The Internet: An Ultimate Demonstration of Class Distinction
The internet and broadband in particular has changed the way we see each other around the world. With people from all across the social strata communicating with people they usually would not have an opportunity to talk to, there is an argument that perhaps the class barriers are breaking down. However, I think that broadband is being used by the ruling classes to further influence those on the ladder below them. Just have a look at this video on broadband adoption in California.
Not only does the video show the ruling classes deciding how and when people less fortunate than them can access broadband for free, it also clearly demonstrates the class divide still present in our modern society. Now I know many will accuse me of gleefully abusing the internet to make my point, but that would be to misunderstand what I’m telling you. A report published by The Independent three years ago supports my theory of just how much advantage the ruling classes have over the internet. With many bloggers the world over sharing their opinions on the information superhighway, it is easy to forget who the providers of those highways actually are. Think about it, could you blog unless there was a service provider to enable you to do so? Unless you are lucky enough to have a friend who is an internet entrepreneur, you would have to pay to have access to build a decent blog.
I am not criticising the people in Oakland for wanting to provide broadband access for those less fortunate – on the contrary I applaud their efforts! Yet you can see just how fine that line is between being helpful and being manipulative. At the end of the day the people who want to do the most good end up having to acknowledge the class divide. The internet is bringing people closer together and sharing information at a rate never dreamed of, but at the same time it is also dividing people even further. Without access to the latest technology and the money to pay for the fastest connections, those less fortunate then the upper classes will have to limp along in the slow lane of the highway. Yet there is hope.
More and more companies like abroadband are making the internet available to even the poorest users thanks to mobile technology. By keeping the prices low, people on the lower rungs of the class ladder who are just as intelligent (if not more) as those on the higher rungs are beginning to have access to the superhighways they previously couldn’t afford. It is encouraging, but the pressure needs to be kept up on the bigger companies.
Schemes like the one being run in Oakland are great, but in the end it will come down to a battle between service providers as to who can access the internet at the best speeds. I am still concerned that those with the most money will cruise past the poorer in the slow lanes. Yet I remain hopeful.
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