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.

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 ...

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