Digital Divides, Global

Global digital divides are differences in information, knowledge, and impacts of information technology between world regions, countries, and regional units of analysis within countries. When a digitally advanced part of the world is compared with a digitally poor part of the world, a digital divide ensues. It is sometimes more appropriate to consider a digital continuum, which gives more emphasis to the many levels of digital utilization or impacts between the two extremes. Digital divides are not limited to geographical differences; for instance, the digital expertise levels of college-educated people worldwide can be compared with those of the less educated.

[Page 217]At the end of 2016, an estimated 3.53 billion people worldwide had access to the Internet, which constitutes 48% of the 7.36 billion people on ...