Bridging the Digital Divide

‘Digital Native’ is the word of the century. Coined at the advent of the new millennium, the term accurately describes the youth of today who live in a world where digital innovations and technology permeate all aspects of daily life. The term is universally used to describe those who grew up around digital technologies, surrounded by the intrinsic fundamentals of the modern information age. Youth aged 15-24 dominate the wide spectrum of users who benefit from digital technologies, making up approximately 75% of the user base. Consequently, the United Nations (UN) commemorates this year’s International Youth Day under the theme, ‘From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development’. The theme was chosen to recognize the complex web that interconnects digital technologies with youth development and the eventual achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These were formulated by the UN in 2015 to deliver a set of goals and targets that will ensure global development by the year 2030, straddling across the domains of economic growth, education, equality, and so forth, while integrating the principles of sustainability. Digital technologies play a significant role in the advancement of SDGs that fall under economic, social, and environmental dimensions while simultaneously reducing the completion cost by US$ 55 trillion. Developing youth-inclusive methods is instrumental in achieving these targets.

Conversely, this raises an important question: ‘Is digital technology and innovation truly youth-inclusive around the world?’ At a single glance, it is not unusual for one to assume that all young people are inherently familiar with digital technology and fit under the umbrella of ‘tech-savvy kids’. However, this notion is far from accurate. While those from developed nations of the world have greater accessibility to digital technology and the internet, vast majorities of the world’s youth population reside in developing countries. These regions usually witness well-defined disparities in digital accessibility based on socio-economic backgrounds. This results in a stoic ‘digital divide,’ which strips certain sections of society from something as fundamental as access to the internet. A drawback that arises from this predicament is that most youth are not equipped with the essential skills required for modern-day jobs. The technology-driven world we live in demands advanced digital skills such as coding, software and app development, network management, and knowledge of concepts such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Several barriers exist in achieving integrated youth development on par with the digital age.

While most regions have managed to improve their literacy levels with basic education becoming more accessible to the youth, digital literacy still needs to be integrated into global education systems. Gender inequality exists in digital accessibility within the world’s developing countries, with young women often being less exposed to digital services and the internet than their male counterparts. However, numerous measures have been adopted to eradicate these barriers, with governments worldwide investing more resources into the education industry and emphasizing the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-inclusive teaching methods to enable youth to become perfect candidates for future job industries Kerala is adorned by numerous indices that speak about its successful development initiatives. The state ranks the highest in terms of HDI (0.75) in the country, a rating comparable to most developed nations across the globe. Official reports further place Kerala among the best-performing states in development indicators. The state government has undertaken several policies and initiatives that focus on providing the youth with crucial skills and opportunities to thrive in the constantly developing global economy.

The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) was established by the government as a nodal agency to advance entrepreneurship and provide potential innovators with a platform to launch their ideas. The agency has become noteworthy for setting up Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) in higher educational institutions across the state, with engineering, management, arts, science, and polytechnics coming under its fold. These centres, together with programmes such as the Young Innovators Programme (YIP), an initiative by the government development agency K-DISC, enable the youth in the state to foster their ideas and innovations. Simultaneously, these budding innovators can avail themselves of the facilities provided by the government. While the term ‘digital native’ accurately describes the youth of today, it is essential to note the numerous disparities and inconsistencies that remain in global digital accessibility. The presence of this digital divide, particularly in the developing regions of the world, poses a considerable drawback to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Even so, there has been significant improvement in lessening this divide, with initiatives such as the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Young Innovators Programme (YIP) providing better opportunities to the youth in Kerala. The complete eradication of the digital divide is a requisite to attaining overall youth development in parity with the current digital age.