There is no denying the fact that the idea behind the ‘digital divide’ still exists to this day, and even continues to grow despite the many advances made by mankind within the rapidly evolving technological arena. In a nutshell, the digital divide refers to the significant gap that pervades different demographic groups and their lack of access to quality information and communication technologies (ICTs), including broadband internet, smartphones, and personal computers.

And while the term was primarily associated with people without phones until the late 1980s, it now describes the gap between people with and without quality internet service. On a more technical note, it is worth mentioning that the digital divide exists mainly across four core spectrums of society, that is, between people living in urban and rural regions; between the educated and the uneducated; between individuals living in different socioeconomic strata and, more macroscopically, between nations that are more developed compared to those that are not.

numbers don’t lie

Although most people today take access to quality Internet services for granted, the fact remains that billions around the world still do not have this luxury. To put things in perspective, in the United States alone, which is considered one of the most developed countries on the planet, more than 5 million rural American households and 15.3 million people living in urban or metropolitan regions do not have a band. basic width. services.

Things become even more surprising when one takes into account a report published by the United Nations which states that, as of the fourth quarter of 2021, almost 3 billion people, that is, 37% of the world’s population, will never have used the Internet, let alone had access. to devices that can help them in this regard. Furthermore, researchers have noted that the vast majority of these people live in extremely poor regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, and South America.

web3 to the rescue

There are currently more than 300 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 around the world who are not connected to the internet. This can (and will) eventually leave them unable to access quality education, healthcare information, and essential financial tools. In this sense, Web3 technology, like blockchain, can mitigate these problems by allowing the creation of a transparent and accountable network that can help with several of these aspects.

For example, Web3 tools can help track the visibility of donations and how they are used to increase Internet connectivity globally, by measuring the data transmission speed of each connected device within a particular network, managing financial contracts between end customers and their ISPs (Internet Service Providers), among other things.

In fact, today there are many blockchain platforms that are thriving to bridge the aforementioned digital divide. Philcoin, for example, provides actionable charity through its efforts to improve literacy and human empowerment. The main objective of the project is to help provide the necessary tools to those people all over the planet who do not have or cannot afford meaningful access to the Internet.

By gradually bridging the digital divide, Philcoin seeks to solve many problems related to financial exclusion, unequal access to educational resources, and other economic opportunities that plague people today. At this point, it is worth mentioning that around 2 billion adults of working age around the world do not have access to formal financial services. Philcoin is also looking to remove this major bottleneck using its future-proof Web3 framework.

Ultimately, the project seeks to create the world’s largest community of philanthropists while facilitating the creation of a financial ecosystem where participants from around the world can earn money simply by engaging in everyday activities such as chatting, watching TV, play video games, educate yourself and even go shopping.

Looking to the future

The digital divide has continued to foster a series of inequalities within today’s society, the most important being the creation of a significant communication gap. This has been very evident since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced a significant part of the world’s population to live in complete isolation without access to the Internet, limiting not only their ability to obtain appointments to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but also cutting back on your finances. perspectives and having an adverse impact on their mental health.

Therefore, as we head towards a future driven by decentralized technologies, it stands to reason that the use of Web3 platforms could continue to shift the balance of power, allowing people around the world to gain access to quality digital services (such as access to to the Internet) that are needed for inclusion.