EU project maps digital divide
A study conducted as part of an EU funded project has analysed patterns of internet use in Norway, Germany and Austria, finding that Norwegians were far more digitally savvy than their neighbours. The study also identified the emergence of a new type of digital divide, between those who consume online media and those who produce it. The study is the first of several to be produced by CITIZEN MEDIA, an initiative funded under the 'Information Society Technologies' thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The aim of the project is to develop new systems that will enable non-professional users to consume, create and publish audiovisual media content through a range of platforms or 'online communities'. The ultimate aim is to bridge the growing digital divide in Europe. Researchers from SINTEF, the Norwegian independent research group and one of the partners in the project, started by looking at the information and communication technologies (ICT) skills of people living in Norway, Germany and Austria, where the project intended setting up test beds for their applications. Basing their analysis on statistics available from Eurostat and Statistics Norway, the researchers identified five categories of internet use among the different population groups in these countries. The first and the largest group are those people who have no ICT skills whatsoever. The study estimates that 47% of Austrians, 39% of Germans and 25% of Norwegians fall into this user category. People who lack any type of ICT skills tend to be middle-aged - 45 years or older - from low income and education backgrounds and households with few members. The largest group of ICT users was found to be those who use computers and the internet only occasionally. Over 51% of Germans were said to be average users with few ICT skills, compared to only 28% of Austrians and 27% of Norwegians. Meanwhile, the study found that 23% Norwegians were using the internet to find information on, for example, public-sector services, compared to 15% of Austrians and only 5% of Germans. People in this group are characterised by their relatively high level of ICT skills and high level of education. Perhaps one of the most surprising revelations of the study was that few people use the internet for entertainment activities such as game-playing, watching videos or TV. Less surprisingly, those that do use the internet in this way tend to be young male students with relatively advanced skills. A total of 14% of Norwegians fall into this category, followed by 9% of Austrians and 5% of Germans. But the most startling finding was regarding the final category - advanced users, whose natural habitat would appear to be in Norway only. Researchers identified 11% of this rare species in Norway, but were unable to locate any trace of them in either Austria or Germany. People in this category tend to use computers and the internet for a broad range of activities and are knowledgeable in areas such as web design and programming. In addition to the five mapped categories, the researchers also surveyed existing international studies of the growing use of user-generated content and social network applications or 'online communities'. They found that young people who are major internet users are most likely to be active participants and content producers. According to the project consortium, this signals the beginning of a new digital divide; between those who merely consume media and those who also produce content. The project consortium says that it will conduct further analysis of user patterns in Spain and in four or five other European countries.
Countries
Austria, Germany, Norway