Internet Penetration Levels Research Articles

Citizens' activity in social networks: factors of influence

This article is devoted to the study of Internet activism, as well as the analysis of external factors that directly or indirectly affect the activity of citizens in social networks. The authors consider the concept of Internet activism, its "actions" in the network, as well as various points of view of researchers in the field of civic activism on the effectiveness of this method of political participation of citizens. The main part of the paper presents the materials of modern research that examines civil activity on the Internet, as well as the reasons for high or low civil Internet activity. Based on the materials reviewed, the authors identify the main factors of citizens ' activity in social networks. In order to identify the dependence of the number of requests from citizens in social networks on other external factors, the authors conducted their own research. The paper uses the method of sociological analysis, namely the calculation of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, to determine the dependence of the number of requests from citizens of the Yaroslavl region in social networks on the population of the region, as well as on the level of Internet penetration in municipalities of the region. The analysis showed that the number of complaints, complaints about problems, requests from the population to Executive authorities in social networks in the Yaroslavl region depends on the number of people living in various municipalities of the region, as well as on the level of penetration of residents of these municipalities into the Internet space. The results of the analysis also allow us to conclude that the above indicators can estimate the activity of citizens in social networks in a particular region.

THE PRECONDITIONS FOR THE EMERGENCE AND DRIVERS OF MARKETPLACES DEVELOPMENT IN E-COMMERCE

The virtual environment is getting closer to the person. From an information field designed for information exchange, it is transformed into a full-fledged business environment. A significant number of business processes today are conducted via the Internet, which necessitates an alternative approach to the organization of key aspects of management. The rapid development of technology leads to the emergence of novel forms of interaction between contractors, increases their range, involves not only manufacturers and buyers but also other companies, including logistics, banking, brokerage, into the processes, which leads to increased overall business activity. Intensification of business interaction leads to the emergence of new business models. In particular, the current stage is characterized by the transition from online stores to marketplaces, which are full-fledged trading platforms where there is supply and demand. The article examines the prerequisites for the emergence of marketplaces as one of the tools of digital marketing and provides a brief description of them. Thus, the analysis of the level of Internet penetration in the world and in Ukraine confirmed the course of digitalization of society. The study of analytical reports made it possible to confirm the rapid spread of access to the network and the involvement in the virtual environment of an increasing number of users in different age groups and from different regions. Such penetration allows to take into account globalization, eliminate barriers to access, and ensure greater involvement of counter-parties in market processes taking place in the network. The analysis of e-commerce indicators has confirmed the assumption that the intensity of use of e-commerce services correlates with the level of the Internet penetration. Joint analysis of the level of the Internet penetration and e-commerce data has revealed the key characteristics of the modern user of the network as a buyer. In particular, to outline his or her behavioral and consumer preferences, note the attitude to advertising, the desired level of service and the need to ensure data confidentiality. Drawing up a portrait of the consumer allows to understand his or her network activity and take it into account in the formation of communication, sales organization and product promotion. Tracking consumer activity also permits making a modeling impact on it, pushing the buyer to certain actions from information to purchase. Assessment of the current situation in Ukraine allows to predict a corresponding increase in activity in the field of electronic sales. The various business models used in e-commerce are considered, and their functionality is depicted. The key factors that led to the emergence of marketplaces are highlighted and the impact of each of them is considered separately. The classification of marketplaces according to different classification features is given and the advantages of use are outlined. The tendency to emergence of new formats of marketplaces and expansion of their functionality is revealed, which significantly increases the possibilities of users from the position of organization of work and ensuring circulation of information flows. The main drivers of formation of marketplaces in the world and Ukraine are singled out. The vector of their development is traced.

International connectivity and the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa

In recent decades, international connectivity has improved significantly with the worldwide deployment of some 400 fiber submarine cables (SMCs), transmitting more than 99% of international telecommunications. If sub-Saharan African (SSA) has long remained excluded from this interconnection process, the maritime infrastructure network has recently densified and spurred an African connectivity catch-up. This paper estimates the impact of SMC deployment on the digital divide in a sample of 45 SSA countries covering the period of 1990–2014. Difference in differences (DID) estimations are conducted and highlight the particular contribution of SEACOM and EASSy cables, laid in 2009–2010, to Internet penetration in Eastern and Southern Africa. According to DID estimates, the rollout of these SMCs has yielded a 3–5 percentage point increase in Internet penetration rates in this region compared to the rest of SSA. This is a remarkable advancement, since this variation corresponds approximately to the level of Internet penetration in the subcontinent prior to their arrival.

