1. What are you doing towards digital inclusion in Charlotte, and why is the field important?
Gameplan is essentially LinkedIn for high school students and college admissions counselors.
Looking historically at the things that we built in this country, at some point we needed to build roads. And right now we’re going through a digital revolution where everything is digitized and digital inclusion is important because the world is changing. We’re going through a totally new age of technology and information sharing and if there’s going to be any one that’s left behind, they will fall in the gap of not being included and not being able to really participate in society.
2. What misconceptions do people have about digital inclusion?
So many people believe that technology is ubiquitous to the point where everyone has a cell phone. That’s just not true. Everyone doesn’t have data internet and data access. For most folks, in in impoverished situations, if they miss a bill, it may be months before they can get reconnected. So just the awareness of the gaps, awareness of the exclusion and the efforts to include people will get more support.
I believe that society can move in one direction without thinking about the people who have been left behind. So we need to make sure that we create that bridge and that we include those folks that aren’t currently connected at this point.