COM 401 Final Assignment: Research Proposal
Question
The research topic that needs to be covered is the the digital divide(the gap between those who benefit from the Digital Age and those who do not). Specifically how the digital divide affects people in society.
COM 401 Final Assignment: Research Proposal
For your
final assignment, you will use the methodological knowledge and skills you have
built throughout the course to construct a formal research proposal. This will essentially mean constructing a
complete plan for a full-scale scientific research project that you can use in
your future studies. The objective of
the assignment is for students to demonstrate their ability to formulate a plan
for applying social science methods to a specific research objective in a
formal paper. Please read and closely
follow these guidelines for completing the assignment:
1. You
must choose one of more of the methods that we have covered in this class so
far and apply it to a specific research objective.
2. Your
paper should clearly demonstrate the use of social science methodology.
3. You
must include all of the basic elements that are included in a typical research
proposal, such as:
a. An
abstract
b. An
introduction and conclusion
c. A
literature review
d. A
statement of the problem and/or purpose of study
e. A
statement of significance of your issue/topic
f.
Clear research questions or objectives
g. A
methodological statement and explanation of your research design, including
sampling, data analysis, etc.
i.
All projects must propose a sampling method that
is more rigorous and systematic than convenience sampling. Unless there is no other way to propose data
collection, students may not propose convenience sampling.
h. A
statement regarding how any ethical or safety concerns would be managed.
i.
A provisional research instrument (e.g. survey,
interview guide, coding scheme, etc.)
i.
This may not apply if you are doing an
observational study.
j.
Preliminary hypotheses (if doing deductive
research)
k. A
statement of limitations/partiality of the study
l.
References and citations.
4. All
of the above need not be delineated sections of your paper, but they should be
included as elements of the proposal in some manner.
5. Use
headings to denote the various sections of your paper.
6. There
is no required length, but 8-10 pages is the recommended length.
7. You
must include at least 12 academic sources in your literature review.
8. Remember
to use citations and references in all appropriate sections.
9. Please
use ASA style to format your proposal (no cover page is required though). If you prefer, you may use another
disciplinary style, but please confirm with the instructor.
10. I
have supplied several documents on constructing proposals in the resources
folder as well. You may use these as supplementary
guides for further advice on how to complete this assignment. However, please keep in mind that not every
element of these documents will necessarily pertain to your research
project. The necessary components and
standards of a research proposal vary according to the research objectives and
methods being applied. However, the most
important thing to keep in mind is to be as thorough as possible in this
proposal. Make sure to address every
methodological element necessary.
11. Do
not hesitate to approach the instructor with questions. Since this is the first research proposal
many of you have written, it’s to be expected that you will need further
clarification of some elements of this assignment.


Solution
COM 401 Final Assignment: Research
Proposal
Research question: How does the gap
between those who benefit from the digital age and the illiterate ones affect
people and solve the problem in society?
Objective
The
main reason for this research is to look at individuals who benefit from the
digital age as well as the illiterate ones. The research will mainly focus on
looking at the gap created in society because of digital inequalities and their
effect going forward in the future. Additionally, the gap between the two
groups has created classes in society; thus, through different methodologies,
the paper will look at what led to the significant growth of inequality among
people in society during the digital age. Given the effect of the digital age
in society, this paper will try to guide what needs to be done in order to
close the inequality in society that has existed due to the digital age.
Abstract
The paper aims to give an overview
of technological effects in society and the solution that can rectify the
issue. The technological revolution in 21st is something that
everyone has embraced. People in the current society have been relying on
technology to conduct their daily business. Although the advancement of
technology plays a significant role in society today, it builds inequalities.
The digital divide has been attributed to underdevelopment, making people view
it as something temporary with the hope that it will disappear with the
popularization of technology (Hanna, 2021). However, this was not achieved even
after wide internet access. Different factors contributed to the digital
divide, from the high price of the devices to the lack of knowledge about their
use. Furthermore, individuals in society
such as the low-income, elderly, Native Americans, and rural populations are
disproportionately affected by the digital divide. The digital divide affects
the above groups because of structural realities that include economic,
political, and social disparities. This study will look at the impact of the digital gap on
society and why it is a human rights and social justice concern. In order to
analyze the topic in a significant way, there’s a need to avoid it; they will
need to formulate strong views on the richness and complexity of social life.
The term "digital divide"
was coined in the twentieth century to depict the separation between
individuals who have a digital concept and illiterate ones, but it has taken on
a new meaning in today's culture.
Introduction
The current society would not be
reliable without rapid access to the Internet. The wide topic of the “digital
divide” is always about the unfair distribution of resources associated with
communication technologies among countries or societies. Basically, digital
inequality most of the time is used to describe inequalities in accession and
use of technology and content. Digital gap inequality is evident between
educated and uneducated or between developing countries and undeveloped
countries. The difference in opportunity access among the people always
contributes to the split of people in the society, thus creating inequality (Sorj, 2018).
