Who's Online? Americans with Disabilities

In the social sciences, the digital divide refers to the gap between Americans who use the Internet and individuals who don't. In general, the demographic of Internet users tends to vary considerably from non-Internet users by income, race, age, and gender. When we move beyond the United States, the digital divide evolves from population to population. Various studies examine the digital divide from different demographic angles, but in a nutshell, the Pew Center says that that Internet use "is statistically associated with being younger, college-educated, and living in a higher-income household."

Recently, the Pew Internet and American Life Project examined the digital divide's application to America's disabled population. According to the Pew Center's findings, 54 percent of disabled Americans use the Internet, compared with 81 percent of Americans who did not report having one of the survey's listed disabilities. Statistically, disabilities are associated with age, education, and income-- that is, disabled Americans tend to be older, with lower education and income levels.

The study reports that disabled Americans, once online, are less likely to have broadband or high-speed Internet access: 41 percent of adults living with a disability have broadband access in contrast with 69 percent of adults without a disability.

At face value, broadband access may seem luxurious or superficial. The Pew Center, finds however, that broadband access dramatically influences how people engage with the Internet: "43% of Americans say that people who do not have broadband at home are at a major disadvantage when it comes to finding out about job opportunities or learning career skills" while "34% of Americans see a lack of broadband access as a major disadvantage to getting health information."

In general, researchers emphasize the distinguish between correlation and causation. While correlation means that two variables are related, causation means that one variable (a cause) resulted in a particular effect (an outcome). In this survey, is it correlation or causation at play?

To establish some degree of causality, the Pew Center explains that nearly 2 percent of Americans say that their disability or illness makes it "impossible to use the Internet." In some instances, disability and Internet usage are correlated and in others, disability causes a barrier to Internet use.

Regardless of whether the relationship is a causal one, it is important for social media leaders to take a step back and assess who is online. As online communities and personal networks continue to grow, we should understand what groups the Internet is including or excluding. Maybe we need to make a bigger effort -- offline-- to educate, recruit, and include new groups. As web 2.0 platforms continue to grow, we should know who we're reaching (and we should know that it's not everyone).

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

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