Digital Divide and Emerging Technolgies

Digital Divide

There is a gap between those who have access to information technology and those who do not.

Digital Divide Stats

• Majority of world not connected until 2018-2019

• Majority of developing world is not yet connected

• Divide correlates with economic inequality

• Divide correlates with gender in some countries

• Divide correlates with age

• Divide correlates with ethnicity in the U.S.

• Divide correlates with disability in the U.S.

• Divide correlates with urban/rural divide in U.S.

Primary social goods

resources that satisfy basic human needs, giving them moral weight

Original position

thought experiment; make decisions about society through a “veil of ignorance”

obligatory act

a good that is morally required

supererogatory act

a good that is not morally required

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

• make internet more accessible for disabilities

• Tim Berners-Lee and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

• accessibility features

Virtual Worlds Misrepresntation

• Intense experience of virtual worlds could distort our view of

  reality

• Could be used to manipulate or deceive participants

• Could be used to blur distinction between reality and virtual

  worlds

Virtual Harm - Kant’s argument from moral development

• Harming virtual objects lessens our sensitivity to real harm

• Trains us to accept immoral behavior

Virtual harm - psychological harm

Viewing virtual harm can traumatize viewer

Automation

• Automation and causes job displacement

• Over 3 million US workers are drivers

• Retail is suffering heavily under automation

• Even law and medicine are being automated

• Remote work allows easier job outsourcing

• How will people earn a living in our increasingly connected and automated world?

Humanity of Cyborgs

• Should we enhance our abilities beyond what is human?

• Could the cognitively assisted lose their humanity or self?

• Is it possible to become a machine? Is there a dividing line?

  • “Ship of Theseus”

Humanity of Machines

• Could a machine think?

• Can machines make ethical decisions?

• Should they make ethical decisions?

• Can a machine be a moral agent?

• Could a machine ever be considered human?

• What are our duties to machines?

• What are their duties to us?