The Knowledge Gap: Rethinking the Digital Divide for Pasifika

Devices Are Great, But Real Power, Is Knowledge.

Talofa reader,

The "digital divide" is a term I've been hearing since I first got into community work with my charity back in 2017. Back then, researchers from the '90s had this simple way of looking at it - you either had computers and internet, or you didn't. Pretty straightforward stuff: get people devices, hook them up to the internet, problem solved. The lack of Pasifika representation in IT was wrapped up in this whole narrative.

But here's the thing - the research has come a long way since then. JAN A. G. M. Van Dijk's 2020 book "The Digital Divide" shows it's way more complex than just having a device and internet connection. Just because you've got the hardware doesn't mean you're actually participating in the digital economy in any meaningful way.

I didn’t really buy the whole "just get them devices" thinking. I knew it was an important step, for sure, but in my experience that device never made the techie.

So, after working in this space for a few years, something started nagging at me.

The real challenge facing Pasifika wasn't what everyone thought it was. And I knew this because it was exactly what had helped me succeed in tech myself.

But something wasn't adding up.

The Device Paradox

Let's look at what's actually happening in the Pacific with devices and connectivity.

The numbers tell part of the story:

• By 2022, about 47% of people in the Pacific Islands had mobile subscriptions

• Only 27% were actually using mobile internet

• The networks technically cover 86% of the population

• Back in 2018, mobile subscription rates were sitting at 38%

So yeah, things are getting better. But we're still dealing with some major hurdles:

• The cost of devices and staying connected is still too high for many

• Building infrastructure across scattered islands isn't exactly straightforward

• Our small population means we don't get many service providers competing for business

• A lot of our people still need help just using this stuff effectively

I tried digging up research on how all this device access was actually impacting our communities. What struck me wasn't what I found - it was what I didn't find. Almost nobody's studying this stuff properly. And you know how it goes - what you don't measure, you don't improve.

A Closer Look at the "Digital Divide" and Pasifika

Van Dijk breaks this down into parts that really hit home when you think about our communities:

• It's not just about having a device - it's about having the right tools and being able to keep them running

• The way society's set up means resources aren't spread evenly

• Money and education play huge roles

• There's this whole other level about actually knowing how to use tech effectively

• And it matters who you've got around you who knows this stuff

The skills part really stands out to me. Van Dijk talks about two types:

• The basics of working with computers and managing your files (medium-related)

• The deeper stuff - knowing how to search effectively, figure out what's legit information (content-related)

I see this play out all the time in my high school computer club. Here's a perfect example: I gave the students a challenge to look up what the number 42 meant, as it was the name of our class “Project 42”. Out of ten students, only one thought to use AI to find the answer. When I asked why, some hadn't even considered it, and others thought it would be cheating. That right there shows you how understanding tech - or misunderstanding it - creates its own kind of divide, even when everyone's got access to the same tools.

The Second-Level Divide

Since my work focuses more on teaching people how to use tech rather than handing out hardware, I wanted to dig deeper into this "second-level divide" that Van Dijk talks about.

I went looking for data about how this plays out for Pasifika communities. There's not much out there - which tells you something right there about how much attention this gets. But I did find some interesting stuff with help from my friend Perplexity.ai.

Here's what the research shows about New Zealand:

The digital skills gap hits different groups differently, but guess who's often at the bottom of the stats? Our Pacific and Māori communities.

Not exactly breaking news aye.

Some other interesting bits:

• PISA data shows 27% of Māori students are online for more than 6 hours daily outside school - but what are they actually doing with that time?

• Having a phone with internet isn't the same as having proper access. Try coding on your phone and you'll see what I mean

• When it comes to using government services online or doing business digitally, there's a clear gap between who can navigate these systems and who can't

• Our communities are more likely to get hit with computer viruses and online scams - probably because nobody's teaching digital street smarts

What really jumped out at me from all this wasn't the individual stats - it was the pattern.

Having tech isn't the same as knowing how to use it properly.

I've seen this firsthand with PTEC students, and it mirrors my own journey in tech. The thing that makes the real difference isn't having the flashiest device - it's knowing what to do with it.

Think about it this way: you can give someone a pro-level gaming PC, but that won't make them a software engineer. Just like having a fully kitted-out kitchen doesn't make you a chef.

What actually matters is the knowledge of how to use these tools.

In my own career, I didn't have better gear than anyone else - often had worse, actually. What made the difference was understanding how to learn, what to learn, and how to build on that knowledge effectively. That's what I call the knowledge accelerator effect.

The Hidden Opportunity in AI

Here's where things get interesting for us Pasifika in today's tech landscape: we've got a chance to completely skip over the old "digital divide" story.

I keep saying this because it's important - AI is like having an always-on, ivy-league professor in your pocket. And I mean always:

• It's there 24/7

• Ready to answer questions or debate ideas

• Packed with knowledge about pretty much everything

• Can be your tutor, coach, or just someone to bounce ideas off

Here's the thing people forget: our brains are still the best computers we've got. Regular computers and the internet weren't created to be smarter than us - they were made to help us learn and think better. The knowledge is what makes us smarter, not the device itself.

If we can tap into AI as a knowledge accelerator, our people can carry that learning power wherever we go.

The Path Forward

The digital divide isn't about who's got the latest iPhone. It's about who knows how to make technology work for them. And that's actually good news for our Pasifika community, because it means we don't have to wait around for our device & connectivity saviours to arrive.

We can start building our knowledge infrastructure right now. Here's what that looks like:

• Creating learning platforms that work with how our people actually learn

• Building networks where knowledge gets shared through our communities

• Taking technical concepts and making them make sense in our cultural context

• Setting up mentoring that uses both human experience and AI smarts

• Focusing on making sure the knowledge is solid, not just making sure everyone has a device

Conclusion

The next chapter in digital inclusion isn't about getting more hardware into people's hands - it's about getting more knowledge into people's heads. As Pasifika, we've got a chance to show a different way forward, one that puts learning and knowledge-sharing at the centre.

This isn't just about closing some gap - it's about building our own bridges to where technology is heading. With AI and solid knowledge-building, we can create something that lasts, something that goes beyond just having access, to really transforming how our communities work with technology.

The future of Pasifika in technology isn't sitting in a device factory somewhere - it's in the knowledge we build and share with each other. By focusing on building strong knowledge networks and using AI to accelerate our learning, we can make sure our communities aren't just along for the ride in the digital future - we're helping to drive it.

Thanks for reading,

Ron.