@ObergJustin
For someone living in the modern world in the digital divide, where access to a computer is difficult, Rushkoff’s commands would have a very different affect on them than those with digital access. Those in the digital divide might not be affected as much as someone who is constantly interacting with digital media, but they also have no control to program or make a change in the digital world. For instance, in Rushkoff’s first command he states, “digital networks are biased toward social connections-toward contact” (Rushkoff 91). Now someone who does not participate on the digital network will not have to experience all of the seemingly meaningless social contacts that go on online in the form of messaging or spreading memes. However, many times what is created on a digital network leaps to the actual world such as political ideas that stir revolution. In these cases those with digital access are actually changing the world and those without have no opportunity to add their voice to the conversation. When it comes to facts, those in the digital divide are never influenced by the overabundance of false information that floats around online, but they also miss out the access to all of the relevant true information as well. “Digital networks were built for the purpose of sharing resources, technologies, and credit on order to create it.” (Rushkoff 118) Someone could be very talented at something and want to share it with the world but still live in the digital divide. They are at a severe disadvantage because more and more people are choosing to spend their free time looking and buying stuff on digital networks as opposed to the real world. Finally Rushkoff make the point that “we must learn how to make the software, or risk becoming the software” (Rushkoff 134). Even though someone might not be on a digital network, they can still be programmed by it just from the amount of change to our culture computers have caused in the last few decades. However, those in the divide have absolutely no way of learning how to make the software and thus can never program and will always be those who are programmed.