Should we Try to Bridge the Global Digital Divide was published in info 4,3, 2002. The standard set of statistics for measuring the "digital divide" involve per capita use of various information and communications technologies (ICTs). Underlying these statistics is an assumption that higher usage per capita would be a good thing, and ubiquitous usage would be a great thing. This article begins by examining poor people's information needs, and noting that poor countries have to provide information infrastructure both to meet those needs and the communications requirements of business and government. The article argues that there will be a role for the Internet as part of that information infrastructure. However, features both of poor countries, and particularly of the poor people who reside in those countries, suggest that the utility of widespread Internet access may be limited. Given that providing widespread Internet access will also be complex and expensive, this suggests the goal of "closing the digital divide" by attempting to reach ubiquitous Internet use in less developed countries (LDCs) might be a costly mistake.
I summarized the article in a piece for Foreign Policy.
Comments