DIGITAL: A simplified analysis of the widespread evolution and result of the digital divide in Africa

Summary

Digital technology as it is currently conceived and deployed poses an epistemological problem which happens to be at the same time institutional, political, economic, socio-cultural, hence the great interest it brings to the study. It was therefore a question for us to carry out a succinct descriptive analysis of its generalized evolution in order to subtract from all the disparities observed between developed and developing countries; the critical tendency. It emerges that digital technology as a whole poses a real problem of infrastructure, accessibility and training. Also, electrotechnical equipment is obsolete and underutilized in use even when it exists. It is therefore appropriate for African countries to accelerate infrastructure upgrades.

Keywords : Digital, Technological development, ICT, Digital divide, Technological divide.
Tanguy Kevin MESSI MESSI* Ph.D student, PTCI graduate (Inter-University Postgraduate Program); FSEG Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar.

Introduction

Acceptancedigital technology can be complex but the idea we have of it is rather less. Assimilating itself to a phenomenon* which seems to transform the daily life of man and reconfigure its reality; it is defined as the set of digital technologies that allow countries to accelerate their socio-economic development*, to bring their inhabitants closer to services and employment opportunities in order to improve their well-being (World Bank, 2019) . In the same vein, Milad (2011) conceives digital as the digitization process which consists of technically reproducing the values ​​of a physical phenomenon no longer in analog mode but by converting the information which constitutes it into encryptable data . In literature, digital technology is conceived along two main dimensions; on the one hand technological development* (Ali et al, 2014) and on the other ICT* or digital economy in the context of the new economy (Gabas, 2004). It is therefore right that the growing importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) for almost a decade; contributes to the emergence of a new society, described as an “information society” or a “knowledge society” (Sagnan, 2006). In developed countries, the information sector is in fact the engine that now drives competitiveness; growth and therefore economic development (OECD, 2002). Beyond the economy, ICT also affects the political, social and cultural spheres (Castells; 1998 and 1999). The importance and complexity of this “information revolution” (Lojkine, 1992), calls into question the ways of communicating, thinking, learning, teaching, acting, and producing (SMSI, 2003). It is appropriate to believe that, much more than a lever for socio-economic development, digital technology through ICT is dedicated to building any society on a human scale; inclusive and favoring development, to illuminate an information society in which everyone has the opportunity to create, obtain, use and share information and knowledge so that individuals and communities can achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving their quality of life (WSIS, 2003; Brundtland, 1987). However, the stylized facts show that the information society that is currently being built is far from resembling this idealistic vision. On the contrary, it reveals profound inequalities both within countries and between countries themselves and it excludes millions of men and women from existing opportunities in terms of education, health, environment, etc. known Under the name of “digital divide” or “digital gap”, this phenomenon is particularly acute in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Indeed, over the last ten years,while the use of the Internet continues to grow, the level of the digital divide is increasingly significant. According to the Ecofin Agency, (2017); Africa is the region that has shown the strongest growth in internet use. Unfortunately, the digital divide remains such that access to digital infrastructure is almost non-existent even if the number of connected people has increased in recent years with a penetration rate that has been continuously evolving since 2011 with more than 29 million subscribers. mobile internet subscribers (Report of the International Telecommunication Union, 2012). Furthermore, the digital divide brings with it a technological gap which is such that the technological means supposed to promote access to digital technology remain mediocre because the optimal use of technology requires a set of better skills in terms of researchers and science graduates. technical and applied fundamentals and in engineering which until now remains unevenly distributed. According to the UNCTAD report, (2018); for 1098 researchers per million inhabitants in developed countries, on the contrary we have 87.9 per million inhabitants in sub-Saharan Africa and 63.4 per million inhabitants in less developed countries. Likewise, the number of graduates in the above-mentioned fields shows nearly 29% in India, 26% in China, 5.2% in America and less than 1% in Africa. From then on, it is clear that Africa tends to begin the path of digital evolution but the stylized evidence requires us to question the digital divide which continues to widen. In other words, wouldn't the absence of technological infrastructure, accessibility constraints and digital literacy justify the digital divide in Africa?9 per million inhabitants in sub-Saharan Africa and 63.4 per million inhabitants in less developed countries. Likewise, the number of graduates in the above-mentioned fields shows nearly 29% in India, 26% in China, 5.2% in America and less than 1% in Africa. From then on, it is clear that Africa tends to begin the path of digital evolution but the stylized evidence requires us to question the digital divide which continues to widen. In other words, wouldn't the absence of technological infrastructure, accessibility constraints and digital literacy justify the digital divide in Africa?9 per million inhabitants in sub-Saharan Africa and 63.4 per million inhabitants in less developed countries. Likewise, the number of graduates in the above-mentioned fields shows nearly 29% in India, 26% in China, 5.2% in America and less than 1% in Africa. From then on, it is clear that Africa tends to begin the path of digital evolution but the stylized evidence requires us to question the digital divide which continues to widen. In other words, wouldn't the absence of technological infrastructure, accessibility constraints and digital literacy justify the digital divide in Africa?

