We are kidding ourselves if we think we can close off the digital divide. In the 70s, it was very rare for a household to own a computer.
People primarily buy new gadgets to make their living a bit easier.
But these luxuries expand and widen the digital divide, because many people can't afford these things. One such luxury is automobiles. The evolution of fuel systems, engine specifications, frame design, and optional electronics have drastically changed over the last hundred years. In 1860, French inventor Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir patented a one-cylinder engine that used kerosene for fuel. In 1885, German engineer Gottlieb Daimler and inventor Wihelm Maybach mounted a gasoline-powered engine onto a bicycle, creating a motorcycle.