Essay (Draft 1)

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