Studies Find Narrowing of Digital Divide Benefits African Americans

In a front-page New York Times story Friday, reporter Michel Marriott summarizes research from my friends at the Pew Internet and American Life Project that finds a significant narrowing of the "digital divide."

I recall that the subject of America's "digital divide" drew widespread attention during the 1990s as the Clinton Administration made it a priority to wire all of Americas schools. I remember traveling in rural Virginia listening to a congressional candidate draw applause among African American groups when he discussed lack of access to high-speed internet and the more complex issue of the digital divide. And the Times today evens refers to a Clinton speech in the mid-1990s where he made the issue a national priority.

Marriott introduces her piece by stating "African-Americans are steadily gaining access to and ease with the Internet, signaling a remarkable closing of the "digital divide" that many experts had worried would be a crippling disadvantage in achieving success."

For marketers and advertisers unsure of whether to jump into the Internet and interactive efforts available to reach African American consumers this story should make it easier to make the decision to take the steps necessary to develop effective, culturally appropriate Internet advertising campaigns.

Clik [here] for the full article.