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Klyftan mellan västvärlden och utvecklingsländerna - ITs roll idag och i framtiden
2002 (Swedish)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor)Student thesis
Abstract [en]

In this essay we have studied the digital divide between the developed and the developing countries. We believe that this divide is often forgotten in the debates about the information society and the Internet. Our goal has been to explore if the existing divide increases or decreases with the growth of the information society. To do this we have studied the global situation today and what scientists and authors think about the future. In the essay we have discussed the developed countries' transformation with respect to the information society in order to give the reader an understanding of the information society and it's development. We have also included a section about the United Nations' work on the development of a new information and communication order during the 1970's. We believe that this background is important to understand the situation today. By studying the situation in the developing countries today we have reached the conclusion that the gap between developing and developed countries is enormous. One third of the world's population has no electricity, and a large part of the population in the developing countries is illiterate. A computer and Internet connection cost more than the average yearly income and the infrastructure is poor. This makes it hard for developing countries to participate in technological evolution. At the same time, however, access to technology can contribute to evolution of the overall technological infrastructure. Technology can be a tool to a countries' prosperity. The development of the digital divide is dependent on several factors. To reduce the further increase of the divide, there is a need for global commitment and co-operation that transcends national boundaries. There is also a need for education and increased concentration on infrastructure and telecommunications. If technology is used in the right way it can deliever more advantages and profit than risks. Many scientists and authors claim that there is a need for immediate action if the developing countries shall have a chance to decrease the gap. We believe that Marshall McLuhan's theory of the global village is a utopian view. The Internet and the information society will continue to favour the already rich and powerful. To decrease the divide there is a need for a redistribution of the global resources. The first step is to write-off the national debts of developing nations. After that the developing countries can concentrate on their primary needs, but also on future developments. The digital divide is increasing every day. We are skeptical about the idea that information technology will be able to alter the current gap between the developed and the developing countries.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2002. , p. 49
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-57310Local ID: MKV C-26OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-57310DiVA, id: diva2:1121921
Subject / course
Media and Communication Studies
Available from: 2017-07-12 Created: 2017-07-12

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf