A weekly presentation of downloadable charts and short analyses designed to graphically illustrate important economic issues. Updated every Wednesday.

Snapshot for May 31, 2000

The technology gap

In contrast to the “dot com” television commercials making “one-world” claims and evoking images of the Internet providing newfound freedom and opportunity throughout the world, the technological divide is actually widening in the United States. According to the Department of Commerce (1999), recent data reveal that “the digital divide — the disparities in access to telephones, personal computers (PCs), and the Internet across certain demographic groups — still exists and, in many cases, has widened significantly.” The divide is notably evident between the rich and poor, whites and minorities, and urban and rural areas.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Falling Through the Net II.

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