I- Evolution or Digital Revolution?: theoretical assessment

The process of digitalization through the rise of computing, artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet has radically disrupted societies. The behavior of individuals and even the decision-making of state authorities are today largely influenced by digital techniques. Such a change requires us to question the nature of this significant digital growth; especially since the word “revolution” has strong connotations, the “digital revolution” or simply the “technological revolution” cannot be the subject of a consensus. Reason why, if some see technical progress as the vector and condition for social progress; others, on the contrary, detect in it the expression of a Promethean* tendency and a possible alienation of human rationality*. Thus, according to Bonjawa, (2011); more than a simple evolution, digital is a revolution. Via information and communication technologies (ICT), it constitutes the “technological revolution” of the second half of the 20th century. This is all the more why the expression “digital revolution” was created by thinkers of technophile sensibility who; comparing the digital revolution to the industrial revolution identify technical progress with the progress of humanity. Which thinkers on the one hand; liberals* who think that the digital revolution is a main means of stimulating the economy and education (Sinai and Waldfogel, 2004; Einav and Levin, 2014; Autor; 2015; Agrawal et al., 2015; Bourreau and Pénard, 2016) and on the other hand; transhumanists* who attest that it would be a means of transcending biological limitations in order to radically transform the human species (Vial, 2012; Vitalis, 2015; Beranger, 2015**). This is to say with Vitali-Rosati and Sinatra, (2014) that digital technology is a revolution which involves the reinterpretation of the conceptual structures which organize its knowledge and through which man relates to the world. On the other hand, certain technocritical theses believe that qualifying this development as a revolution, simply because it is very rapid, constitutes heresy. Although digital technology may modify social ties in a spectacular way, it in no way revolutionizes the political and socio-economic order but only stimulates and strengthens them (Ellul, 1969). Since the 1990s, these technocritical thinkers have studied the socio-cultural transformations brought about by the development of the world wide web. Milad (2011) will subsequently speak of “digital culture” in this sense, to emphasize the transformation of the worldview produced by the diffusion of digital technologies. It is believing that, more than a “fact”, digital technology is an “ideology” and less than a revolution, it is simply an “evolution” of technology. This is why Jacques Ellul,(1988) will assert that in the absence of an “intellectual revolution” which he calls “technical system*”, digital technology, less than a revolution, is an evolution which can only strengthen the web giants.
Notwithstanding, it clearly appears that digital technology is now an obvious fact that transforms human reality and conditions its well-being. So, whether it is an evolution or a revolution, the fact remains that digital technology is a real lever for development. And because development imposes an evolution in the revolution; digital as a revolution would be based on three pillars. the first; technology*, the second; the economy and the third; being social with new modes of sociability and collective actions.

