Imagine, if you will, a world without internet. Scratch that. Imagine a world with the worldwide web in full swing, except you don’t have any private access to it. When you want to send an email to your mom saying hi, or browse WebMD in search of a name for that weird reoccurring rash, or peruse the extensive list of porn videos on PornHub, you have to walk into town to find a public computer with internet access (I actually don’t recommend satisfying your sex craving in a public place). If you’re still missing my point, try imagining this: You have a school assignment or work project due over email, and you’re on a deadline. That public computer would sure come in handy, wouldn’t it?
Many of us have become all too familiar with digital society in a very personal way. You’re likely reading this from your own computer or one that’s easily accessible at work or school, but there are people who see internet as an unaffordable luxury and need to use a public computer to access it. The demand for public access venues like libraries, cybercafés, and telecenters is alive and well, yet the supply is dwindling, according to a recent report.
Conducted by the Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington, the five-year study shined a light on eight low- and middle-income countries on three continents—Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Lithuania, Philippines, and South Africa—and analyzed their digital presence through publicly accessed computers. The Global Impact Study of Public Access & Communication Technologies surveyed 5,000 computer users at public venues with internet access, as well as 2,000 nonusers to explore the patterns of public access use.
The results aren’t surprising. Over half of participants said their computer use would decrease significantly if public access venues were no longer available, and 40 percent said the resource helped them develop basic computer skills. The more significant findings are that public access venues were the only source of internet for one-third of participants, and having a connection to the digital world has social and economic implications.
Think about it: We use internet everyday, at least I do. My schoolwork has been done online as far back as I can remember, all my job functions require internet, and I stay connected to friends, family, and coworkers through email and social networking sites. When I’m not plugged into the internet on my personal laptop, I’m searching the web or conducting business via my iPhone.
The impacts of access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) are vast, the most obvious being something called digital inclusion. “As computer and internet technologies are increasingly crucial resources for functioning in today’s society, it is generally accepted that populations lacking access to ICTs are disadvantaged in the global economy,” the report reads. Public access to the internet can help populations overcome poverty, acquire a better education, and just be included in the increasingly technology-driven world.
Social and economic impacts also make public access to the internet necessary. Over 50 percent of surveyed users benefited from better communication with family and friends, meeting new people, and access to employability services. 25 percent through 40 percent saw positive impacts on their financial savings, access to government information and services, local language and culture activities, income, and sending or receiving remittances.
Even though we probably take our internet access for granted, there are still parts of the world that need these cybercafés, libraries, and telecenters to stay open and need public support. In Chile, for example, internet users who don’t use public access venues are willing to spend between $7 and $49 to help keep venues open for others, the study found. Some of the venues need public funds to make it happen, but it seems like a worthwhile cause.