Drivers of Mobile Money Services Development in Zimbabwe

This study sought to identify the drivers of mobile money services development in Zimbabwe using Ecocash as a case study. Through purposive sampling, respondents were selected from financial institutions, regulatory bodies, customers, and agents. The research showed that in Zimbabwe the development of mobile money services is influenced by several factors such as a high mobile telephone penetration rate, a high number of unbanked people owing to poor access to traditional banking services, a lower level of internet penetration levels, customer awareness of the service because of aggressive branding, security and ease of use, and a dense networks of agents. Fast technology diffusion was also a factor that influenced the fast adoption of mobile money services in Zimbabwe. More research is needed to assess the impediments in countries where the adoption of mobile money services has not been as spectacular as in Zimbabwe or Kenya.

Towards an Effective Tuberculosis Surveillance in Indonesia through Google Trends

Background. The search digital footprint, such as in Google Trend (GT), forms a large dataset that is suitable to be used as surveillance data and supports early warning systems. These advantages become great opportunities for disease surveillance agencies in Indonesia to get rapid early disease monitoring. Objective. Due to limited research in this area and the increasing level of internet penetration in Indonesia, a further study is needed in disease monitoring by utilizing Google Trends. In this research, we explore, analyze and create a set of the best search terms to be used in utilizing GT for disease surveillance in Indonesia, especially Tuberculosis. Method. We use correlation as the technique to define the relatedness between the real case data and GT results. We collect data from the Ministry of Health of Indonesia. From the data, we design a set of new search terms to take GT trend data. The collected data is analyzed using the Pearson correlation. Result. The analysis shows that the studied search terms give strong positive relationships between GT trend data and Tuberculosis cases number in Indonesia. From the correlation analysis, we get a set of proposed effective search terms with the highest score equals to 0.907. Conclusion. Finally, it is possible to monitor and make quick surveillance in tuberculosis in Indonesia through Google Trend and we have created a novel set of search terms that can be used as the basis in monitoring other diseases in Indonesia

Role of impulsiveness in online purchase completion intentions: an empirical study among Indian customers

Purpose Online cart abandonment is a severe issue posing challenges to e-commerce growth. Emerging economies such as India fascinates global marketing practitioners because of favorable demographics and high levels of internet penetration. This study aims to consider the role of certain exogenous factors in developing shopping motivations that sequentially mediate to online purchase completion through impulsiveness under risk perceptions. The primary motivation behind this study is to understand the mental mechanism among online customers that develop purchase completion intentions, which prevent cart abandonment significantly. Design/methodology/approach Impact of e-commerce exogenous factors related to e-commerce such as website attributes, product features, promotional excellence and decision-making easiness on shopping motivations, impulsiveness and purchase completions intentions under the moderating effect of risk was estimated from the perceptions of Indian online customers (n = 243) using variance-based structural equation modeling and SPSS process macro v.3.0. Findings The most important exogenous variable that can influence purchase completion directly, sequentially through shopping motivations is decision easiness and promotions. Even though utility motivations are dominant in purchase completion intentions, hedonistic aspects are more critical in developing impulsiveness. The translation of impulsiveness to purchase completion is happening, but risk perception significantly moderates impulsiveness formation. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, this study examined online purchase completions being the most sought response by a customer to various stimuli in e-commerce. The study adopted a moderated mediation analysis in which shopping motivations and impulsiveness were mediators and risk as moderator. The interaction effect of risk on purchase completions was significant even when the mediating effects were prominent. Practical implications Contributes to the current knowledge-related online buying behavior in virtual retail formats and helps marketers in streamlining their focus in using impulsiveness as a strategic tool in reducing cart abandonment. Originality/value This study helps in understanding emerging trends in online buying behavior in India.

E-GOVERNMENT EFFECTIVENESS IN COMBATING CORRUPTION AND IMPROVING PUBLIC SERVICES

The government's step to be able to fight corruption is not just a discourse. One effort that has been made in e-government . E-government is a model of government system that utilizes information technology in providing information and services for its citizens. The aim is to create good governance that is free from corruption so that it has an impact on better quality public services. Some research shows e-government can reduce corruption and improve public service delivery through transparency and accountability by considering the type of corruption. This research uses qualitative methods and descriptive. Data collection techniques used are literature, such as books, articles and research results relating to e-government in Indonesia and other countries in combating corruption. The results showed, first, the successful implementation of e-government to reduce corruption was highly dependent on the state of the country's political economy. While in an economic perspective, the success of e-government depends on the country's information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, one of which is the level of internet penetration. Second, e-government is considered not always effective in reducing various types of corruption. for minor corruption, the application of e-government is considered effective. Meanwhile, for major corruption, such as irregularities in the use of budget and mega corruption involving politicians, it is more difficult to deal with just implementing e-government .

