The digital divide is a term that you may be familiar with if you spend your days looking into literacy, why kids are reading less, or researching the place where media, technology, and publishing converge. van Dijk, I believe, covers the concept of the digital divide best. And I’ll draw both on his work and some of my own here and here to think about how tech is both helping and hurting readers.
The digital divide is the space between those who do and do not have access to communication technology, which, as van Dijk rightly points out, is mostly likely a computer or smartphone. But we can break that down even further into thinking about what might cause that digital divide. The first consideration is that we should not assume equality of access; instead we should think of access and use of tech as existing on a spectrum.
The idea that ‘everyone has a smartphone’ does not hold true. While 71% of the population globally has access to a smartphone, there are still parts of the world and populations that are not able to access the devices that allow for digital connectivity. There are also a myriad of reasons that people might not be able to have access, from finance to certain pieces of tech or platforms being banned by governments, companies, and individuals.
They might not have the money to pay for full services. They may not have the knowledge to be able to use their phone/computer, or even the internet. And, even if they have all the knowledge, financial means, and are in a place where access is available, they may not have the time to do so. So it’s something to keep in mind: though the internet and digital tech may bring the promise of connectivity, and maybe even belonging, that is not always guaranteed.
I don’t think that we are going to solve the issue of the offline and online divide in one article, but I do think we should, as an industry, begin to think about how we can bridge these spaces in ways that promote positive uses of both print and digital technologies.
We can do this, in some part, by considering the second level digital divide which is more about access to social capital in those digital spaces. This looks more like using tech and digital platforms in order to drive connection. Connection here often looks like social media likes, followers, etc, but I don’t think these metrics should necessarily be the goal of publishers. The goal of publishers, in a world where we live in media instead of with it, should be to facilitate links between their readers and their books.
Publishing does this really well by moving with technology (albeit slowly at times), to reach people where they are. But the connection publishers are able to make with themselves, their readers, and their books often stops once the item is sold, or made available to the reader. Yes, there are different spaces where users and publishers and authors can interact to give feedback to each other, etc, but the role of the publisher rarely goes further than selling a book, in a particular format, to a single reader.
This is a simplified retelling of an old, complex, and truly multifaceted issue faced by the industry. But if we take this as a starting point, then we have a solid foundation for considering how we can share stories further; how we can create products from our content that people return to, share widely, and yet also hold on to tightly.
Publishers, especially those who have a strong sense of exploring how new technologies can be incorporated into their businesses, or are ‘digital first’, are well-placed for trying to extend their reach beyond ‘one book to one reader,’ followed by hoping they tell others about it. They can take advantage of new technology, of all descriptions, to create a book that readers can approach anew and continually share.
This gets into the somewhat intricate area of digital content management and the role of ‘owning’ vs ‘renting’ digital goods like ebooks and audiobooks. But what if there were ways to develop new forms of copyright that encouraged both having a personal copy and sharing that content in a way that benefitted both readers and publishers? What if we leaned into the massive rise in desire for personalised content, where brands have increased personalisation by 50% since 2022?
The publishing industry has a huge chance to take the lead on both making their content work harder for them, and to have their readers be continual ambassadors for their stories. But to do this well, publishers need to rethink not just how content is delivered, but what counts as a ‘reading experience’. If we see reading not only as the act of decoding text, but as participation in a shared narrative, through listening, annotation, voice, memory, adaptation, then we open new doors for inclusion, access, and a cycle of sharing.
We also begin to close the gap between print and digital, analogue and algorithm, silence and story; and in doing this, publishers are empowering readers to engage, share, and re-engage with their content in new and innovative ways.
The next chapter of publishing doesn’t need to reject tradition, nor should it blindly follow every new technological trend. It should ask, instead: who gets to read, to speak, who gets access to, and the use of, new technologies that the industry adopts, and how can we make those answers more equitable to both close the digital divide, and allow readers to create relationships with stories that they can share again and again?
Because at its heart, the digital divide isn’t just about devices or bandwidth. It’s about stories and connection. And publishers, more than most, know just how powerful that can be.