{"id":125228,"date":"2018-10-31T18:47:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T16:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/data-deficit-means-were-in-the-dark-about-the-digital-divide-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2018-10-31T18:47:42","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T16:47:42","slug":"data-deficit-means-were-in-the-dark-about-the-digital-divide-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/data-deficit-means-were-in-the-dark-about-the-digital-divide-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Data deficit means we’re in the dark about the digital divide | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Data deficit means we’re in the dark about the digital divide<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Cellphones are everywhere in Africa – but that doesn't mean the digital divide is closing.<\/span> Legnan Koula\/EPA<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Digital concerns underpin many of the UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals. Gender equality, good health, quality education, industry innovation, smart and sustainable cities: these all require strong information and communications technology systems to become a reality. <\/p>\n

For all of this to happen, developing countries will have to overcome the \u201cdigital divide\u201d. This refers to the gap between those who are connected \u2013 first to voice and now to Internet services \u2013 and those who aren\u2019t. <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a problem. We simply don\u2019t have the data in developing countries, and in global statistics, to know what the status quo is or whether the digital divide is being closed. So we don\u2019t know if information and communications technologies are contributing to the achievement of the SDG targets.<\/p>\n

There is some supply side data provided by operators and collected by regulators. This is fed into the UN statistical system. It\u2019s then used as the basis of multiple digital indices that now exist. But this has many limitations for policy or planning in developing and emerging economies. <\/p>\n

For example, it can\u2019t be used to measure several basic indicators \u2013 like gender, age and income levels \u2013 in the predominantly prepaid mobile markets of the Global South.<\/p>\n

The AfterAccess Survey, which was run across 16 countries in the Global South in 2017, fills some of these data gaps. The survey tells us who has access to and uses mobile phones for what purposes. It also reveals data about Internet users and non-users, and the reasons that people aren\u2019t online \u2013 usually, because Internet enabled devices are too expensive.<\/p>\n

All this allows us to compare digital indicators from a range of countries and to see patterns among countries. It shows us that in large populations like Nigeria, India and Bangladesh, irrespective of their distribution of wealth its a struggle to get people connected. <\/p>\n

It enables better comparisons on outcomes between countries with similar size economies. We can also compare ICT policy outcomes in the countries that were surveyed. <\/p>\n

The findings offer a useful guide for policymakers. This is because the survey is nationally representative. It unmasks the inequalities in the national aggregations. This allows policymakers to see beyond the descriptive statistics to identifying the determinants \u2013 like education and income \u2013 of Internet access and use. <\/p>\n

These perspectives underscore the fact that addressing digital inequality isn\u2019t a technology problem. It\u2019s a classical development challenge. <\/p>\n

Key findings<\/h2>\n

As the world moves from simple voice services and devices to more complex Internet-based services, the issues of digital inequality become more complex than just connectivity. More comprehensive indicators and data modelling is required to understand issues of inclusion and exclusion, and what factors are driving them. <\/p>\n

The After Access survey provides the only representative insights into who is on the Web, what they do, who is not and what prevents them from getting online. These were some of the key findings:<\/p>\n