II- Digital revolution and digital divide in Africa: Evidence of a negative correlation

The digital divide remains significant in Africa. If it is true that the digital revolution through the diffusion of ICT has been of capital importance for developed countries, it nonetheless remains a new source of inequalities and exclusion. disadvantaged social strata for developing countries because of the technological delay which is very visible. The “digital divide*” or “digital divide” is understood as all the inequalities in access to computer technologies. It refers to inequality in the possibilities of accessing and contributing to information, knowledge and networks, as well as benefiting from the major development capabilities offered by ICT (Elie, 2001). It is therefore necessary to appreciate the different aspects of this divide in Africa.

II.1 Digital revolution and political digital divide

The digital revolution is creating a new age of politics. It allows citizens; through its immense interconnectivity, to participate and influence public decision-making and to mobilize for the general interest: This is “digital democracy”; which requires control and regulation. This is the reason why by literal transitivity, the political digital divide would therefore refer to all the inequalities regarding the possibilities for a citizen to access and contribute to political-public information.
However, neither control nor regulation is effective in Africa. Indeed, inter-connectivity through the use of telecommunications and computing has until now given viral legitimacy to citizens, allowing them no longer to participate in the political and democratic construction of their country but to influence ideologically and radically in political decision-making, thus endangering the rule of law, citizen participation and even political stability. According to the report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of peace and sustainable development of the Department for International Development (DFID 2010, British); digital exploitation is one of the causes of conflicts. By way of illustration, the political insurrections and civil wars which have multiplied over the last ten years in Africa, notably in Ivory Coast, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Burrundi and recently in Mali, have at the same time been anchored digital through the internet and mass media. It is therefore to believe that the exercise of digital democracy requires first of all digital training in its use and subsequently real regulation in free access to public information and in the digital citizen voice.

II.2 Digital revolution and the social, economic and cultural digital divide

The rapid growth of IT and the Internet in Africa has generally helped to stimulate the upgrading of several sectors of socio-economic activity and to improve certain cultural practices. Unfortunately, the digital divide is such that economic and social inequalities linked to access to equipment and infrastructure do not fully encourage the transfer of knowledge, the transfer of technology, or the formation of real economic and/or human capital. . While the role of ICT is to promote innovation and increase business productivity, particularly in reducing communications, information and transaction costs (Fink et al, 200) and to promote competitiveness on the markets. ; Until now, it remains difficult for Africa to benefit from this boon, particularly in the agricultural and mining industry sectors, given the diversity of natural resources. Furthermore, social use remains inexorably the main cause of digital illiteracy. Despite the diverse learning modalities, abundant information and knowledge; the use of digital technology in Africa remains basic and likely to promote digital acculturation to the detriment of cultural enhancement and an intellectual revolution.

Conclusion

Digital technology through technological development and ICT strongly contribute to the promotion of obvious human development and reliable sustainable development. Notwithstanding its generalized evolution, it remains obvious that Africa suffers from a real digital divide which tends to reduce, if not cancel out, the expected benefits. It was therefore a question for us of doing, beyond a simplified theoretical analysis of the generalized evolution of digital technology, of removing the societal problem that is the digital divide in Africa. It emerges that digital technology as a whole poses a real problem of technical-digital infrastructure, accessibility and training or better digital literacy. Also, electrotechnical equipment is obsolete and underused, if not misused, even when it exists. It is therefore appropriate for African countries to accelerate the upgrading of infrastructure through real technological development, to contribute to digital education and to provide the means for suitable and universal accessibility. It will be appropriate for us to be interested in subsequently determining the indicators of the digital divide which are likely to improve due to technological development and digital literacy in order to facilitate true African digitalization.

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Notes:
-**Cf the human species will adapt better and better to the digital revolution”; “the future man, how digital technology will transform us”.
-“Digital revolution in developing countries – the African example”; Jacques Bonjawo, (2011): Dunod.

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