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Despite the widespread use of the Internet and social media platforms, a persistent digital divide exists. Studies have concluded that Internet access and use vary by individual characteristics and geographic location. There is also evidence of disparities in online health-seeking behavior (Din et al., 2019; Walker et al., 2020).

High-speed Internet is essential for obtaining health information, and healthcare services, which contribute to people’s well-being and human rights. From this perspective, the digital divide is a matter of social injustice. While there are many reasons why some individuals use the Internet and others do not, availability and affordability are two main factors contributing to the digital divide. Related to those is computer and new technologies literacy. These factors must be explored and addressed in the context of perpetuated societal and educational inequities, and keeping in mind that those groups most disenfranchised by the digital divide are the same groups suffering the most from socio-economic and political marginalization. In the United States, while nine in ten American adults use the Internet, adoption gaps remain based on factors such as age, income, education, and community type. Rural Americans are more likely than those who live in urban or suburban settings to never use the Internet. Racial minorities, older adults, rural residents, and those with lower levels of education and income are less likely to have broadband service at home. Internet non-adoption is linked to a number of demographic variables, including age, educational attainment, household income, and community type. Minority serving schools, where over 50 percent of the student population belongs to minority racial or ethnic groups, have smaller ratios of high-speed, Internet-accessible computer for every student. Similarly, in high-minority and/or high-poverty communities, student access to this resource is limited (Anderson et al., 2019).