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How The World Wide Web Has Changed Society
Web Accessibility

By Wendy Boswell, About.com Guide

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This article is continued from How The World Wide Web Has Changed Society - Web Technology.

The Web has united people all over the world, but what happens when some folks have access to this technology and others don’t? Right now, all over the world, approximately 605 million people have access to the Web.. Even though this technology has already united so many people and has the potential to unite so many more, it’s not a catch-all utopian solution to making the world a better place. Social changes and improvements, such as making technology more accessible to people, have to happen before the Web can make any kind of progress.

The Web Is Not A Perfect Solution

Someone without a computer can’t “google it”; someone without access to the Web can’t download the latest ring tones for their PDA; but most of all, someone without Web access is not able to compete in the global marketplace of ideas or commerce. The Web is a revolutionary technology, but not for everyone.

Harnessing the Power of the Web for Everyone

We’ve come a long ways from sending snail mail, or waiting breathlessly for news around the radio. We’re able to be more flexible in terms of workplaces and have more options available to us as far as business. With literally millions of sites on the Web, no real governance, and more sites popping up all the time, added to the fact that Web technology has become more intrinsically woven into our lives every day, it seems to me very obvious that the Web is almost its own organism. It’s up to us to learn how to harness this power and use it effectively in our own lives, and enable those who do not have access to it in order for them to be able to compete on a more level playing field.