Top of this document
Go directly to navigation
Go directly to page content

Definitely

There are many divides:
The age divide:
While the population as a whole is aging, we cannot just expect the pre-PC-generations to die off and release us from the hazzle of including them in the digital society. Practically nothing is done in this area except the odd PC Seniors course. But web apps in particular can be VERY difficult to use even for young people. I have been dedveloping and implementing digital corporate communication and process tools for 14 years as part of my role as a manager, and even today in a Danish Knowledge Economy company, getting people to use a corporate wiki can be a year-long effort.

The language proficiency divide:
This issue is composed of at least three diffent subissues: 1) First-, second-, and even third-generation immigrants and refugees that have everything from fluent over passable to rudimentary mastery of the Danish language. Since the digital systems they have to use to function as citizens are very much dependent on text-based communication, they can face serious problems. 2) Danes with dyslexia is a small but still real part of the population. Very little is being done to help them in the digital cultural revolution. 3) Danes with limited mastery of the language - several studys show that spelling and written communication in general is degrading among younger generations in Denmark. The reasons are heavily debated, but the problem is an established fact to the degree that high schools now have to offer supplementary grammar basics courses for new students.

The mobile divide:
A lot of us tend to forget, that while the PC generation is using the web and email for everything, the personal computer is NOT the tool of choice for young people. It is the mobile phone. And while you might claim that these two technologies are rapidly converging, it is still some years off, and when we get there (if, actually, since we might actualle see divergence on the hardware front, I think), then the mobile generation wil have learned different interfaces, business models and community habits than the middle-aged PC’ers. Man, I mean, they even think laptops are clunky.

The gender divide:
You wouldn’t expect it in a Scansinavian country, but it’s there, and there is no use denying it. My personal experience is that women are much less patient with bad user interfaces and doubtfull usage value in applications than men. And they are very unforgiving users. If it doesn’t work, if it isn’t useful, if it doesn’t save them time, money or solves a real need – then it is a waste of time. And they never come back to see if your 3.0 version is better. Some people might even say that this proves they are smarter :-). I beg pardon of all my Danish sisters for any prejudice this might indicate