Defining the "Digital Divide" Interaction between humans and computers has greatly increased as we start the twenty-first century. The ability to access computers and therefore the internet has become increasingly important to completely immerse oneself within the economic, political, and social aspects of not just America, but of the planet. However, not everyone has access to this technology. The idea of the "digital divide" refers to the growing gap between the underprivileged members of society, especially the poor, rural, elderly, and a handicapped portion of the population who do not have access to computers or the internet; and therefore the wealthy, middle-class, and young living in urban and suburban areas who have access. The digital divide metaphor became popular within the mid-1990s when the National Telecommunications and knowledge Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerc...