Page 313 - Sociology and You

Chapter 9 Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity 283
S
ociology
Bridging the Digital Divide
Today
In 2000, Delta Airlines and Ford Motor Company both publicly announced their multimillion- dollar (hundreds of millions, in fact) bet they are placing on their employees (Miller and Silverstein, 2000). Each intends to provide home computers and Internet access to all of their 422,000 workers. It is a new company benefit costing each employee as little as $5 per month.
The bet is that employees become more efficient and effective when they are proficient with computers. Expected payoffs for the companies is improved communication with their workforces, heightened employee morale, and increased employee loyalty. Employees at Ford and Delta enthusi- astically welcomed the new benefit.
There is a possible downside for employees. When workers can be reached instantaneously at home day or night, the traditional boundaries between the home and the workplace could erode. And Ford and Delta do have plans to communicate with workers at home. According to sociologist Arlie Hochschild, this apparent gift could be a Trojan horse by extending the “long arm of the work- place.” Even worse, some workers fear that companies might intrude on their private lives by moni- toring their Internet activities.
There could also be a social upside to wide-scale on-line access. Sociologists have recognized computer literacy as a key to social mobility in the twenty-first century. (See the Enrichment Reading entitled “Falling Through the Net” in Chapter 17.) Since those nearer the bottom of the social class structure lack the resources necessary to be computer literate, sociologists fear they will be hope- lessly left behind.
Given this situation, widespread exposure of less-skilled workers to computer technology could have benefits Ford and Delta employees may not have considered. Since both companies are en- couraging workers’ families to use the technology, the spouses and children of a significant number of individuals will have access to an indispensable tool for occupational advancement. While Ford and Delta may be concerned only about keeping their employees out of the digital divide, their ac- tion may unintentionally enable many more Americans to cross this divide. Company-provided com- puter technology at home may become a staple in most future corporate benefit packages.
Doing Sociology
1. Do you believe that computer literacy is a key element in today’s job market? Tomorrow’s?
2. Evaluate your own capabilities regarding computer technology.
3. Go to your library and examine the employment page of the Sunday edition of a major newspa-
per. Write a brief report on the extent to which computer literacy appears to be an important qualification in today’s urban marketplace.