The Digital Divide in Health Education: Myth or Reality?

Although e-health interventions provide new opportunities for health education, there has been cause for concern regarding the purported information technology gap between those who have access to digital applications and those who do not-termed the "digital divide." The literature suggests, however, that this divide may now be illusory, driven primarily by a myriad of societal divides such as income, education, and literacy inequities. Such disparities may be the true propagators of what is now becoming a mythical digital divide. The purpose of this article is to identify the evolutionary nature of the digital divide and speculate as to how and why it has become a mirage in today's increasingly technological world. Based on this discussion, suggestions are made regarding how health educators can enable the use of technology to better health through the study of consumer health informatics and e-health behavioral support.