Response I to Dr. Yang's question.

Q: What are possible solutions to digital divide among different age groups in Singapore? What are some suggestions on enhancing the internet skills of the media-have-less to reduce their risks of social exclusion in Singapore?

As in Singapore’s case, I think it’s a little different from other countries because of its special culture, economical and historical backgrounds. As mentioned in my essay, despite of having the highest penetration rate, the Internet skills of the younger generation are not very positive. One of the biggest reasons is that, students use the Internet for task-orientated purpose only, so they don’t know how to get around the virtual world if not given a specific task (Lim, 2009). There is a great different between being required to look for specific information at school and exploring the internet following your own idea at home. Therefore, I think government should provide economic support for families, in order to have its own computer so that students can hone their online multi-tasking abilities and improve their problem solving skills.

References:

Sun Sun, L. (2009). Home, School, Borrowed, Public or Mobile: Variations in Young  Singaporeans' Internet Access and Their Implications. Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 1228-1256. doi:10.1111/j.1083- 6101.2009.01488.x