Yeah I said it! Somebody has to.
This problem that has been hidden inside the social divide of digital communications for well over thirty years, and NOTHING has been done about it. This problem also does not happen to people who look a certain way or love a certain way, but to those who have little to no money at all. And with this certain measure to single one out is to declare segregation on a overwhelming population of not just this country, but the entire world.
Let me show and tell the ways:
- Setting up our youth for disaster: Just recently the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has announced a new trauma that is effecting our young, African American teenagers. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), which range form neighborhood violence, to (of course) gross poverty levels, which has resulted in poor academic performance, risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions, low life potential and early death.
- Gentrification: Now that rich folks wants to back into the city from the suburbs, it has caused a major effect to the ones who are not as fortunate enough to even live in the suburbs. This is where gentrification was conceived. Remodeling of old run down buildings and putting inside pricy penthouses, and expensive coffee shops and other ritzy businesses has caused an exodus of the under-privilege to go well… I don’t know? I am sorry to say that I was once the member of the “Carpetbagger” squad, and remodeled my business in the heart of the capital of Mississippi because of force and a factious vision that is nowhere in sight. All though other businesses and real estate developers immediately followed suit, the mixing of different cultures has made the community grow, but at what cost?
- Isolation: With the ones living under the poverty line, it is now difficult to retrieve information on the internet due to the price consuming machines to access it. It feels like children yelling “I know something you don’t know!” Not that recent ago, only 30% of households in my current residence of “M-I-Crooked Letter,” owned a personal computer. Before being considered a heavy appliance that takes up space in the living room, people would have to go through the choice of either purchasing a luxury item like a computer or paying rent on time.
But I digress. In a more positive note, the digital community has been making great strides to closing the gap of this social divide. Solutions are now in place to make an impact that will now help generations to come. Take for example:
- Educational Exposure to Technology: Shout out to the Silicon Gods (Apple and Microsoft for example) who are donating their laptops and tablets to public school systems, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Also providing computer coding classes to the homeless so they can develop a trade, are improving the lives of many who just needed a little push to achieve their potential.
- FREE WIFI! Don’t you love that word “free!” If we could convince law makers to provide free wifi in all government builds and offer tax breaks to privately owned businesses for comping hotspots for their customers, the world would be a much happier place and more and more people would have access to all of the news, entertainment, and sports that they could handle.
- Making Communication Devices More Affordable: With digital technology now in a more competitive market, the consumers are winning. The curtsey of less expensive items like smartphone, tablets, and live-streaming apps, are bringing a new market share to the industry. Pre-paid cellular phone providers like Metro PCS, Cricket Wireless, and Boost Mobile can make it easier for people to stay in contact with love one, co-workers and classmates.