The Information Age: Apartheid, Cultural Imperialism, or Global Village?

Abstract

This chapter1 examines implications of the information revolution for the global inequalities between North and South. A multidimensional empirical taxonomy of information technology is provided to chart its diffusion throughout the world. Two major conclusions ensue from this analysis: 1) the information revolution is still very much in its beginning stages; and 2) it is limited primarily to the developed nations of the North. Based on past practice, the technical operating features of the Internet, and a content analysis of one Internet discussion group, three possible development scenarios are offered. Although no firm conclusions are possible, analysis of the Internet does reveal that technologically and empirically greater opportunity exists now for the previously excluded (i.e., the South) to participate. However, the question remains as to whether this is sufficient to redress the gross imbalance between North and South.