The Digital Divide, framing and mapping the phenomenon

Abstract

This chapter explores the global dimension of the Digital Divide. It frames the concept and maps the status and the causes of the phenomenon today. The first part investigates how the Digital Divide can be measured, framing the question and some of the trends foreseen by scholars on the phenomenon. The second part provides the current status of the Digital Divide, mapping the distribution of the usage of the Internet worldwide with some national indicators and measuring how economic factors cause some of the digital inequalities. The chapter then maps the worldwide unequal distribution of some of the infrastructure of the Internet. By comparing the different measures of the Digital Divide, the chapter finally provides some conclusions on the expectations regarding the trend of the phenomenon.