Digital Divide Questioned

Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits

April 12, 1999 (5:49 PM EDT)

By Malcolm Maclachlan,

The digital divide is more of a digital pothole, according to a Washington, D.C., Internet advocacy group.

The U.S. Internet Council, an advocacy group that fights regulations that could hamper the growth of the Internet, released a survey on Monday that show racial and gender inequality among Internet users is disappearing.

According to the State of the Internet report, almost all differences among the races in terms of Internet use can be accounted for by other factors.

"If you're the same age, income, and education, you have the same chance of being on the Net," said Mark Rhoads, legislative director of the Internet Council. "The Internet is looking more like the rest of the country."

In putting together the report, the Internet Council drew on numerous studies that show gender and racial gaps online rapidly dwindling. For example, the research company eStats said that the proportion of female Internet users rose to 40 percent from 25 percent between 1995 and 1997, and will hit 50 percent by next year.

Media Metrix, which measures online traffic, was even more optimistic. It said in January that equal numbers of men and women now use the Web.

Age and income differences are also becoming less prevalent as the Web grows, the survey said. It cited an IntelliQuest study from last year that found between 1996 and 1998, the percentage of Internet users with an income of $50,000 or more fell to 54 percent from 60 percent. The percentage with a bachelor's degree fell to 36 percent from 46 percent during the same period.

One of the central studies the Internet Council cited was the Digital Melting Pot report released by Forrester Research last month. This study found that all racial differences in online usage could be explained by income, age, and education.

For example, said Ekaterina Walsh, author of the Forrester study, the fact that nearly 66 percent of Asian American households are online could be explained by their high income and the fact that 80 percent are college educated.

"They are online for other factors than being Asian," Walsh said.

The second most wired group was Hispanics, with 36 percent of households having Internet access through either home or work. They were followed by whites at 34 percent and blacks at 23 percent.

Despite the differences, the study found that once they reached a certain income and education level, blacks were actually more likely to be online and to have a more positive view of technology than whites, Walsh said. They will also be the fastest-growing group, with Internet penetration reaching 40 percent by the end of next year, she said. Internet usage among Latinos will grow the second fastest, to 43 percent up from 36 percent.

This growth will be driven largely by lower-priced PCs and lower-cost Internet connections, Walsh said. These reports contradict a U.S. Department of Commerce study from last July, which said that black and Hispanic households were lagging in online usage.