Is the TXT MSG the key to crossing the digital divide?
The digital divide has plagued Web 2.0 from the start. Web 2.0 is only possible with two elements: a relatively powerful computer and consistent broadband Internet access. Both cost money, quite a bit for someone struggling to get by and in many cases broadband access may not even be available.
So when the digerati trade pictures on Flickr or log onto Facebook and MySpace to share with friends, they are doing something that entire segments of the population can’t. This gets worse as you move out of the US, where people not only can’t afford a computer, but don’t have an easy way to access the online world.
These populations do, however, have cell phones. Not fancy cell phones with Web access and email, but simple phones that may or may not have a camera, but can certainly handle text messaging.
Which is why I was heartened by companies like SCVNGR and Assured Labor, which focus on delivering information to these devices as well. In fact, Assured Labor CEO David Reich said that the company is specifically aimed at reaching out to people who do not have access to the fixed Web. In a sense, text messaging technology is the key to crossing the digital divide.
Experts predict that even with the current market conditions, smartphone sales will continue to increase this year, as those with the means will make picking up an iPhone or a BlackBerry Storm a necessity.
However, sales of traditional handsets are expected to fall. And it’s not because smart phone sales will cannibalize cheaper handset sales, but because many will simply put off upgrading their phones. In a way this will exacerbate the digital divide, with the “haves” gaining access to the mobile Web while the “have nots” will only have text messaging and maybe some limited, and expensive, browsing.
That’s why I’m heartened to see so many companies including the text-only capabilities as part of their growth strategies.
Posted by Chuck Tanowitz on November 20, 2008 at 2:56 PM
