By Detrick DeBurr
“Black America’s 1st Technovangelist”
Digital Revolution: Participation Makes Dollars and Sense
It makes economic sense to want to be a part of the digital revolution. Reports suggest that those who are embracing technology generally have higher incomes. Technology and income earning potential are closely related. Studies show that 54% of Internet users have an annual income of over $50,000. According to a survey of Black Internet users by “EverythingBlack.com,” 75% of Black Internet users have an annual household income of over $32,000.
The survey also stated that 22% of Black Internet users had household annual incomes of over $72,000. As PC prices and the cost associated with online services continue to drop, more people with lower incomes will begin to get with the digital revolution. According to the “Falling Through the Net” report, in 1997 half the households in the United States with an income over $75,000 had some form of online service.
The question, however, is which comes first. Do you embrace technology, then qualify for a higher income or does a higher income make you more likely to embrace technology? It may be a little bit of both. One thing for sure, the masses are finding that there is some financial benefit to actively embracing and using technology. The growth is too fast and overwhelming to be explained any other way.
Studies have shown that wages for information technology workers greatly out distance the wages of other workers. In 1997, IT workers earned on average $53,000 annually; while the average wage earner made only $30,000 a year. This means that the average non-IT worker would need to receive a 76% raise to receive pay commensurate with an average IT worker. Can Black people afford not to be a part of this? The suggestion here is not that every Black person should strive to be a computer programmer or computer analyst. The majority of us (Blacks) simply do not have the inclination to do so. We simply need to be aware of the demand and make our children know that this opportunity exists.
So the Digital Revolution is definitely something that you want to “get with”, cause it makes dollars and it makes sense.
Till Next Time…. Keep moving Onward, Forward and CyWord!!!!!
Detrick DeBurr is the CEO of Digital Rhythm Interactive, an Internet application company and author of “Deal Us In! How Black America Can Play and Win in the Digital Economy”. Reach him at www.detrickdeburr.com or detrick@digitalflow.com or 1-866-424-5100
(Excerpted from “Deal Us In! How Black America Can Play and Win in the Digital Economy ISBN#0-9701968-0-6)
Printed in Volume 1 Issue 11
