digital divide
noun
the socioeconomic and other disparities between those people who have opportunities and skills enabling them to benefit from digital resources, especially the Internet, and those who do not have these opportunities or skills: programs that help to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor countries.
Nearby words
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for digital divide
digital divide
noun
informal the gap between those people who have internet access and those who do not
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Culture definitions for digital divide
digital divide
A term that describes the division of the world into two camps, those who have access to the Internet and other advanced information technologies and those who don't. The term highlights the issue that those who do not have access to such technology are potentially destined to futures where they will be at an economic disadvantage.
Note
In geopolitical terms, the divide is between the developed and the developing nations, or, roughly speaking, between the North and the South.
Note
In domestic political terms in the United States, the divide is between educated, well-off members of society and those who are less well-off.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.