Although new technologies create growth and bring new opportunities in society,
they have been a wide negative part of technology, including heightening
economic inequalities and sharpening social division. According to the studies
and reports, today’s society is much affected by digital divides. The 2019
report shows that around 5 million rural American households and 15.3 million
urban still do not access broadband internet. From different reports, it is
evident that technological discrimination among society is a form of poverty
and social inclusion. The digital divide denies some people in the society
access to essential resources, thus making them feel discriminated against in
the society.
Literature Review
Based
on the different literature reviews I have evaluated, the “digital divide” has
created a wide political and economic equality gap. The term digital divides
have been in use since the 1990s, with its main aim is explaining the
difference between the elite of technological use and accessing it easily and
illiterate. According to Margaret Rouse, the digital gap is still a concern in
the twenty-first century. The digital gap is the societal division between
those who cannot access new communication and information and the ones who have
access (Techopedia, 2021). Although the term originated in the early 1990s, it
still affects the current society. For instance, the outbreak of the Covid-19
pandemic indicated the effect negative consequences of the digital divide
globally. The pandemic outbreak led to the lockdown of many countries,
something that needed people to work from home (Lythreatis et al., 2021). During
this time, many people experienced hardship working from home due to their
inability to operate their smartphones and join online meetings. However,
according to the United Nations recommendation, in order to bridge the gap of
digital inequality in society, there’s a need for the government to work with
the private industry to educate people in the society importance of ICT
technologies investing in broadband and support development of ICT skills in
non-discriminative manner. In addition, the literature review of the different
articles shows that more needs to be done to bring equality to society as that
will help minimize the cases of digital inequality (Taylor, 2021). The
government and other stakeholders need to make sure that every individual in
the society knows the importance of the internet in their life that will help
the government and other stakeholders need to mitigate the issue of inequality
in society. According to Cynthia Sanders, the advancement of technology in the
21st came up with an evolution of need. In the current society,
computers and smartphones have made it easier for a person to access the
internet, impacting society in a wide range (Sanders & Scanlon, 2021). It
is evident that access to the internet has helped people socialize, pay bills
and shop in the shortest time possible. In addition, the current society uses
the internet as an avenue for accessing healthcare and finding employment. But
those who lack the internet in society are deprived of the vital knowledge that
can help them thrive in life as with the internet; they can access important
information and lower consumer prices. Therefore, from the article’s view, I
found that digital exclusion amounts to social exclusion as people are denied
access to important information that can be vital for their lives (Taylor,
2021). For that reason, lack of equality in society negatively impacts
political, economic and personal capabilities. Thus, it is important for
everyone to equally access the internet to help everyone feel part of society.
In addition, according to Cynthia,
forming an advocacy structure is a significant way to help overcome the digital
divide. Also, legislation is a vital factor that can help solve the digital
divide. Moreover, given the wide increase of technological differences in
society, there’s a need to enhance solutions to close the margin of the digital
divide both in America and globally. Given the increase in internet use,
there’s a need for universal access that makes every individual in society. The
policymakers should ensure that every community member can get access to
available resources as that will create equality among members of the society (Sanders &
Scanlon, 2021). Like basic phones and refurbished computers available in
the market, the government should subsidize internet access for low-income
households to help reduce the digital divide gap.
Purpose of the Study
In every research, study purpose is
important because it always illustrates what the research will do and indicates
what the study should include in concluding. Given that my research is focused
on studying the “digital divide,” it signifies the main purpose was to show the
gap created due to technological inequality and how the gap of digital
inequality affects society. For instance, even though access to the internet
and computer has continued to grow, the “digital divide” also grows at an
alarming rate to the following research. The main focus of this study paper is
to view the effect of the digital divide on society and how this effect can be
rectified (Francis,
Ball, Kadylak & Cotten, 2019). For instance, the research finding
shows that the factors like gender, social and universal have to be looked at
to create equality in society.
Also, the research has analyzed how
causes of digital divides such as education, income levels, digital literacy,
and other factors can be looked at to minimize inequality in society. Looking
at how the digital divide has impacted the U.S, it is significant to analyze
what needs to be done in the current society in order to make every individual
in the United feel like part of the country (Hanna, 2021). Any factor that
helps people stay in equal capacity is important because it helps reduce the
issue of inequality, thus making society embrace togetherness. But to achieve
digital equality, the research was significant in making sure that it creates a
solution that would make everyone feel part of the society.