Корпоративные войны и иные способы тестирования решений проблем системы электронного здравоохранения в Чили

Как и во многих других странах ОЭСР, система оказания медицинских услуг населению в Чили испытывает большое давление в связи с большой продолжительностью жизни и увеличением доли пожилого населения. Нехватка мер превентивного характера указывает на то, что система вмешивается лишь тогда, когда нужно устранить значительные проблемы со здоровьем. Задача является дорогостоящей из-за растущего числа пожилых людей. На основе данных автоматизированного колл-центра и специального интернет-сайта авторы статьи протестировали прототип онлайн-ресурса Bienestando по профилактике здоровья среди пожилых чилийцев. Сервис Bienestando родился благодаря тому преимуществу, что уровень распространения интернета в стране высок, а целевая группа широко пользуется им с целью получения информации о здоровье.
 Данная статья – скорее попытка предвидеть то, как покажет себя стратегия популяризовать данный ресурс, нежели описать сам прототип и его эффект. Авторы использовали многосторонний подход к информированию населения по вопросам здоровья, комбинируя его с методами конкурентной разведки, а именно: редкое сочетание корпоративных военных игр и анализа сценариев. Обычно эти прогностические методики используются в стратегическом бизнес планировании. В данном исследовании они были применены для выработки правдоподобных способов обобщения результатов исследования. Такой подход согласуется с научными принципами, частью которых является установка на использование научного знания для решения конкретных проблем; в данном случае в целях содействия профилактике здоровья в связи с процессом старения населения в Чили.

The dissemination of firm information via company register websites

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cross-country determinants of the extent of firm information disseminated via company register (CR) websites. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop an index model (CR score) designed to capture the extent of regulated firm information disseminated via CR websites. The proposed index is applied to a unique sample of 137 countries. Following prior literature, the proposed index covers three dimensions: data availability, data accessibility and data serviceability. The index composition and the URLs of the CR websites are provided as an exhibit to this paper. Findings Across a variety of tests and sample compositions, the authors find consistent evidence that countries with a relatively high level of internet penetration, those that facilitate cross-border trading and those with higher governance quality show higher CR scores. The results are generally in line with theories of regulation. Practical implications The results of this paper speak directly to the current regulatory initiatives which aim to foster information acquisition and processing via company registers. Originality/value The authors provide early empirical evidence on the cross-country variation of dissemination of firm information via CR websites for a unique sample of 137 countries. Investors, analysts and other users of financial statements should be aware of the underlying factors that influence the extent and accessibility of firm information.

The Dissemination of Firm Information via Company Register Websites: Country-Level Empirical Evidence

In response to current regulatory initiatives which aim to foster information acquisition and processing across countries, we develop an index model (CR-score) designed to capture the extent of regulated firm information disseminated via company register (CR) websites. In a unique sample of 137 countries, we find consistent evidence that countries with a relatively high level of Internet penetration, those that facilitate cross-border trading, and those with higher governance quality show higher CR-scores. Our findings are robust to several additional tests, including amendments of the index model, the independent variables, and the sample composition. The results are generally in line with theories of regulation and should be of particular interest to regulators and standard setters.

Arab Millennials’ Articulation of Identity in Cyberspace: A study of three MENA YouTubers

This study investigates how three young Arab influencers negotiate their identities in cyberspace. Abdallah Al Maghlouth, Abdulrahman Mohammed, and Laila Hzaineh were selected for this study because they were listed among the top MENA influencers by the Arab Social Media Summit (2015) or by Stepfeed.[1] The article draws on the cultural hybridity perspective to demonstrate how these influencers articulate cultural identity across three themes: human engagement, women’s empowerment, and cultural revivalism. Cultural hybridity gained prominence within a range of cultural and social theories beginning in the 1980s. Recently, it has come to be interchangeably used with Robertson’s notion of ‘glocalization’ (Robertson 2012). Hybridity is a dynamic process necessary for cultural co-existence, continuity and for reconciling global sets of values with local (dominantly Arab-Islamic) social norms. Identity is informed by aspects of belonging or not to social groups; cyberspace is a new frontier for shaping and renewing social identities in the Middle East, with the majority of the population under 25 years and great levels of internet penetration, it is important to examine emerging sense of self and groups amongst Arab youth in cyberspace.

