Review #3 -- Calculating the Digital Divide: The Positive and Negatives of the "Standard" Calculation

“Information Technology Use among Individuals in Rich and Poor countries: The Disappearing Divide” by Jeffrey James of Tilburg University (Netherlands), is an interesting examination of how the digital divide is numerically calculated and the changes in this calculation the author suggests. James looks at the non-weighted approach traditionally taken when addressing the divide. This weights each country equally, regardless of population, in calculating the disparity in information technology between developed and developing nations. James uses China and India as the central focus of his argument. The two most populace developing nations account for the same proportion as smaller developing countries, he finds this to skew the actual reality of the digital divide. Once each country’s population is accounted for, James finds the actual digital divide between individuals in developing and developed nations to be bit minimal, if not actually reversed.

James makes a fairly good point in his argument. It is certainly unfair to completely disregard the amount of individuals accessing IT within developing nations, but this does not mean his statements are not flawless. In terms of population, China and India are complete outliers in overall populations. Any government interactions to help close the digital divide in those nations will have an astounding effect on the proportion of individuals having access to the internet and mobile devices. This looks great from an individual social welfare standpoint, as it simply provides more individuals with access, but does little to help influence other developing nations to enact polices to help close the gap. What I am trying to state is that just because the same amounts of individuals have access to IT devices in developed and developing nations does not mean the digital divide is closed. A glut of users in China or India does not bring nations in Africa, as an example, closer to using available technology.

The author attempts to help alleviate this issue by comparing individual’s technology use in regions of the world, instead of just countries. James states, “Conventional measures of the digital divide assign the same weight to each country regardless of its population size. Yet from a welfare point of view it surely makes more sense to use size as a device to weight countries in rich and poor regions of the world. From then one derives for comparison than absolute number of Internet users and mobile phone subscribers in these two different parts of the world” (p. 321). By examining these issues regionally, this could provide a clearer picture of the prominence of the digital divide in certain areas around the globe. More importantly, this could stir action between neighboring countries to help create the infrastructure needed to implement these technologies. A more driven focus could be made to locate and then help those regions that are most affected by the widening gap. These theories could identify and provide numerical data to illustrate these issues in a global sense.

This article provides a nice prospective for my topic as it examines what calculations are used when examining the use of wireless technologies around the globe. James brings up many faults of the standard calculation. He attempts to put forth a more accurate system, but even his methods to do fully account for all aspects. A combination of both theories seems to provide the most holistic view. This seems plausible as little to no extra data needs to be taken to use both calculations.

James, J. (2009). Information technology use among individuals in rich and poor countries: The disappearing divide. Telematics and Informatics 26 (2009), 317-321.