speed internet (“ITU Statistics”). Iran is not on most lists, because the government does not release much information, and actively censors internet activity. However, less than 35% have access to Internet, which is predominantly found on government funded university campuses. In this paper, examining and contrasting the computer and Internet landscapes of South Korea and Iran may offer some insights on socioeconomic inequality involving technology.
The digital divide is about more than access, it also describes the differences between peoples ability to use technology for their socioeconomic benefit. Recent research into internet inequality focused on issues like equipment, internet freedom, computer literacy, social support, and the purposes for which the technology is employed, or “how” people use the internet. For example, a highly technologically savvy college student in a city in Norway, owning a powerful computer and using a cheap fast broadband connection, is in a much different situation than a poor student in a village Nigeria, who only has sporadic access to a school computer, with an unreliable and slow connection, and has no computer skills or training. They both have internet access, but their ability to exploit the resources available are not equal. This can perpetuate already existing socioeconomic inequality. In both Iran and South Korea, the groups that do not have access to technology, or the ability to use it, are primarily rural, poor, older, and with lower levels of social capital and socioeconomic status.
In South Korea, video gaming has become the national pastime, a major social activity, with “electronic sports” tournaments like the World Cyber Games broadcast on television, with celebrity players earning million dollar sponsorship endorsements from mainstream corporations (Ree & Kim). Many younger South Korean hang out in “PC bangs,” which are public local area network (LAN) gaming center, where players compete in multiplayer computer games or browse the internet for a low fee, usually less than $1 USA an hour (Ree & Kim). These are social hubs, a part of a gaming culture in South Korea, where per capita penetration of computers and high speed internet is the highest in the world, nearing 90%. The average peak connection for the country was 48.8 megabits per second, compared to the 3.9% global average. It is not only the fastest in the world, it is cheap. In Seoul, residents enjoy a 100 megabit-per-second line for $31.90 a month. There are many reasons for South Korea’s technological dominance. It is a relatively small country with high population density. There are dozens of Internet service providers who compete to offer the lowest plans, and the infrastructure is sponsored and subsidized by the government, who implement a comprehensive internet plan in 2004 (Ree & Kim). In South Korea, broadband access and computer literacy is seen as a basic and essential part of life.
Even though South Korea tops the lists of technological indicators, there are still inequality involving access to technology. The elderly and those who live in traditional rural villages comprise the roughly ten percent of South Koreans without Internet access The South Korean government subsidizes the price of internet connections for low-income and “traditionally unconnected” people (Kim & Lee, 64). These programs focus on poor rural areas, where connections can be expensive because private companies have little incentive to invest in infrastructure. To encourage more widespread connectivity, the government subsidizes both private internet service providers and their customers. The government has been proactive and created a number of governmental programs and advertising to encourage its citizens to buy computers and invest in high-speed Internet connections. Most importantly, there is a great deal of cooperation between the South Korean government, and the internet providers. For example, Kepco, the public power utility, had developed a network of fiber-optic cables for its own in the 1980’s, most of which were not used. In 1996, the government allowed Kepco to rent the unused eighty percent of its capacity, providing much of the internet infrastructure that makes Seoul the fast internet city on Earth (Ree & Kim).
The technological situation in Iran is much different. Only 26% of Iranians have Internet access (“Bridging the Gap”) The internet available is extremely slow, at 0.64 megabytes per second, a creeping speed compared to South Korea’s 48.8. The average cost of internet is about the same as in South Korea, at $35, but this the average Iranian makes $450 a month, compared to an average South Korean, who earns $2,800 (Khiabany, 140-2). Governmental sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe have made buying a computer in Iran expensive, with prices averaging twice as high as other Middle Eastern countries. As a result, many Iranians who do have internet access, rely on older outdated computers. These economic factors may explain the low rate of internet users in Iran. The situation is improving. In 2014, Iran was one of five countries to experience growth of over 20% in their telecommunications sector (Khiabany).
However, Iran has a complex relationship with computers, the internet and modernity in general. According to Gholem Khiabany, in his book Iranian Media, the low rate of computer literacy and internet access in Iran involves a state controlled media and other ideological factors. The telecommunication system in Iran is state owned, and the government censors Internet activity, encouraging the use of technology, but worried that Western influences could corrupt society (Khiabany, 16). Furthermore, the digital divide in Iran involves social capital and stratification. According to Hamid Abdollahyan, in an article in the book Digital Divide, there are two digital divides in Iran. One is economic, many Iranians simply do not have the income to buy computers or internet access. The second is “a skill-based divide and can cause inequality of literacy in Iran, which in turn can cause other inequalities across various groups” (Abdollahyan, 148).
