Abstract:

Nowadays, information and communication technology (ICT) has become an indispensable part of not only business but also daily life of many people. Despite rapid developments in computer science and information technologies, there are significant differences between individuals, groups, regions, and countries in terms of reaching, using, and sharing the information. This disparity is defined as the term of digital divide. Although there are several different views about measuring the digital divide, in this study, International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) ICT key indicators are used to measure global digital divide. One-way ANOVA and the Regression Analysis are applied to the consolidated data of 145 countries to analyze global digital divide. According to the results, variables related to development levels, income levels, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) membership are positively associated with the digital divide. Furthermore, a digital gap exists within continents.