Let’s Hear from the Experts
This part of the session introduces you to some expert content to deepen your understanding digital divides in a global society. The case study below highlights how an organization in Kenya is confronting digital divides head on. The expert content that follows will help you take your own action and advocacy to the next level.
Expert Input
What Is the Digital Divide?
Here is a short overview of digital divides and how they can be overcome. Globally in 2025, almost 70% of the population have access to the internet, which still means 3 billion people do not.
This explainer video features Alice Munyua, director of Mozilla’s Africa Mradi.
(Source: Mozilla, a non-profit organization that develops open-source software, including the Firefox web browser, which promotes privacy, transparency, and user control on the internet.)
Sexism and the Digital Divide
Men and women face significant differences in access to digital technology, skills, and opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Globally, women are less likely to own smartphones, have access to the internet, or participate in tech leadership.
Barriers like limited resources, lower digital skills, and online safety concerns disproportionately exclude women from digital spaces, further widening gender inequality.
Closing this divide is crucial, as empowering women digitally benefits not only them but also their families, communities, and society, ensuring they are not left behind in an increasingly digital world.
(Source: WACC Global, an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of communication rights;, also the developer of this online course.)
Case Study
HERMES: Messenger of the Amazon
Who: HERMES, the High-frequency Emergency and Rural Multimedia Exchange System, was developed by Rhizomatica to provide affordable digital telecommunications to isolated communities. The project has been supported by organizations like Mozilla and ARDC.
When: The initial system was developed in 2015, with deployments in 2018 and 2019, and more recent expansions in 2022.
Where: HERMES has been implemented in remote areas across the Amazon in Brazil, and Ecuador, Mexico, Bangladesh, and the Central African Republic.
Why: HERMES was created to address the lack of reliable communication in rural and isolated areas, where traditional internet and telecommunication infrastructures are either unavailable or too costly. The system ensures that these communities can share critical information, particularly for emergency situations.
What: HERMES enables text, audio, photo, and GPS data transmission over HF radio, allowing for communication even in areas without internet access. The system is designed to be open source, with an easy-to-use interface accessible via smartphone or computer. It offers encryption options for secure communication.
How: The system operates on open-source hardware and software, allowing communities to connect through HF radio and exchange information both locally and with internet-connected bases when available. Community-to-community and community-to-base communication are supported, and the system includes an email relay through HF radio, bridging remote users to the broader digital network via a relay in connected areas.
Break Time
Time for a well-deserved break! Are you feeling empowered and ready to start bridging divides in a global society? Or do you feel a bit overwhelmed by the scale and complexity of the problems? Either way, let’s take a break and reflect on what we have just learned. Here are some questions to guide your reflections:
- Are digital divides always a bad thing? For example, can bridging digital divides harm cultures through the influx of information, news, and entertainment from the English-speaking world?
- How can digital literacy help overcome digital divides or prevent the formation of new ones?
- How do digital divides directly affect your own work?
Have you gathered your thoughts? Noted your questions? Ready to go futher?
Great! Then let’s keep going. Click on the button below to head toward the final part of this session.