Introduction to Issues 4 and 5 Digital Divides: Past, Present and Future

Many social issues have surfaced as a result of the Internet’s diffusion in society: its effects on social life, its relation to previous mass media and its impact on politics and business, among others. However, probably none has attracted as much scholarly and policy attention as what is commonly referred to as the “digital divide”. The term was originally used to publicize findings from 1990’s NTIA national surveys that showed the large differences in IT access by low income groups, minorities, women and the elderly, among other groups in society. (The term was reportedly coined first by former Markle Foundation President Lloyd Morrisette to describe much the same phenomenon). Whatever its origin, the term has been widely interpreted to cover a variety of gaps in American society, as well as differences between the US and other Western countries and the rest of the world.