In their studies, under-served populations were primarily interested in the kind of local information that forms only a tiny portion of the content on the Web. Considering that 21 million Americans fall below the poverty line, and that the Web has very little information about local jobs, vocational training, and social programs, this lack of local information will do nothing to bridge this gap between haves and have-nots. Most online content is written for people with average or above literary skills. The vast majority of online content is virtually inaccessible to the 44 million adults and children who do not have those average literacy skills. So this group is also disenfranchised by the advent of the digital age.
Most online content is in English.
And online content in other languages primarily comes from foreign sources. Yet, over 32 million Americans don't speak English as their primary language. Still another group disenfranchised by online content. Particularly for the 26 million foreign-born Americans, having little access to content created by members of their own cultural community is a severe form of disenfranchisement. Access to Content Another looming digital gap between haves and have-nots is that between those who will have the resources to access digital content and those who will not.