Divided opinions over the digital divide

In public debate and academic scholarship, opinion is divided over two connected issues: What are the consequences of 'information poverty' for social cohesion, security and civil peace (Norris 2001, Bowie 2000)? And can new technologies be used to open up government, increase civic participation and rebuild community? While some cultural and media studies scholars continue to celebrate the democratising potential of the Internet, and economic liberals highlight the challenge of relatively unregulated new media, social scientists and policy agencies have pointed to the uneven social, cultural and geographical diffusion of computers, and the potential of technology use to amplify inequalities (DiMaggio & Hargittai 2001), or to fragment political culture (Castells 1996, Giddens & Hutton 2000, Sunstein 2001). This special issue of Southern Review explores these questions. Here we review the main preoccupations in the current debate, focusing on the question of information poverty, its conceptualisation by governments and others, and a variety of strategies devised to address it. In doing so, we highlight the need for further research on current and historical patterns of adaptation and improvisation between technology, government and democratic political rationality. This edited collection stems, in part, from the international conference, Digital Divides: Technology and Politics in the Information Age, held on 22-24 August, at Hong Kong Baptist University, and organised by the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology, the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies and the Win Lung Bank International Institute for Business Development.