DIGITAL DIVIDE IN ADVERTISING
As technology is continuously being developed and altered there is this divide between people who have access to the technology and those who don’t, otherwise known as the digital divide. Years ago, during the Web 1.0 days you could only access written forms of information, but with the revolutionized digital world we can now interact, buy things, send feedback, ask questions, express opinions and so on (Trinity, 2014). Even though it’s awesome that Web 3.0 is being introduced making our lives easier, making researching faster however this modern technology growing at such a large rate it is making the digital divide gap bigger, and continuously expanding.
When talking about the digital divide majority of people will assume we are referring to developing countries and those in remote areas, such as African Deserts. However through Pew Research, Digital Differences we see that 1 in 5 Americans don’t have access to the Internet. This could be seen as shocking however this gap will continue to grow as technology is developing. Producing the hypothesis of info rich and info poor individuals (Flew, T. 2011).
There are two kinds of divide which should we considered when referring to the digital divide. Firstly the Global divide, this type of divide referred to the infrastructure between nations. The second is the social divide which refers to the access and skills within the nations. Below you can see the information about the divide between people and how it may be growing (Pew Research. Digital Divide).
As previously discussed there is this assumption that the digital divide only exists in developing countries, however it is very evident in the western society. Sure you may think this is mainly socio economic, the rich and the poor- but where might this fit in the advertising industry? Within the marketing and advertising industry you must use a vast amount of programs to sort through different analytics and data in order to find trends, target audience and demand for particular products or services to create the backbone of your future campaign. This type of methodology requires vast skills with computers for a variety of reasons. Not only to data mine information but to design campaigns and advertisements.
As more technologies are being introduced, more skills are required for simple jobs, thus more role are being converged, blurring the lines of specific roles (Jenkins, 2008). This may seem confusing, but really it means when you previously only had to identify effective channels for advertising that you now have to also be able to use programs like Photoshop to create the advertisement. In an employment perspective having more skills, experience and knowledge about these new technologies could be vital to whether you get the job or not. The amount of skills someone has will make them stand out to a potential employer and minimize the amount of money the company will have to spend on several fields of work when one person could just do it.
So now that we have seen it affects the chances of getting jobs, and the job descriptions in general, how about a look into advertising itself. Being the shopping enthusiast that I am lets focus on online shopping. Within the shopping industry the major businesses are online connecting with more people. This makes it easier for consumers as they can look and buy things in the comfort of their own homes while also being able to see reviews instantly on the products. This is a major treat to small boutique businesses as they are limiting themselves to locals and active people who are willing to go into the store. It sounds stupid, but people are lazy and like being able to browse through potential outfits. It’s important for all shops to go online for this reason as statistics say 50% of Australians shop online while 82% of people will actually feel loyal to the business if they are following them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This gap between accessibility creates the gap of the digital divide making it even harder to be the underdog than ever before as doesn’t create an online personality while also being more accessible for potential customers, widening your possible market and generating more money.
The digital divide is continuously growing in several areas. In the field of advertising this divide will determine your success… Unless you are within the info high segment of the divide it could become harder and problematic to get a job. The world is a competitive and the only way to equal the playing grounds is to implement training programs for those who don’t have the necessary knowledge.
References:
Academia (2014). The Digital Divide in Online Advertising. Retrieved from:
http://www.academia.edu/847409/The_digital_divide_in_online_advertising
Pew Research Internet Project (2013). Digital Divide. Retrieved from:
http://www.pewinternet.org/topics/digital-divide/
Jaeda Quilacio (2013). Digital Divide Impact. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izkeSztjwGc
Trinity P3 (2012). Tips On How To Bridge The Digital Advertising Divide. Retrieved from:
http://www.trinityp3.com/2012/05/bridging-the-digital-divide/
Flew, T. (2008). New media. An introduction. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