Net neutrality and market power: The case of South Africa

Net neutrality rules have been implemented in many developed countries, often in response to concerns over network operator market power and potential blocking or throttling of content. However, developing countries typically have significantly lower levels of internet penetration and usage. Market power in respect of internet access looks quite different given that mobile is the predominant means of connection and there are often three or more mobile operators. In South Africa, there is a quasi-monopoly in the paid satellite broadcasting market and broadband providers zero-rating content from third parties (such as Netflix) may bring about more competition. We test the main theories of harm arising in the net neutrality debate, including network operator market power and exclusion among content providers using data on the number of announced prefixes and peers and IP addresses and considering examples of bundling and zero-rating conduct by operators. We find that net neutrality rules are less likely to be required in South Africa and other developing countries and that strict enforcement of such rules could in fact hinder competition in markets for content, telecommunications networks and other related markets.

Participation in online activation (#) campaigns: A look at the drivers in an African setting

Online brand activation is in vogue and has been used by several brand giants (e.g. Apple, Adidas, etc.) to create viral campaigns that invite consumers to join brand-initiated conversations. The opportunities therein for brand visibility and customer engagement are immense. However, to leverage it, brand communicators must first understand the characteristics of persons most likely to participate in it and target them, a question that is yet to be addressed in the budding literature on the subject. For brand communicators, particularly in developing economies such as Ghana where low internet penetration levels and high associated costs may hinder participation, this is a critical gap in their quest to justify the relevance of online activations to boost brand visibility and customer engagement. This study sought to address this gap by testing a model of the drivers of participation in online activations using a consumer survey (N = 278), set in a recent online activation campaign in Ghana. The findings suggest that persons who trust the activated brand would be inclined to participate in it, suggesting the need for brand communicators to first work on building trust. The study also finds that individuals who are susceptible to interpersonal influence are less likely to participate in such activations. Possible explanations for this are explored in the study along with their implications.

Internet under threat?: The politics of online censorship in the Pacific Islands

In the Pacific, there have been startling news releases of governments making attempts at censoring the internet, a move seen to point towards silencing dissenting views on popular online forums. The conflicting trends between the new political forum ushered in by the new media on the one hand, and the restrictive mode of state censorship on the other hand, pose serious challenges to the broader framework of rights and freedom of expressions. The aim of this article is to examine the regulatory approaches being developed and/or proposed in response to the emergence of new media in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). This article reviews two ways in which Pacific island governments are attempting to regulate the internet: firstly through the development of legislation to prosecute cybercriminals, and secondly through the banning of certain internet sites, most notably Facebook. Despite the disparities in internet penetration levels, the article reveals that nearly all countries in the Pacific are increasingly regulating or are moving towards regulating the internet. The justifications for internet regulation and censorship are largely predicated around the rhetoric of protecting its citizens from the negative effects of the internet. However, these regulations seem to be a response to Pacific Island governments’ fears of growing criticism and dissent on social media platforms.

The African Union Convention on Cybersecurity: A Regional Response Towards Cyber Stability?

Following the liberalization of telecommunication markets in African States, and the increasing availability of wireless technologies and broadband capacity, the levels of Internet penetration and ICT access in Africa has continued to grow in a phenomenal manner since the beginning of the new millennium. Internet use statistics indicate that Africa’s Internet user population grew from about four and a half million people in 2000 to about 400 million people in December, 2017. However, widespread ICT access and Internet penetration in Africa has also raised concerns over the need to promote cybersecurity governance and cyber stability across the continent. This prompted the African Union to establish a regional cybersecurity treaty, known as the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, in June, 2014. The Convention imposes obligations on Member States to establish legal, policy and regulatory measures to promote cybersecurity governance and control cybercrime. This article analyzes the nature and scope of the cybersecurity governance obligations under the Convention and examines how the adoption of the Convention can promote cyber stability in the African region. In so doing, the paper also examines the challenges impeding the application of the Convention as a framework for promoting regional cyber stability in Africa. The paper identifies the slow pace of Member State ratification and the absence of effective regional coordination as some of the major reasons why the Convention has not been effectively applied as a framework for promoting regional cyber stability. Therefore, the paper makes a case for the establishment of a regional monitoring mechanism within the AU framework to improve the regional harmonization of cybersecurity governance frameworks, and harness the application of the Convention as a framework for promoting regional cyber stability.

