The following commentary was written by an anonymous author in response to the digital divide so evident in our society today. “Power is necessarily unequal when one group knows what is happening and the other does not. And the powerless, lacking information, almost necessarily operate at the bottom of the economic and political pyramid in almost every society” (Racial Divide, 2010). Whether related to gender, race, economics, or disability, our nation is divided between the haves and the have-nots. Definition of the digital divide What do we mean by digital divide? The digital divide is the lack of capacity for certain groups, generally socio-economic and cultural, to access necessary information and communication technologies (ICT) (Gorski, 2001). Lack of access typically includes unavailability of computer and internet services. As described by Gorski (2001), the digital divide is subdivided by gender, race, income, and disability. , 2010). Why is this still happening in the 21st century? Globally, the root cause is the cultural treatment of women. In many cultures around the world, women do not have access to education, let alone technology. Even if they have the ability to use a computer, they most often lack the computer skills needed to effectively navigate most websites (Digital Gender Divide, n.d.). In America and other developed countries, the digital divide between the sexes is much narrower, and often equal to that of men, surveys show. If a digital divide does indeed separate the sexes in developed countries...... middle of paper ....... In summary, the digital divide is real and has created a serious divide between certain groups of people in culture American. . The land of opportunity is not necessarily accessible to everyone. In her CNet article, Sonia Arrison (2002) offers a unique perspective on the reason for this discrepancy. “The digital divide is not a crisis, and it is certainly not the civil liberties issue of the 21st century. The real problems are poor education and pressures for higher taxes that hit low-income families the hardest” (Arrison, 2002). Arrison says that if the government could improve education in American schools and remove luxury taxes on many services, the digital divide could easily be reduced. By closing the gap, more families could afford internet access if they wanted, and students could have access to a better education..