The diffusion of the Internet: Trend and causes

Over the last two decades, the Internet has changed various facets of social life, creating many social concerns. To better assess the impact of the Internet, it is important to understand the pattern of its diffusion. Using the Current Population Survey, this paper examines the diffusion process of the Internet between 1994 and 2007. The CPS provides seven cross-sectional data sets on Internet use over the period, four of which are spaced close enough to be turned into panel data sets. Simple trend analyses show that a logistic S-curve fits the seven observations very well, and that the diffusion took off around the time when the graphical user interface was introduced. Findings from multivariate trend analyses and panel data analyses include; (1) the digital divide is not likely to be closed in the near future, (2) exposure to the technology at school and workplace are important factors of initial and continued use of the Internet, and (3) of different online activities, email use is the most important predictor of continued use, implying that the diffusion process is highly social, rather than individualistic.     

Making the Technological Transition – Citizens' Encounters with Digital Pension Services

We examine in this article the impact of digitization on the provision of public services by studying how citizens experience the use of web portals in their pension planning. Based on focus groups and user test material, we elucidate five critical phases that each operate as an obstacle for citizens' further engagement in the digital self‐service process: interest, access, comprehension, reflection and support. We argue that these phases and the obstacles they entail illustrate a transition away from a situation in which control and agency over the quality of public services is embedded in a dyadic relationship between citizens and frontline personnel, and to a situation characterized by more complex relations between citizens, the front line, and the digital infrastructure. We argue that this transition implies that citizens are required to possess a new type of competence that contains both financial and digital skills. Citizens who are unable to develop or acquire such competence are likely to be disadvantaged by the services. Lastly, we argue that these developments pose significant challenges for public administrations to ensure the overall quality of the public services.     

农村互联网的拥有和使用:有关发展的思考

通过对有关信息通讯技术与发展的一些主流观点的回顾以及对农村互联网拥有和使用的现状的微观社区调查,认为“数字鸿沟”并不是简单的物理上的二元“拥有”或者“没有”概念,而是一个关涉到行动者与技术之间互动并产生意义和结果的层次差异的概念,因此所谓的“鸿沟”并不是单纯的技术设施或产品能够消除或者弥合的;而目前“技术促进发展”与“消除数字鸿沟”等概念本质上更多的是“发展”大旗下的技术增长与技术消费。     

Theory and social work: A conceptual review of the literature

This article presents a conceptual review of the literature concerning social work and theory. Based on analysis of 93 research studies, drawn from literature in English published between 1968 and 2016, the review considers the many ways that theory is conceptualised in the literature, and asks meta‐theoretical questions about how and why different conceptualisations arise. The article examines definitional questions and ambiguities concerning the use of theory, extant research on the use of theory by social workers in practice, hostility expressed regarding theory in social work, the theory/practice divide and perspectives that emphasise theory's utility or functionality. The article points at some methodological and ethical limitations concerning current research, and summarises dominant, as well as less prominent, versions of what counts as theory within the social work discipline, before finally suggesting that further meta‐theoretical research is needed.     

The Reality of Social Inclusion Through Digital Government

SUMMARY

Over the past few years, there has been much debate over the effectiveness of digital government. This paper addresses the strategic value and the effectiveness of digital government where it concerns enhancing citizen participation and social inclusion. It involves examining four specific facets of “effectiveness”–including: the view of management and ICT strategists; social and cultural implications; the implications of digital inclusion/exclusion and e-readiness upon social inclusion; and the citizens' view of the success of digital government in enhancing public access to information and transparency–based on a pilot study of digital government initiatives by local government in New Zealand.     

The Use of Online Social Support by Foster Families

ABSTRACT

The extent to which foster families utilize social support on the Internet is examined in a sample of 34 foster families in a digital divide intervention program and a comparison sample of 30 foster families who were not part of the program. In spite of increased Internet access, the frequency of using online social support is low. A minority of parents and children increased their use of the Internet to give and receive help, communicate with other foster families and e-mail with their foster care worker. More than half of foster youth have used the Internet to stay in touch with friends and relatives and have “made a new friend” over the Internet. Implications for child welfare practice and for further research are discussed.     

Mobile phones in Africa: how much do we really know?

Mobile phones are a crucial mode of communication and welfare enhancement in poor countries, especially those lacking an infrastructure of fixed lines. In recent years much has been written about how mobile telephony in Africa is rapidly reducing the digital divide with developed countries. Yet, when one examines the evidence it is not at all clear what is really happening. In one country, Tanzania, for example, some observers point to the fact that 97% of the population lives under the mobile footprint, while others show that ownership is very limited. These extreme values prompted us to review the situation in Africa as a whole, in an effort to discover what is really going on.     

数字文化与和谐社会构建

数字文化作为一种崭新的文化形态具有分散权力、全球化、追求和谐和赋予权力等特征。数字文化已成为数字技术文明的思想基础,其发达程度直接影响数字技术文明的发达程度。而数字文化鸿沟又造成西方文化对其他文化的挑战,影响了文化资源的合理配置,破坏了教育公平,导致数字不良文化价值观与恒常文化价值观的疏离,以及新文化病的产生,成为和谐社会构建的障碍。数字文化效应为和谐社会构建提供了智力支撑。构建和谐社会的关键在于文明理念的转变,即加强数字技术的协调与人的自由发展,以数字技术文明为数字技术的可持续性提供支撑,优化制度环境为和谐社会构建提供保障。数字技术文明与和谐社会的根本特征和着力点,都在于用数字文化去化解人与自然、人与社会及人与人之间的矛盾,实现人类社会的可持续和谐发展。     

从"100美元笔记本电脑计划"看数字鸿沟

假如电脑便宜到任何人都买得起,数字鸿沟就会消失吗?当今,数字鸿沟与Negroponte提出的“100美元笔记本电脑计划”产生了很多争论。在本文看来,即使拥有硬件设备或者有使用互联网的条件,消除数字鸿沟也不容易。如果旧的分化没有消除,即便更低的电脑价格也不能消除数字鸿沟,还有诸多社会文化因素需要考虑与探究。     

Does national broadband plan narrow regional digital divide? Evidence from China

Although an increasing number of countries are striving to implement broadband plans, there is a dearth of research that examines whether having a national broad plan could narrow a nation’s regional digital divide. In this study, we used data sets collected from recent national statistics to quantify the effects of China’s national broadband strategy on the regional digital divide. The results of our analysis showed that while China’s approach narrowed the regional divide in terms of the coverage of broadband infrastructure, it had a comparatively limited impact on closing both the penetration divide and the quality divide. To narrow these divisions further, it is recommended that China adjust the priorities and scope of its national broadband strategy from a supply-side, investment-driven industrial policy to a demand-side, user-centric policy.