The Digital Divide: Current and Future Research Directions - MISRC ...

program has been on providing access and training for basic computer skills, there has
been no discussion of providing skills for utilizing basic or advanced features of online
shopping.
In a report that examines the status of the digital divide in the state of Georgia
[GCATT, 2001], the authors note that there are three issues that need to be addressed to
overcome the digital divide: awareness, application, and access. Among other things, the
report suggests that online applications must be relevant, interesting, and usable for the
potential user to gain value, and that a new level of collaboration needs to emerge
between education, business, and government. This is one of the earliest suggestions that
for-profit businesses should be involved in solving the digital divide problem. However,
at about the same time, Baker [2001] expressed concern that if the public policy
initiatives rely too much on market forces, they may be at odds with the goal of
improving the overall public good.
In a European study similar to the GCATT report, Jaeger [2004] uses the case
study approach to discuss the effectiveness of several public policy projects sponsored by
the Danish government to increase Internet usage among the elderly population. While
this project showed some value in increasing Internet usage by the elderly, when a new
and more conservative government came to power, efforts to bridge the divide were
moderated with a shift to the role of the private sector in furthering Internet access.
Specifically, market forces that emphasized profit motives both for infrastructure
providers and technology users largely replaced more socialistic motives from the
previous government.
The GCATT [2001] report suggested that for-profit enterprises can help alleviate
the problem of the digital divide by providing more relevant information on their Web
sites. This is an example of how the technical design perspective provides a useful
theoretical lens to view issues related to the digital divide. In an interesting study
utilizing methods from visual studies, Barbatsis et al. [2004] note that many minorities
find the content, information and services offered on most Web sites irrelevant to their
everyday lives. This case study uses interviews and observation to understand how
potential users might make use of the Internet as well as why they would choose not to
use it. The authors assert that the digital divide may be more of a design issue than a
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