Statement of significance
The statement of significance is
important to any research as it explains the reason for the research and why
the research is important. This part plays a significant part in research
because it explains its importance and how it contributes to new knowledge. As
part of my research, the significant statement of my research was on how to
narrow the digital gap. Based on the different reports, factors like education
have magnified the digital divide because people with high education in society
are the only one who is to work with the computer compared to the illiterate.
For that reason, there’s a need to make sure that bridging is done to curb the
digital divide. The proponents for bridging the digital divide include part of
those who think they need to improve democracy, social mobility and economic
growth (Soomro
et al., 2020). As can be seen from the research topic, the goal of this
research was to gain a better knowledge of the reasons for the technological
disparity. It is essential because knowing the cause of the digital divide help
solve the problem to come up with a significant solution. More importantly, my
research viewed what can be done to make sure that technological advancement
can embrace equality by providing an equal platform for everyone in society.
Like in America, rectifying technological inequality creates the greatest
opportunity for low-income people to feel equal among the wealthy in
society.
Methodology
Given that my research was focused
on finding the effect of inequality and the way in which the problem can be
solved. Being a wide topic that needed to find the effect and solution of the
problem using social scientific concept made my research authentic (Henry, 2015).
Using the social scientific method helps build a foundation on what needs to be
accomplished at the conclusion of the study. Therefore, from the social
scientific methodological concept, I was able to carry out the research in both
qualitative and quantitative design. With social scientific methods, I was sure
the information I would gather about the effect of inequality is authentic and
can help come up with a solution that can minimize the effect of the digital
divide in society (Van Dijk, 2015). For instance, after carrying deep research, I
found that inequality in society affects people’s economy and social
development. With the use of the qualitative method, I have addressed deeper
the “digital divide” issues. Therefore,
the social science method is important in the research as it provided me with a
significant way of analyzing the effect of the digital divide in society.
Management of ethical and safety
concerns
In addition, like any research, my
research tends to experience ethical issues that I think need to be addressed
ethically to avoid the harm of any group in society. Therefore, given the
ethical issues that may occur during research, there is a need for guidelines
before researching to help manage issues that may arise. For instance, in the
current research, the issue of racism and class seems to have taken a wide
range of my research findings how; the way I have addressed them is ethical
because they are needed to have an equal society that is not divided (Miranda et al., 2014).
The suggestion of coming with problem-solving to the effect of the digital
divide is part of the ethical management of the research. For instance, to
mitigate the digital divide, there’s a need to change public attitude regarding
technology as that helps are solutions to build an equal society.
Conclusion
According
to the research definition, the phrase "digital gap" is used to
indicate socioeconomic disparities that exist among persons in society. Thus,
equality will lead to socioeconomic growth, making society more sustainable and
equitable. Also, the study has shown that the introduction of new technology
has significantly contributed to existing social inequalities (Sorj, 2018).
For a long-time, society has been divided in race and ethnicity, but the
introduction of digital access has increased this division because it has
created inequality among people. For that reason, it is good for society to
make sure that nobody is marginalized within the society. Society has to
embrace; thus, it has to be inclusive rather than exclusive. To tackle the problem
of digital inequality, society needs to create a humble environment for all
people and encourage everyone within society to use the internet in their lives
(Ragnedda, 2017). Therefore, to make society an important place, there needs to
advocate for a community that embraces equality among themselves. More
crucially, closing the digital divide necessitates bringing every member into
the digital age, where everyone has access to critical societal resources.
References
Francis,
J., Ball, C., Kadylak, T., & Cotten, S. R. (2019). Aging in the digital
age: Conceptualizing technology adoption and digital inequalities. In Ageing and digital technology (pp.
35-49). Springer, Singapore.
Hanna, K. T. (2021, August 11). What is the digital divide, and how is it
being bridged? WhatIs.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-divide
Henry, P.
(2015). Rigor in qualitative research: Promoting quality in social science
research. Res J Recent Sci ISSN, 2277, 2502.
Lythreatis,
S., El-Kassar, A. N., & Singh, S. K. (2021). The digital divide: A review
and future research agenda. Technological
Forecasting and Social Change, 121359.
Miranda,
I., Cruz-Cunha, M. M., Varajão, J., & Simoes, R. (2014). The impact of the
digital divide on the perceived interest of an e-Marketplace to support
healthcare and social care services. Procedia
Technology, 16, 1471-1476.
Ragnedda,
M. (2017). The third digital divide:
A Weberian approach to digital inequalities. Routledge.
Sanders,
C. K., & Scanlon, E. (2021). The digital divide is a human rights issue:
Advancing social inclusion through social work advocacy. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work,
1-14.
Soomro,
K. A., Kale, U., Curtis, R., Akcaoglu, M., & Bernstein, M. (2020). The digital
divide among higher education faculty. International
Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 1-16.



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