Across the Great Divide.Studies find black households are bridging the technology gap The good news about the "digital divide" that the Department of Commerce (DOC See doc file and docs. 1. Doc - Directed Oc 2. doc - /dok/ Common spoken and written shorthand for "documentation". Often used in the plural "docs" and in the construction "doc file" (i.e. documentation available on-line). ) says exists between ethnic groups who have computers and access to the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the and those that do not is that the gap is narrowing. Overall, the DOC found that more than 40% of American American, river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of households own computers, while 25% of all households have access to the Net. In fact, among those who earn $75,000 and above, in 1998, 78% of blacks had computers in the home vs. 80% of whites, compared with 1997, when 64% of blacks did vs. 76% of whites. Information from Forrester Research Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides its clients with advice about technology's impact on business and consumers. Corporate facts
Cambridge, Massachusetts is a city in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. , indicates that lower income African Americans African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. also may soon have access to computers and the information superhighway (1) A generic name for the Internet. (2) A proposed high-speed communications system that was touted by the Clinton/Gore administration to enhance education in America in the 21st century. Its purpose was to help all citizens regardless of their income level. . It found that declining prices have made computers more affordable, and therefore nearly 10% of nonwired African American households were expected to go online in 1999--a significantly higher percentage than among the rest of the population. Forrester also found that African American households already online tend to use the Net most frequently to purchase stocks and mutual funds. Additionally, they use it to read newspapers and magazines, view sports sites and look up entertainment information. However, as we move into the new millennium, there are still strides to be made: many poor Americans, and those living in remote rural areas, have to go to community centers to gain access to the Net. For them, the convenience and power of the Web are still beyond reach. EXPERIENCED AND ONLINE ACTIVITIES BY ETHNIC GROUP
CAUCASIAN AFRICAN ASIAN HISPANIC
AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN
ONLINE 3 OR 30% 23% 40% 29%
MORE YEARS
ONLINE 1 TO 46% 43% 43% 45%
LESS THAN 3
YEARS
ONLINE LESS 24% 34% 18% 26%
THAN 1 YEAR
NOT ONLINE 19% 31% 21% 22%
FROM HOME
DO FINANCIAL 9% 8% 21% 11%
TRANSACTIONS
DO RESEARCH 48% 42% 56% 49%
ABOUT PRODUCTS
MAKE 28% 23% 41% 29%
PURCHASES
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