The Changing – and Unchanging – Face of the Digital Divide: an Application of Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps

Abstract

The goal of this study is to trace the evolution of the digital divide, to begin to understand whether and how the divide is widening or closing, and in achieving this, begin to identify implications and further research moving forward. We are able to do this by using longitudinal data over a period of nine years (1999–2007). We employ the Kohonen self-organizing maps approach. This exploratory approach allows for clear visualization and interpretations of country's positions on the map and illustrates any changes that may have occurred over a given time period. We identify five clusters of countries, based on their digital development; economical; demographic and risk indicators. Our results indicate that a number of Eastern European countries such as Slovakia and Lithuania have made significant progress in the period 1995–2003, while we find that most African countries have made little or no improvement during this period – an issue requiring urgent attention. Overall, this study provides a clear visualization of the progression of digital development indicators alongside economic, demographic, infrastructural and risk factors in 179 countries over a nine-year time frame. These results are relevant as a basis for policy discussions as they highlight the success stories of some countries relative to others.