The Digital Divide

Upon listening to the description of the idea of the digital divide in class I saw that I not only am on the privileged side of the divide now, but I would've been when it was first created because I am a white male who is majoring in computer science. Although I am highly privileged in the divide, I do feel that people like me should do something to make the digital world accessible to all. At the same time I feel I am only really responsible for helping people in this country and the rest of the world can go figure it out themselves. In this country I feel that access to the internet and new technologies should be on par with driving a vehicle. Now this doesn't mean that I think you should have to have a license to use the internet, rather you can use the internet as long as you have the right tools. The tools for driving would be a vehicle and insurance and the tools for accessing the internet would obviously be a computer and an internet connection. Just like driving, if you do stupid shit on the internet you should be punished. I don't think people realize how much programming goes into making things idiot proof and then someone comes along and screws something up. One other similarity between driving and using the internet that I see is that old people should not be doing it. The one thing that would have to be done would be to make sure that if we are pushing to allow everyone to use the internet that we make sure that they aren't using it for dumb things. There is no advantage to me being able to watch stupid crap on youtube than someone who can't because they don't have the internet. If we give people the internet and all they do is screw around on it then I think it's too bad for them.