Peter Cochrane's Hard Drive 1996
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Beggars at the information feast

QUITE rightly, there is deep concern in many sectors that our society is increasingly becoming divided into the information haves and have nots. The common perception is that this division is a function of financial wealth.

The reality is that the division appears to be strongly weighted by age. Roughly speaking, at 29 years old and above people in Britain are computer-illiterate while below this age the chances are they have a degree of computer literacy. While this is a gross generalisation, it does point to a critical division by age and technophobia.

Today, our children are born into a world of information technology and their first encounter with electronic devices is usually in their first year. At the other end of the spectrum, we have in our population many who can remember the time before the invention and arrival of the transistor or integrated circuit. They perceive the technology to be complex, unfriendly and expensive in terms of money and time.

If we are to combat the dangers of an information division in our society, then availability and easy access are vital. Left to its own devices, the industry will probably continue to produce PCs of ever increasing capability at a more or less constant price. Competition from the brown goods sector may soon change this. The first integrated television and personal computer units have been announced at a price little more than a top-end TV.

There are also numerous trials on cable and satellite systems using intelligent set-top boxes to provide access to information services and the Internet. But perhaps the most exciting future possibility is the development of systems such as Java and low-cost computer terminals and network computing.

The easiest way to break down technophobia is to succumb to the assistance of a child. They come from a world of crash and burn

Whatever the choice and opportunity provided by technology, the biggest hurdle to success is, by far, technophobia - and it is age-related. The easiest way to break down this fear is to get on a machine and succumb to the assistance of an available child. They come from a world of crash and burn, of experimentation and no handbooks. They consult, confer, and learn very fast. They also delight in helping others, regardless of age.

Looking at distribution of wealth in terms of the number of TV sets, video-casette recorders, hi-fi systems and games machines in the average home, along with the money invested in transportation, designer label and luxury clothing, we see that it really is a question of how much people value the technology and how useful it is to them that dictates investment patterns and access to the information world.

Once people discover the usefulness and power of this new world then money is quickly directed into purchasing equipment and software. One challenge that hits both rich and poor in this IT world is to keep up to date, for within three years a top-end product will become out-moded and start to look lame. However, that does not preclude its use in education and training in the broad sense. It does not make it totally useless - just limited.

Then of course there is the cost of communication and connection. When it comes to getting online, it is interesting to compare the cost to that of purchasing or hiring videos, running a car, buying a pint of beer or the purchase of a very few other luxury goods. None of this technology is really all that expensive.

Peter Cochrane holds the Collier Chair for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology at the University of Bristol. His home page is:
http://cochrane.org.uk