The Effect of Native Language on Internet Usage

In this paper, we empirically explore the relationship between native language and use of the Internet. The ultimate economic and social questions we explore are: (1) how native language affects use of the Internet, both in total and by type of Web site; (2) whether English is likely to retain its “first-mover advantage” on the Web in terms of the language employed by Web sites; and (3) whether the Internet ultimately will accelerate the movement to English as a global language. Our goal is to distinguish between the following two hypotheses: (A) The Internet will remain disproportionately in English and will, over time, cause more people to learn English as second language and thus solidify the role of English as a global language. This outcome will prevail even though there are more native Chinese and Spanish speakers than there are native English speakers. (B) As the Internet matures, it will more accurately reflect the native languages spoken around the world (perhaps weighted by purchasing power) and will not promote English as a global language. English’s “early lead” on the web is more likely to persist if those who are not native English speakers frequently access the large number of English language web sites that are currently available. In that case, many existing web sites will have little incentive to develop non-English versions of their sites, and new sites will tend to gravitate towards English. The key empirical question, therefore, is whether individuals whose native language is not English use the Web, or certain types of Web sites, less than do native English speakers. In order to examine this issue empirically, we employ a unique data set on Internet use at the individual level in Canada from Media Metrix. Canada provides an ideal setting to examine this issue because English is one of the two official languages. Our preliminary results suggest that English web sites are not a barrier to Internet use for French-speaking Quebecois. These results are consistent with the scenario in which the Internet will promote English as a global language.