International Hyperlinks in Online News Media

This chapter investigates outlinking practices in the news media, whereby online news organisations place links to third party websites within their news articles. Such links are an important secondary feature of online news which add background and context to a story, offering readers the possibility of going direct to the source in many cases. However they remain an understudied phenomenon. Our particular focus is on international outlinks: links which go to a website in a different country. International news coverage is an important topic of research interest in communication studies, with many scholars trying to determine why some countries receive disproportionately more news coverage than others, creating an imbalance in the minds of readers about which countries are more or less important. International outlinks have the potential to correct such an imbalance, by providing first hand coverage of countries all around the world. But they also have the potential to perpetuate it, if these outlinks are themselves applied selectively. Based on a large scale dataset of news articles taken from BBC News Online over an eleven year period, this article finds that more populous countries receive more outlinks, as do more peaceful ones. Countries which have English as a primary or official language and countries which have a high level of internet penetration also receive more links. All of these factors take into account diverging levels of news coverage of countries.

Spillovers from Wiring Schools with Broadband: The Critical Role of Children

Providing broadband to schools can be an effective way to foster household Internet adoption in neighboring areas. On the one hand, the infrastructure put into place to meet schools’ needs can also serve households. On the other hand, students get acquainted with the Internet at school and signal its usefulness to adults at home who, consequently, can be more likely to adopt it. In this paper, we model the roles that broadband use at school and Internet adoption in neighboring households play in the decision to adopt the Internet at home and measure their effects empirically. We use data from Portugal between 2006 and 2009 on household Internet penetration and on how much schools use broadband. We use two different sets of instruments for the schools’ broadband use to alleviate endogeneity concerns. Both approaches yield similar results. We find that broadband use at school leads to higher levels of Internet penetration in neighboring households. Broadband use in schools was responsible for a year-over-year increase of 3.5 percentage points on Internet penetration in households with children. Across our data set this effect accounts for about 17% of the increase in home Internet adoption. We also find evidence of regional spillovers in Internet adoption across households. These were roughly responsible for an increase of 2.1 percentage points in Internet penetration or 38% of the total increase in household Internet penetration between 2006 and 2009. These results show that wiring schools with broadband is an effective policy to lower the barriers for Internet adoption at home and as such contributes to accelerating the pace of broadband diffusion.This paper was accepted by Lorin Hitt, information systems.

Universal Access Policies and Internet Access as a Fundamental Right: The Constitutional Law Perspective Informed by the Brazilian Case

The need for digital inclusion and the idea of universal access strongly informed the debates at the first World Summit for the Information Society back in 2003. But to say that such aspect of the information society has been the main preoccupation of the stakeholders all through the four Internet Governance Forums so far is arguably exaggerated. Digital inclusion has in fact been relegated to a secondary level of importance in the general worldwide internet governance debate. There are already two billion people surfing the web and most developed countries have very high levels of internet penetration. Even developing countries such as Brazil and China have reasonable and rising internet penetration levels. Even when discussing the so-called “digital divide”, we are no longer worried with internet access plain and simple but rather with broadband penetration. There’s well-spread consensus among people that internet access is indispensable in our day-to-day lives and yet some take for granted the efforts needed to effectively guarantee it for people in developing countries. Even if we could “declare the war won” (COMPAINE, 2001) in rich nations, there’s indeed a long way yet to go before poorer nations achieve reasonable levels of internet penetration coupled with information literacy in order to grant their citizens a ticket into the information society. The concept of a fundamental right to internet access and the role that governments of democratic constitutional states must play in fulfilling it, along with proper judicial enforcement of such fulfillment, is what concerns our research. It is therefore an investigation of the constitutional law perspective of digital inclusion.

English

Development of information technology has decreased the costs of processing information, and the internet has speeded up communication. Internet is a crucial technological innovation which has exceptional economic impact. Factual information confirms that developed countries possess higher concentrations of internet compared with undeveloped countries. For instance, in Albania for a long time, internet penetration levels have remained too low from 1995 to 2004, and have an impulse of increase in 2007. This study has the goal to analyze the diffusion process of Internet in Albania. The principal objective of this research is to model and forecast the values of Internet diffusion using the data of percentage of Internet users of World Bank database. In the first part, it was established that the diffusion of the Internet follows the S-shaped growth curve using Loglet Lab. The parameters of model give information on the Internet diffusion speed and the maximum potential percentage of Internet users. Growth projection informs providers of Internet products and service about the potential consumer base.

An International Analysis of the Quality of Open Government Data Portals

National governments are increasingly aware of the importance of carrying out Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives for the provision of public sector information and for use and reuse without restriction or charge by society. Therefore, the aim of this article is to examine and compare the quality of the OGD portals created by national governments, in terms of three analytical aspects: function, semantics, and content, and to identify the impact of diverse factors on the quality of these portals. The results obtained show there is considerable heterogeneity among OGD portals, reflecting the lack of harmonization and the need for quality standards. In this regard, the quality of the OGD portals examined is only at an intermediate level and is affected by the level of Internet penetration and the economic capacity of each country.