Personal Computer While Personal Computers Are Certainly

¶ … Personal Computer

While personal computers are certainly an important component of many lives, this short essay on the personal computer, apparently directed to a lay audience, is extremely problematic in its logical construction. At the beginning of the essay, there is no specific statistic justifying the contention that personal computers are growing more common when the author asserts: "one of the great breakthroughs in the past 50 years has been the widespread availability of the personal computer." It is merely assumed that the reader agrees with the author. Why fifty years is selected as a notable point in the history is also not cited. The author also states that "this powerful learning tool has revolutionized everything from commerce to education and changed the very way everyone conducts his or her daily lives" without providing any specific examples to support this generalization.

Almost no evidence is cited to support sweeping generalizations such as: "and most notably, where only a few years ago people wrote about the 'digital divide' between those who could afford computers and those who could not, there is almost no discussion along these lines any longer." The author writes that "poor people can now save enough to buy their families a computer for home and school use," without stating what is meant by 'poor' or if this is due to improvements in the economy or a decline in the cost of PCs. The only source noted is a relatively old Businessweek article from 2001 which estimated that more than 80% of all high school students were 'plugged in,' without specifying what 'plugged in' meant.

Does 'plugged in' mean possessing access to a computer? Merely because students use a computer in school does not mean they have a computer available for their home use. If a student cannot access a computer at home, he or she will have a distinct disadvantage against students who have access to a computer at home and school. Also, even if 'plugged in' means that a computer is present in the home of the student, the computer may not be sufficiently up-to-date to be an effective learning tool. In fact, the house might not be in an area where there is reliable Internet access, which means the student cannot use the computer as an effective research tool like her 'connected' peers. And not having a computer which is a 'fun' toy to play on, even for personal Internet use, may mean that poorer students lack full comfort and familiarity with many of its potential uses.

The 'digital divide' may also exhibit itself in a general lack of computer awareness amongst students. Students at wealthy and prestigious science high schools may learn coding, how to construct web pages, and how to edit video content on a computer, substantially adding to their marketability as future employees. Poorer students may lack access to these higher level skills: there may not be enough sophisticated equipment at their school to learn more than word processing. This can also manifest itself as a 'digital divide.'

Finally, the data supporting enhanced use of computers is solely based upon students. Although students are an important demographic group, they are not the only ones who can benefit from having and knowing how to use computers. There is no evidence that computer ownership is growing amongst the populace as a whole. People with limited access to computers and the Internet will have more difficulty job-searching (since most applications are available online).