The Digital Divide as a Complex and Dynamic Phenomenon

The purpose of this article is to propose a fruitful analytical framework for data supposedly related to the concept of the so-called "digital divide." The extent and the nature of this divide depend on the kind of access defined. Considering the possession of hardware, growing divides among different categories of income, employment, education, age, and ethnicity can be proved to have existed in the 1980s and 1990s according to official American and Dutch statistics. If only by effects of saturation, these gaps will more or less close. However, it is shown that differential access of skills and usage is likely to increase. The growth of a usage gap is projected. Multivariate analyses of Dutch official statistics reveal the striking effect of age and gender as compared to education. The usage gap is related to the evolution of the information and network society. Finally, policy perspectives are discussed.     

A New Research Programme on Information and Communication Technologies. The E-Society: Understanding the Restructuring of Practices and Institutions in the Digital Age

This is an advance notice of a new research programme, supported by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), investigating the restructuring of practices and institutions in the digital age. The call for applications is planned for November 2001; first projects are expected to commence in October 2002. The ESRC is currently preparing the recruitment of a Programme Director.Further information on the process will be published in due course and will be available on the ESRC's website at: http:/ /www.esrc.ac.uk/E-Society.htm. Below is the text of the proposal on the basis of which the ESRC decided to fund a research programme in this area. This proposal was developed through a consultancy led by Professor William H. Dutton. Please note that there might be changes to the programme outline once the Programme Director is appointed. Contact: Angelika Hamilton, angelika.hamilton@esrc.ac.uk, with any comments or recommendations.