Bridging the Technology Gap

The data

This viz includes data from the 2018 US Census American Community Survey and analyzes the types of computers and Internet subscriptions in US households. The population includes people 25 years and over and can be viewed by sex, race, and educational attainment.

The visualization

The Technology Gap Map is a tool to help close the technology gap by visualizing the non-deviced and under-deviced households across our country, which is required in order to focus solutions and resources. Under-deviced households are those that don’t have enough devices for each person in the household that needs one. By including robust demographic information in the viz, we expose the ways in which digital and racial equity intersect. By highlighting the number of households without a computer, the viz also demonstrates how pervasive and widespread the technology gap is across our country. 

The historical context

There are substantial disparities in computer access and ownership by race. Future iterations of the map will include aggregated, county-level income data which also correlate to technology gap disparities and race. When one drills down into the root causes of the digital divide, poverty is a leading issue. And race is a core factor when considering poverty. There's a direct line between the digital divide and race. 

The current implications

The lack of a computer impacts one’s employment, health, social, and education opportunities. Yet, frustratingly, the gap persists. The data underscores the need for ensuring that everyone who needs a computer has one - today and in the future. By building awareness of digital equity and the technology gap, more people and organizations will see and understand the widespread disparity and inequity and give voice and the action needed to eliminate the technology gap.

For more on this dashboard, the analysis, and Digitunity, check out this blog post.