Self-Presentation of Small Developing Countries on the World Wide Web: A Study of Official Websites

The author analyzes the official national websites of small developing countries for content and function. The surveyed websites are found to emphasize geographical, tourism and identifying information about the small states but contain little in terms of investment information, suggesting that the web is seen as a tool of self-promotion but is not equally perceived as a tool for attracting investment. A positive relationship is observed between literacy and the range of national websites published for each surveyed state. The study considers the content of national websites of small developing nations in the context of the new technologies and traditional geopolitical and information flow issues facing small states.