Access to Education | Access to Technology |
Cultural Environment | Digital Literacy |
Disadvantages of Poverty | Discrimination (e.g. access to knowledge work jobs) |
Knowledge Environment | Language |
Literacy | Living Conditions |
Media Habits | Misinformation / Disinformation |
Profession | Quality of Education |
Social Environment |
Digital Divide
When the commercial internet first emerged in the mid-1990s there was much talk of a technology divide that presumably equated to a knowledge gap. Current estimates are that around 7.26 billion people own a smart phone such that people commonly have internet access on a global basis. As such, digital literacy has become a more prominent component of the digital divide than access to technology. For example, the ability to validate sources and use critical thinking to filter out misinformation.Media Habits
The presumption that technology access increases knowledge isn't necessarily true due to differences in media habits. That is to say that people commonly use the internet for activities such as celebrity gossip that don't produce much useful knowledge.Environment
Your social and cultural environment can greatly influence your knowledge. For example, a family culture of debating academic topics or political issues would tend to produce much knowledge and critical thinking skills.Profession
Your profession influences your knowledge. For example, a knowledge worker who researches all day versus manual labor such as putting widgets into boxes all day.Language
Generally speaking, there are more knowledge resources and educational opportunities available in dominant languages spoken by large populations such as English, Mandarin and Spanish. Translation tools offer some promise in reducing this barrier.Poverty
The problems of poverty can greatly interfere with knowledge acquisition. For example, the working poor who may work long hours and assign children domestic responsibilities such as caring for a sick relative out of necessity. This could be compared to an affluent family where children may have more time and financial resources to devote to learning pursuits such as homework tutoring, piano lessons or sailing camp in summer.| Overview: Knowledge Gap | ||
Type | ||
Definition (sociology) | Difference in the knowledge levels of two different groups. | |
Definition (organizational knowledge gap) | A shortfall of knowledge. | |
Related Concepts | ||
