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The majority of Americans are online, but about one-third of the country does not have access.

The majority of Americans are online, but about one-third of the country does not have access.

By MEGHANN COTTER

Date published: 2/6/2005

By MEGHANN COTTER

Ninety-year-old Ruth Heyne got her first computer last fall.

Her son, Tom Strong of Spotsylvania County, hooked her up with a Pentium 3. He taught her how to use it and showed her how to log onto the Internet.

At her age, she really hasn't needed to learn much about technology. Her son's prodding helped her link to today's Web-based world.

Age is one of the reasons many Americans are still technologically challenged. While the majority of Americans have access to computers and the Internet, factors--such as age, education, income level, race and geographical location--are keeping about one third of the nation offline, said Andy Carvin, director of the Digital Divide Network.

The Massachusetts-based agency is an online community of activists dedicated to helping people bridge the digital divide--the gap between people who have access to modern technology and those who don't.

Heyne had never needed such technology to succeed. Most people didn't. She was in her 50s when the first personal computer came out. And the Internet became widespread only in the 1990s, according to the World Wide Web Consortium.

Those who don't have exposure to computer technology and the Internet have difficulty seeing the benefits of it, Carvin said.

Now that Heyne has a computer and knows how to use it, the Florida resident reads online news and uses e-mail and messaging devices to communicate with her family all over the United States.

"She's turned into a geek," Strong said. "Every time she does something online, she gets into something else."

He recently bought her a Web camera. He said she is fascinated that she can talk to him online and see him at the same time.

"More and more [seniors] are buying computers, or their sons and daughters are buying them for them," said Judy Gilliam, training coordinator for Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. She teaches computer training courses to small businesses and the public.

Some of her classes are designed specifically for seniors. Those classes teach the basics of the Web and office programs. Many seniors want to know enough so that they can e-mail their grandchildren, book travel plans and play games, she said.

But victims of the digital divide don't fall into just one category, Carvin said.

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Date published: 2/6/2005