In Iran, there is an increasingly educated elite, who have access to the internet, largely through educational institutions, but do not know how to use it, and are not sophisticated computer users:
At the sociological level, we maintain that social capital is
a more important factor in Iran as a stratifying factor, although
economic factors play a roleeducation has become widely available,
as the government has pursued a policy of education for the masses for the past three decades. The growing number of educational institutions has entailed a growing population of pupils and university students with access to the Internet (Abdollahyn, 155).
In Iran, access does not mean equality, because many members of the society have very little computer literacy. To decrease the divide, the government has created computer facilities in secondary schools and universities, but the majority of Iranians do not have basic computer skills, and advanced skills, like programming or networking are rare. There is also a movement to control the Internet, because it encourages a form of globalism that threatens the government (“Khiabany, 83). Recently, Iran developed a national strategy that focuses on creating “indigenous” content, which means they are trying to steer Iranians away from Twitter or YouTube, and to Iranian based content sources. They believe this will create a more equitable and “Iranian” technological system (“Bridging the Gap”). This reluctant to embrace the global connectivity of the Internet may lead to Iran increasingly behind in the technological sphere.
Shrinking the Digital Divide in Iran and South Korea
Improving the technological landscape for Iranian citizens with $1,000,000,0000 would involve a combination of four programs: government subsidies; improved infrastructure; governmental and private sector cooperation, and a public computer literacy and educational campaign. First, computers and internet access would need to be made available to members of society who are unable to afford them, which is most Iranians. Then, a national internet system would need to be laid across the country, to provide real broadband connections. Third, Iran would need to relax its control over the internet and allow private companies to offer affordable services. As seen in South Korea, a close government and private sector relationship makes good technology accessible. Finally, a computer literacy program, started in public schools at an early age, with computers not only accessible on college campuses. Access is one thing, using the technological resources to get ahead socioeconomically takes skills.
There is less technological inequality in South Korea, largely thanks to government assistance and a generally higher standard of living. Shrinking the digital divide in South Korea would involve reaching older people in rural areas. This would involve spreading their fiber-optic system out of the urban centers and into the more remote areas of the country. With $1,000,000,000 a nationwide service, similar to the Kepco fiber-optic lines in Seoul, could bring lightning fast internet to the villages. On top of this equal level of service all over the country, computer educational centers, similar to “PC Bangs” could be a social gathering place for South Koreans, who seem to enjoy their technology in public. These would provide classes on computer programming, online college courses, or other educational programs that would encourage the use of technology that is not video game oriented.
In both countries, the investment of a billion dollars would need to go to the corners of the internet and computer infrastructure that have been ignored. There is a very strong correlation between race, income, age, low socioeconomic status and lack of access to technological resources. The people who could benefit from technology the most, are not able to get their hands on it. Therefore, the money would be well spent designing a system of hardware, software and educational programs that reaches the old, the poor, and those who are members of the elite of society, who already have access to technology, and other indicators of high social capital. The Internet can be used a social tool for promoting equality, higher social outcomes, and a higher standard of living for everyone in society, allowing access to education, jobs, and health care related resources. It can be used for political discourse, and improve governmental services. As an important resource, it is a public policy issue and should be treated accordingly. However, as shown in South Korea, the public sector can also plays a role in delivering technology, and some of the $1,000,000,000 could be spent incentivizing investment in underserved areas. For example, the government could subsidize the extension of high speed internet services into remote areas. A partnership between public and private sectors seems to work well.
Ultimately, Iran and South Korea have unique relationships with technology, computers and the Internet. In South Korea, high speed Internet is cheap, fast, and ubiquitous. In Iran, the educated elite have access to the internet, but often lack the ability to use it to its full potential. Both governments have programs in place to promote technological progress, and seem to be making improvements getting computers and high speed Internet to underserved members of their societies. Overall, an investment in both the hardware necessary for delivering the technology to underserved areas and populations, and the education systems that teach computer literacy would be the best way forward towards shrinking the digital divides in both countries.
Works Cited
Abdollahyan, Hamid, Mehdi Semati, and Mohammad Ahmadi. "15 An analysis of the second-level digital divide in iran." The Digital Divide (2013): 237.
"Bridging the Gap." (2009): n. pag. Iranian Ministry of Science - Tehren. Web.
DiMaggio, Paul, and Eszter Hargittai. "From the ‘digital divide’to ‘digital inequality’: Studying Internet use as penetration increases." Princeton: Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University 4.1 (2001): 4-2.
Khiabany, Gholam. Iranian media: the paradox of modernity. Routledge, 2009.
Rubin, R.E. (2010). Foundations of library and information science. 178-179. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Rhee, Kyung Yong, and Wang‐Bae Kim. "The adoption and use of the Internet in South Korea." Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication 9.4 (2004): 00-00.
"Statistics." ITU. International Telecommunications Union, n.d. Web. 17 July 2015. <http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx>.
Wakefield, Jane. "World Wakes up to Digital Divide." BBC News. BBC, 19 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 July 2015.
