Digital Divide

The digital divide has been the subject of a considerable amount of empirical research, which has given rise to three basic theories: the theory of diffusion of innovations, the knowledge gap theory, and the theory of media literacy.

The Theory of Diffusion of Innovations

A starting point for understanding the concept of the digital divide can be seen in the theory of diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 12). This theory describes how innovations with measurable, fixed advantages for those who use them—ranging from new medicines to new media—diffuse in a population. At the beginning, only specific people (called innovators) use an innovation, but then more and more people see its advantage and become users themselves. This process of diffusion ends when all the people are convinced of this advantage and use the innovation. At this point, it is said that the process of diffusion is saturated.

Thus, an empirically measured digital divide between the haves and have-nots of a population may exist only temporarily, while the diffusion process goes on. Or it may be a stable divide—saturation has taken place, but not everyone uses computers and the Internet. A variety of strategies may be needed to influence the diffusion process, as, for example, when governments want to hasten the spread of computer access and literacy (Potter, 24).

The Knowledge Gap Theory

The second theoretical approach of importance to the concept of a digital divide is the so-called knowledge gap theory. This approach emerged in the context of the campaign analysis. Empirical studies showed that the availability of information in the mass media may enlarge a gap between those who know and those who do not know about the goals of the campaign, because people of higher socioeconomic status get information more quickly than those of lower socioeconomic status. Thus, for example, relevant background information reaches ...