For Dallas’s Digital Divide, the Cause is Also the Cure 

By Marlissa Collier A few years ago, the world became temporarily obsessed with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The psychology theory was proposed by Abraham Maslow, a thought leader who, during a time when most psychologists were obsessed with studying the mentally ill, sought to understand the ingredients of good mental health. In his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”, Maslow laid out what he believed were basic humanistic needs that, according to Maslow, should be acknowledged before seeking “higher needs.”& The theory, often depicted by a pyramid with five tiers, suggests that as the basic needs at the lower levels are met, individuals are then motivated to fulfill the needs at the higher levels. Traditionally, Maslow’s pyramid identified basic physiological needs (food, water, shelter) at the foundation, followed by safety and security needs, social needs (love, belonging), esteem needs (achievement, recognition), and finally, self-actualization (fulfilling one’s potential). Internet Access As A New Basic Human Need? Eighty years later, Maslow’s theory remains a valuable framework for understanding human motivation as it highlights the importance of fulfilling basic needs before focusing on higher-level aspirations. The problem with applying Maslow’s theory 80 years later is that it’s, well, 80 years later, and...