One of the points she brings up is the lack of knowledge. As she quotes a student:
I'm sure the Internet world is run mostly by Whites and they have the power to allow and not allow people to make websites [sic].If this person knew more more about the Internet and how it works would they have the same view? However is this the only factor involved in making this assumption?
Blackmon explains how availability can be a factor, in schools with a lower funding from taxes, creating a divide between the ability to purchase and use computers in education. In the 1980s when computers were entering schools, Federal defunding of schools led to this.
Does all the blame fall on the lack of funding? "Historical Access" term is brought up as a reason for the limit to access. When talking about historical access, the fluency in the technology also attributes to the ability to learn it. This wasn't the only factor of historical access. Blackmon argues that historical oppression has an affect on access levels. When she sites the arguments, she is using outdated in the arguments. The three arguments that are used are from the 70s. I believe these may have a strong feeling on adults that were alive in the 70s, but as newer generations are born, this argument becomes less and less prevalent. Samantha does site how hate groups have grown in numbers, I don't believe this is necessarily the case. The access to groups that have same beliefs become easily available. This works the other way as well, there are more pro-"group/ethnicity/sex" groups than before.
There are many things that may lead to lack of access to the internet, however the reasons to get online are dwindling. With technology being fused in with the environment, acting ignorant is not an excuse. There are free courses at local libraries to learn the technologies, or local community colleges, With less people unconnected, the pressure to learn it becomes greater. As time continues, I see the amount of unconnected to decrease quickly.
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