A few days ago my sister sent me this video, which was broadcast on Talkshow with Spike Fersten. My first thought was "Wow this is really funny." But then I came to the realization that this video may not be that far off. There are a lot of people who may not understand the DTV transition because they fall on the opposite (non-technical) side of the digital divide.
The digital divide is a term used to describe those who have the resources available to access technologies and those who don't. It is also used to differentiate between those who know how to use technology and those who don't. In the case of the DTV transition, the two scenarios go hand in hand.
Most of the people who need to get the digital converter boxes to comply with with DTV transition are generally people who have a limited income and who don't have a cable or satellite subscription. Because of this limited income, these people probably have not kept up with the rapidly changing technology of the past few years either. They probably don't own a computer or even a DVD player, and the VCR they own sits unused because they don't know how to hook it up or program it.
I know this seems pretty unbelievable for those of us in the technology driven computer age, but these people exist and will need more help making the DTV transition than the rest of us. Since most of the people who are on the other side of the digital divide will not be reading this blog, I encourage all of you who are reading this to help them make a smooth transition. There are several ways you can do this such as:
- Read my blog. I have put several helpful suggestions on here that you can share with others struggling with the transition.
- Go to www.dtv.gov to find the answers that you or those you are helping may still have.
- Help them set up their box. I know this seems pretty basic, but just imagine your grandmother as the woman in the video above and think about how she would be setting it up.
1 comment:
I know I am going a little backwards in your blog, but I remembered this video over the Thanksgiving weekend. I was at my dad's and his latest pride and joy is a plasma TV. My dad will be the first to admit that he knows nothing about technology nor does he care to know - I quote "It's what is wrong with the world today." Anyways, it really hit me how many people may not be aware of what is all going on with the transition as well as all the other words being thrown around in the television world - HDTV, plasma, LCD, DLP... It's a lot for someone like my dad who just wants to see his football in the best quality possible. And I thought of how many more people are like that out there.
Post a Comment