Global Digital Divide

2012 ◽  
pp. 210-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Undrahbuyan Baasanjav
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Domain Names ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Internet Development ◽  
Depth Interviews

This chapter explores several factors of the global digital divide in the former socialist country of Mongolia. By analyzing manifest media content on the Internet, as well as by interviewing people involved in Internet development, this chapter goes beyond the question of access to the Internet and asks how language factors exacerbate the digital divide in an impoverished country. Initiating non-Western alphabet domain names and setting culturally inclusive non-Western alphabet standards have been important steps in achieving linguistic diversity on the Internet and overcoming the global digital divide in countries like Mongolia. Furthermore, this chapter explores how a post-communist political setting, aid dependency, and international organizations influence Internet development. The analysis of in-depth interviews provides nuanced explanation of the socialist legacy that is traced in institutional routines, people’s attitudes, and social practices.

Beyond the Digital Divide

2013 ◽  
pp. 277-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Undrah Buyan Baasanjav
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Domain Names ◽  
The Public ◽  
Rapid Economic Growth ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
Internet Development

This chapter explores the interplay between society and Internet technology in the context of the developing former socialist country of Mongolia. This chapter goes beyond questions of access to the Internet and explores three factors of the global digital divide. First, this chapter explores how language factors such as non-Roman domain names and the use of the Cyrillic alphabet exacerbate the digital divide in the impoverished country of Mongolia. ICANN's initiation of international domain names is an initial development toward achieving linguistic diversity on the Internet. Second, this chapter explores how post-communist settings and foreign investment and aid dependency afflict Internet development. A rapid economic growth in Mongolia has increased access to mobile phones, computers, and the Internet; however, the influx of foreign capital poured into the mining, construction, and telecommunication sectors frequently comes in non-concessional terms raising concerns over the public debt in Mongolia.

Global Digital Divide, Global Justice, Cultures, and Epistemology

2011 ◽  
pp. 37-50
Author(s):  
Soraj Hongladarom
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Social Epistemology ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social Good ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Digital Divide

The problem of global digital divide, namely disparity in Internet access and use among the various regions of the world, is a growing concern. Even though, according to some reports, the gap is getting narrower, this does not mean that the problem is disappearing, because the problem does not just consist in getting more people to become “wired,” so to speak. This chapter investigates the various relationships among the global digital divide, global justice, cultures and epistemology. Very briefly stated, not getting access to the Internet constitutes an injustice because the access is a social good that can lead to various other goods. Furthermore, as information technology is a second-order technology, one that operates on meaning bearing symbols, access to the technology is very much an issue of social epistemology, an attempt to find out the optimal way to distribute knowledge across the social and cultural domains.

Policy as a Bridge across the Global Digital Divide

2010 ◽  
pp. 40-56
Author(s):  
Meena Chary ◽  
Stephen K. Aikins
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Technology Policy ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
Investments In Education

This chapter assesses how public policy can be used to bridge the global digital divide, especially in developing nations. First, the chapter characterizes the Internet technologies encompassed within the digital divide according to dimensions of individual socioeconomic characteristics and service provider infrastructure characteristics. Then, the chapter develops a set of technology policy dimensions as they affect those two dimensions, using case vignettes from India to illustrate policy actions. Finally, the chapter makes policy action recommendations to bridge the digital divide, including investments in education and literacy, e-governance, intermediary services, infrastructure, and regulation.

Reconstruing the Digital Divide from the Perspective of a Large, Poor, Developing Country

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey James
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Global Digital Divide

The global digital divide is usually measured in terms of differences between rich and poor countries in the extent to which they use ICTs in general and the Internet in particular. Such a view of the problem, however, ignores the fact that there are all kinds of ways in which poor, illiterate persons in developing countries benefit from the Internet without any use of computers and Internet connectivity. Most of these benefits occur as a result of intermediaries who, in one way or another, transfer relevant parts of the knowledge available from the technology to recipients in a form that is relevant to their specific needs. Using India as an illustration of this argument, we find that usage understates actual beneficiaries by at least 30 percent. On the basis of this finding, we suggest that a reconstrued notion of the digital divide be based on usage as well as other more indirect forms of benefit from the Internet in developing countries. To this end, much more needs to be known about these other forms of benefit in a large sample of countries in addition to India.

