The Participation Gap on the Rise

After reading Digital Divide or Participation Gap? Will Mobile Affect It? by Kevin Guidry and Mobile Phone Problems by the Pew Research Center,  it is very clear that with the rise of new and improving technology, comes new problems. Guidry wrote about two examples pertaining to the issues regarding technology, which are the digital divide and the participation gap. The digital divide is a phrase that explains the division in ownership of computers and the internet. Although many Americans have laptops, cell phones, and access to the internet, there are still those who unfortunately are unable to obtain these. The participation gap refers to the different experiences, skills, predilections, and comfort levels between students and technology. The participation gap is not so much about either having or not having these devices, but more so about the unequal access and use regarding these.

The digital divide will soon be nonexistent, but the participation gap is on the rise. 
Although the digital divide used to be a larger issue a few years ago, it is quickly decreases as technology is becoming more advanced, cheaper, and easier to gain access to. According to the Pew Research Center, 88% of Americans own cell phones. However, just because the digital divide is coming to a close does not mean the participation gap is too. In fact, the participation gap is actually increasing rapidly. Both in Guidry's and the Pew Research Center's article, African-Americans and Hispanics are at a disadvantage when it comes to computer and cell phone ownership, as well as access to the internet when compared with Caucasians. The reason for this inequality is not due to race, however, it is due to underemployment, less education, and less money. Also, it is seen that students who attend private colleges tend to have their own devices more often than public schools. The reason why there is a difference in the experiences and skills between students and even adults is because there were certain groups who were able to buy these technological devices when they were more expensive and harder to obtain, while other groups of people simply could not. Therefore, those who have had access to these devices for a longer amount of time are more comfortable and knowledgeable than those who are just recently gaining ownership and access.

The participation gap will be in existence for a long time.
With the never ending improvements of technology, the participation gap will continue to grow. Improvements, discoveries, and knowledge are always on the rise in America. There will always be new problems to solve and unknown information that people are looking to discover. With that being said, economical issues will also be prevalent for a great amount of time. No one in American has the same amount of resources, money, knowledge, and privilege, which is why the participation gap with continue to rise in the future. Although now almost all Americans have cell phones, the creation of smart phones has yet again made another gap. Once almost every American has a smart phone, a new technological advancement will have occurred that not everyone can have access to immediately. Therefore, the participation gap will continue to exist as long as technology and improvements do.

Privacy: How far is too far?

Does the term "privacy" even exist anymore? With the tremendous advancements in social media, privacy seems to be nonexistent. So many young teens and adults are using Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, and many other forms of social media and it's virtually impossible to maintain your privacy. Many companies are now using potential employees' social media sites to see who these applicants are behind closed doors, what their interests are, how they speak to other people, etc. The way people act in job interviews and what they write on their resume is often very misconceiving. Therefore, having the ability to search for these applicants on the web allows the employers to see these possible future employees in another light. Personally, I do not find anything wrong with companies looking at the social media sites of potential employees because the internet is a public space and what you put on your Facebook is reflected upon you. Those who take their career seriously should not have any trashy pictures, bad language, or anything else that can be seen as  inappropriate. However, some companies have gone too far by asking job applicants for their passwords to the social media sites they have. Sending messages on Facebook is popular because it allows people to communicate with others privately. Regardless of whether your profile is public or private, no one can see messages sent but account owner. The privacy of employees and applicants who have to give their passwords to their employer is completely ruined. However, Maryland passed a bill banning employers from asking for the social media passwords of job applicants and employees and many other states are beginning to follow this trend. States such as Illinois, California, Michigan, Minnesota, and Massachusetts are all making it illegal for companies to ask for passwords to social media sites as well.

Although states are beginning to try to protect the privacy of employees and job applicants, there are still many issues with privacy that many social media users are unaware of. There is a huge misconception that setting your profile to "private" means no one can see your page unless you allow them to. However, there are many ways of getting around this privacy setting and gaining access to ones profile. Also, according to NBC's Consumer Reports, Facebook collects more data than people may think. Anytime you visit a website with a Facebook "like" button, Facebook gets a report of the website you are viewing, regardless of if you push the "like" button, are not signed into your account, and even if you don't even have a Facebook. Also, regardless of whether or not your Facebook is private, a friend using a Facebook app can allow your information to be transferred to third parties without your consent or knowledge.

Many social media users are so unaware of how limited their privacy is when they create an account. More people need to become informed and aware of the capabilities companies such as Facebook have when it comes to invading ones privacy. People need to get the misconception out of their head that setting their account to private means no one else can see it. As long as the use of social media continues to rise, the amount of privacy people have will decline. Bills may get passed that try and help protect ones privacy, but new ways of invading privacy will also rise.