I certainly didn't coin the term, and no one knows conclusively who really did. (I personally didn't really start using it regularly until probably 1998, five years after the term first surfaced in DC, but I'd have to go back and look at my writings to confirm that.)

It's been credited to Al Gore, Larry Irving, Bill Gates and others, but the term was around before they started using it regularly (and Larry has denied coining it in previous discussions on the list). The term was in use among policymakers in the very early days of the Clinton White House, particularly at Larry's NTIA at the Department of Commerce. Bonnie Bracey played a big role in getting educators to start using the term thanks to her involvement as the only teacher in the federal govt's NII Advisory Council. (I think I probably heard her first use it around 1995.) Then the press began using it regularly as Gore and Clinton began incorporating the phrase in their speeches in 1995 and later.

So while no one claims credit for coining it, I tend to attribute the popularization of the term to policymakers like Irving and Gore, the mid-90s work of the Benton Foundation, Bonnie, plus journalists like Amy Harmon and a few others. It was only later that private sector leaders began embracing the term....

ac



Virtual Scavengers wrote:
I did some research on that a few years ago, I will try to find my notes. I was interested in learning when the term Digital Divide replaced the earlier term Technology Gap. I have a theory, which I never fully researched, that Digital Divide became the more common term when interest in the problem went beyond educators and attracted the attention of the business community.. At that point, it seemed to me, the emphasis went from providing access to technology to providing connectivity. I also remember an earlier discussion, several years ago, of the derivation of the phrase. As I recall, several people credited Andy with having coined the phrase but he ascribed that to somebody else whom I don't remember.
John Crooks
The Virtual Scavengers Project

Andy Carvin wrote:

Earlier this year Laura Breeden's team here at EDC did a similar timeline. I know there was a paper version published, but not sure about an electronic version. Anyone recall if it was posted to the list?

ac

Katy E. Pearce wrote:

Hi all,
I am constructing a timeline of the digital divide... Major events that have contributed in a positive or negative way toward bridging the gap. I have a
pretty good list right now, but would appreciate any suggestions. Please
send me private e-mail, as to not bombard the list.

Thanks!
Katy Pearce

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Andy Carvin
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EDC Center for Media & Community
acarvin @ edc . org
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://katrina05.blogspot.com
Blog: http://www.andycarvin.com
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