Global Digital Divide, Global Justice, Cultures and Epistemology

2008 ◽  
pp. 3217-3230
Author(s):  
Soraj Hongladarom
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Social Epistemology ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social Good ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Digital Divide

The problem of global digital divide, namely disparity in internet access and use among the various regions of the world, is a growing concern. Even though, according to some reports, the gap is getting narrower, this does not mean that the problem is disappearing, because the problem does not just consist in getting more people to become ‘wired’, so to speak. This paper investigates the various relationships among the global digital divide, global justice, cultures and epistemology. Very briefly stated, not getting access to the Internet constitutes an injustice because the access is a social good that can lead to various other goods. Furthermore, as information technology is a second-order technology, one that operates on meaning bearing symbols, access to the technology is very much an issue of social epistemology, an attempt to find out the optimal way to distribute knowledge across the social and cultural domains.

Policy as a Bridge across the Global Digital Divide

2013 ◽  
pp. 364-379
Author(s):  
Meena Chary ◽  
Stephen K. Aikins
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Technology Policy ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
Investments In Education

This chapter assesses how public policy can be used to bridge the global digital divide, especially in developing nations. First, the chapter characterizes the Internet technologies encompassed within the digital divide according to dimensions of individual socioeconomic characteristics and service provider infrastructure characteristics. Then, the chapter develops a set of technology policy dimensions as they affect those two dimensions, using case vignettes from India to illustrate policy actions. Finally, the chapter makes policy action recommendations to bridge the digital divide, including investments in education and literacy, e-governance, intermediary services, infrastructure, and regulation.

scholarly journals Towards an activist research: Is Wikipedia the problem or the solution?

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 155-161
Author(s):  
Alexandra Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
Colonial Legacies ◽  
The University

ABSTRACTIs the internet a tool for democracy or the manifestation of the global digital divide? Using the colonization of the internet as a starting point, this article outlines some current issues with knowledge equity, asking if democratic open access products like Wikipedia are the solution or another manifestation of the systemic bias of society. Whilst acknowledging librarianship has its own colonial legacies to address, the suggestion is made that critical librarianship can provide a response in the form of library–based edit-a-thons and Wikipedia workshops. These show how the power of Wikipedia can be used responsibly not just for enabling critical information literacy, but as an instrument for activism. In considering librarian interventions done so far at the University of the Arts, London, the article outlines future practical possibilities for decolonization, as well as looking more widely at how to democratize information in open access products and the Western publishing that sits behind them.

scholarly journals Men's Perception of Women Regarding the Internet Usage in the Khyber Agency Pakistan: An Exploratory Study

2020 ◽  
Vol V (I) ◽  
pp. 47-58
Author(s):  
Arif Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
Tribal Society ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Method Approach

Khyber agency is located near the border of Afghanistan, due to continuous war in Afghanistan, patriarchal society and domination of males, the women of Khyber agency have no access to education, basic human rights and internet technologies. This paper investigated the gender discrimination in the use of the internet in the Khyber agency of Pakistan, the war-torn area adjacent to Afghanistan. A mixed method approach visa-vis in-depth interviews and purposive survey of the respondents was used to collect data. The in-depth interviews were analyzed using NVivo and SPSS was employed to analyze survey data. The findings indicate that there is a digital divide that promotes gender discrimination in the Khyber agency regarding the internet usage. The patriarchal nature of the tribal society deprives women from internet contributing to the gender discrimination. Additionally, the male dominance of the rural tribal society is associated with stereotypical discourses of women.

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