An assessment of digital divide in the PRC
Document Type
Conference paper
Source Publication
Issues and trends of information technology management in contemporary organizations
Publication Date
1-1-2002
First Page
458
Last Page
461
Publisher
Idea Group Publishing
Abstract
As the most populous country in the world, the PRC has seen a drastic increase in Internet users in recent years with the latest count Of 25.6 million at the end of June 2001. However it is known that some groups in the PRC are not enjoying the benefits of Internet use, creating the so-called "digital divide" phenomenon. This means that for a number of reasons, these groups in the society cannot or will not be able to access the Internet to reap many potential benefits it can offer. This paper provides findings of a preliminary analysis on digital divide in the PRC using past Internet surveys together with economic and demographic data of the PRC. Obvious hurdles to Internet use, such as illiteracy, cost of Internet access, lacking of infrastructure will be examined with near-term technology advancements considered so to assess the magnitude of the digital divide at the present time and in the future. Suggestions to alleviate digital divide are then discussed.
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2002, Idea Group Inc. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Additional Information
Paper presented at the International Conference of the Information-Resources-Management-Association, May 19-22, 2002, Seattle, Washington.
ISBN of the source publication: 1930708394
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Lu, M. T., Ping, L., Lao, G. L., & Zhang, X. F. (2002). An assessment of digital divide in the PRC. In Issues and trends of information technology management in contemporary organizations (pp. 458-461). Hershey: Idea Group Publishing.Http://www.irma-international.org/viewtitle/31818/