Introduction
Singapore is often described
as the high wired society, the penetration of mobile telephony, PCs and the
Internet is extremely high in Singapore. It has one of the highest mobile penetration
rates in the world at 76 per cent (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore,
2003). Yet, there still exist a ‘digital divide’ between the low income group
and the rest of the society because this ‘digital divide’ has not been
addressed comprehensively to fully bridge the gap between the low income group
and the rest of the society. This leads to economic stagnation in both micro
and macro levels. In micro level, these individuals will be stuck in the vicious
cycle of poverty. In macro level, the economy have to sacrifice time and effort
needed to make progress for helping the low income group integrate better in
the world of technology. Therefore, this essay will pinpoint the problem of
economic stagnation caused by this ‘digital divide’, evaluate previous IDA’s
efforts made to address this ‘digital divide’ and introduce a comprehensive
solution which I believe would be more successful in bridging the gap between the
low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore.
Problem:
Economic Stagnation
The ‘digital divide’
between low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore results in
economic stagnation at macro and micro levels. As technology has gradually
become a necessity in a century so dependent on internet, the inability to
access information using ICT leaves the low income group isolated from the rest
of the society. The root causes of this isolationism are their inability to afford
computers and broadband and the lack of knowledge towards the usage and the
importance of technology. Hence, the economic stagnation of the low income
groups as a result of their inability to stay connected has a significant
impact on the society’s economy. As technology is a key contributor to
Singapore’s economy, registering
a strong year-on-year growth of 23 per cent to reach S$102 billion in ICT
revenue in 2012, this ‘digital divide
hinders Singapore’s potential for further improvements. For example, many
efforts have been made, by the IDA such as building a media hub, in aim to
bring Singapore tech on the world stage. (Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore, 2014)
However, the rewards of these efforts will only be seen in full potential if
the entire society is on the same page. Therefore, it is important to bridge
the gap between the low income group and the rest of the society in Singapore
before any ambitious proposal in order to reap the full capacity of its reward.
Previous IDA’s attempt
Besides putting the vision of
bringing Singapore’s technology to international level into plans, IDA
attempted to bridge this ‘digital divide’ by making technology more affordable
for the low income group. For example, IDA's NEU PC Plus programme offers
students from low income families the opportunity to own a new computer at a
discount of up to 75 per cent. Adding on to that, IDA also has a broadband-only
scheme for students who already own computers but cannot afford broadband subscriptions. They pay
only $1.50 monthly for 36 months for a fixed-line or mobile broadband subscription.
(Tham, 2014) However, the problem is the subsidy can be only be given to
customers of specific telecommunication brand such as SingTel and M1.
Furthermore, the connection rate provided in the broadband subscription is not
fast for multitasking and may even have
difficulty entering a school's secure portal to download assignments. Even
though this attempt did address the root cause of the lower income group’s
inability to afford technology, the services provided by this subsidy was
definitely not enough to bridge this ‘digital divide’. The low income group are
still at a lower level than the rest of the society in the world of technology.
In order to successfully bridge the gap, efforts made should efficiently help
the low income groups to be on the same level as the rest of the society so
that they can escape the vicious cycle of poverty.
Proposed solution: Computer Hubs
With
that, a comprehensive solution to this persistent problem would be to build a
computer hub under HDB districts so as help the isolated low income groups
integrate to a well-connected society. Similar to the implementation of
building a mini lounge with a shared television and benches for the elderlies
under HDB flats, it is feasible to build an exclusive computer hub for the lower-income
groups. The hub would consists of computers,
printers and a beginner’s guide book on the basic and fundamental functions
such as Microsoft Word and E-mail. The exclusiveness could be maintained
through creating an exclusive access pass for the lower-income group to enter
the room, so the middle and high income group will not make use of their
privilege.
To solve the problem of having limited knowledge
especially for adults in the lower-income groups, workshops could be held once
or twice a week. The workshop aims to demonstrate and teach them the basic
functions of a computer such as sending emails and Microsoft word. Besides the
technical skills, the workshop should also inform the low income groups of the
importance of technology so as to prevent this ignorance from contributing to the vicious cycle of poverty.
Conclusion
In
essence, the low income groups are isolated and stuck in the vicious cycle of
poverty due to the inability to afford and understand technology. The problem
of this ‘digital divide’ and economic stagnation in the micro level will only
worsen if Singapore continues to propose ambitious plans without addressing this
internal problem. In order to effectively bridge this gap between the low
income group and the rest pf the society in Singapore, the low income group
must be at the same page of progression in the world of technology. Thus only
by making exclusive privilege for the low income group, they will be included in the society.
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Bibliography
Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (2003). Decision Paper: Charging for Mobile Phone Services:
Mobile-Party-Pays ("MPP") vs Calling-Party-Pays ("CPP").
Singapore, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. 2003: 5.
Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (2014) 2013: Putting Singapore tech on the world stage.
(2014, January 3). Infocomm News from Singapore. Retrieved September 30,
2014, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/blog/insg/featured/2013-putting-singapore-tech-on-the-world-stage/
Tham, I. (2014, March
14). Bridging the digital divide. Asia One Singapore. Retrieved
September 30, 2014, from
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/bridging-digital-divide