Filed under: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, Money
According to a recent Associated Press article, a "new digital divide" is emerging between blacks/Latinos and their white counterparts in the United States.
The so-called digital divide boils down to a single, telling statistic: About 46 percent of blacks and 51 percent of Latinos are using cell phones to access the Internet versus 33 percent for whites, according to data from the Pew Research organization.
One conclusion of the AP article is that minorities are relying on heavily -- too heavily -- on mobile technologies, which could be detrimental.
How so?The article implies that some minorities who are surfing the Web with their cells phones may not have access to personal computers -- even though laptop ownership among whites, blacks and Latinos is roughly equal, at about 51 percent each.
But the greater threat to minorities may lie in what the article refers to as the "quality of engagement" used by those online. In other words, blacks are seen as mainly using mobile technologies for entertainment and social purposes (Facebook anyone?), not for business-oriented reasons or to advance their careers.
"Some see a 'new digital divide' emerging -- with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It's tough to fill out a job application on a cell phone, for example," the article states.
The author, quoting Pew Research specialist Aaron Smith, goes on to state that "there are obvious limitations on what you can do on a mobile device -- updating a resumé being the classic example."
Personally, I find all the hand-wringing over the use of mobile technologies absurd and more than a little offensive.
Rather than suffering from any supposed new digital divide, many blacks and Latinos who are heavy cell phone users are simply ahead of the curve.
At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, which took place in Las Vegas, one of the most talked about trends was the rise of mobile technologies. The Wall Street Journal put it best, in a piece called "Bye Bye PCs and Laptops," when it noted that "the era of the personal computer is drawing to a close."
Instead, the future is all about the age of mobile computing.
In fact, by the year 2013, the number of smart phones will exceed the number of PCs, according to data from the Gartner Research Group.
Since the handwriting is already on the proverbial wall, let's not suggest that it's a "problem" that minorities are increasingly relying on their cell phones.
In the United States, blacks and Latinos are actually early adopters when it comes to cell phone usage and accessing the Internet.
However, in other parts of the world, such as Europe and Asia, consumers have been readily employing mobile technology for years. Yet, I haven't heard anyone question whether these individuals will have the ability to figure out how to fill out a job application, update a resumé or go to a library to use a computer if they don't have one or if they're without Internet access.
Why would tech-savvy African Americans be any less capable of doing so?
The truth of the matter is that if we deem education as a pathway to greater economic mobility and more career opportunities, then blacks and Latinos can't afford to get left behind on the technology front.
And understanding and using mobile technologies is a starting point for doing just that.