1. How does information technology affect socioeconomic disparities? Explain your answer.
2. Why is access to technology insufficient to eliminate the digital divide?
3. How serious a problem is the “new” digital divide? Explain your answer.
4. Why is the digital divide problem an ethical dilemma?

In the early days of personal computers and the Internet, some technology analysts and sociologists worried about a “digital divide,” where wealthier and more educated people were far more likely to take advantage of newer technologies then people from less- fortunate socioeconomic groups. This divide between the “haves” and “have-nots” has decreased over time as Internet access, personal computers, and smartphones have become cheaper than ever before. However, emerging technology usage patterns among different social groups suggest that there is a new divide: technology users from poorer and less- educated backgrounds are using technology to reinforce rather than eliminate socioeconomic disparities.