The digital divide in Germany, the second most populous state and leading economic powerhouse in Europe, refers to the ever-growing gap between members of society without computer or Internet access and those with access. There are several factors contributing to the digital divide in Germany, including age, gender, family structure, education, ethnicity, and motivation. With a large market of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Germany, there are still areas that don't have access to high-speed internet. Internet access in Germany is more available in big cities compared to rural communities. The German government has taken initiative to increase internet access through the rural communities by adding free internet access throughout the communities, as well as, increase internet education in schools.
ICT related to Germany
While, overall, Germany's ICT market is the fourth largest worldwide and the largest in Europe, high-speed internet is hardly seen in its more rural areas.
ICT stands for information and communication technologies, and includes any devices and systems utilized in digital technology and communication. That being said, the ICT market involves the buying and selling of these devices and systems. Germany's Its ICT market grew significantly between 2004 and 2014. Revenue from foreign exports in ICT services jumped from $10.2 billion to $25.8 billion. In 2014 alone, revenue from foreign exports in ICT hardware and consumer electronics that were made in Germany reached $37.3 billion. Market researcher, Marketline, predicts a compound annual growth rate of 5.5 percent between 2016 and 2019. While Germany's ICT market is succeeding globally, within the country itself, ICT success is mainly only prevalent in the larger cities.
Potential Solutions
Germany differs from most other countries in that the digital divide cannot be significantly attributed to disparities in infrastructure. Generally, rural areas are placed at a much higher price point for high-speed Internet access as opposed to urban areas. However, the German digital divide is regionally affected by attainable benefits of Internet access. The regional differences are not so much due to geographic barriers, but instead revolve around the different subgroups of the population that make up each region. An assessment made through Wikipedia and Twitter reported that minority and regional languages are underrepresented online. Germans of all ages are using more and more social networks in past years, a strong indicator of a diminishing digital divide. From 2010 to 2013, the percentage of German citizens over the age of 65 using social networks increased from 50 percent to 66 percent.
Effects of the digital divide in Germany
Germany is the leading economic nation in Europe and the second most populous European nation. With several different ICT innovations brought by Germany, the industry continues to expand all around the world. Information access is a vital source for a societies' economic equality, social mobility, political affiliations, economic growth, and the gap between rural areas and urban areas. A digital divide in such a populous nation in inevitable.
Economic growth is based on Germany's productive capacity, measured by the difference of gross national product in a year and its previous year. Principle causes of economic growth include a capital stock increase, technological advances, greater quality of literacy, and recently must take environmental sound into account. According to data provided by Deloitte in 2014, Germany in-store retail sales are influenced 30% by digital technologies, and 15% by web-enabled mobile devices. These technological advances expands the connectivity between online and offline shopping and effects the way society is buying their goods. Social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube influence young adults, ages 21–24, to spend more money in store than adults, ages greater than 25.