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

Apart from the surplus e-commerce functionality delivered to users, it was
suggested that an economic opportunity divide exists in terms of employment options.
What impact does the digital divide have on employment opportunities for certain
disenfranchised groups? Is there a linkage between IT access/ adoption at the individual
level to worker productivity, corporate advantage, or economic development? To what
extent does simply providing access encourage home users to take advantage of online
educational opportunities? Without supplementing access with adequate training, to what
extent will home users be able to take advantage of streaming media, pdf attachments,
online discussions, etc.? Also, if provided access within the workplace, to what extent
does the support, training, and socialized context of the workplace promote home use and
skill development as opposed to potential users who don’t have such support from a
workplace? While much of this work will focus on the impact on the individual, research
should also examine the impact on the workplace itself as well as on employers.
RECOMMENDATION 3: Researchers should examine the extent and impact
of the digital divide on the individual worker, the workplace and employers.
It was mentioned that for-profit commerce sites and non-profit information sites
need to make their functionality, content, and interface more relevant, useful and user
friendly for those currently not making use of them. How do different people make use
of different types of functionalities and what makes a Web site meaningful and relevant?
What makes Web site content and structure more relevant and usable for marginalized
demographic segments? In addition to the diffusion of innovation theory building work
mentioned earlier, the development of adoption models for recreational home equipment
would be interesting. Further, the model of the adoption of technology in the home
(MATH) could be supplemented with models of the adoption of specific types of
applications.
Although the Payton [2003] study only examined the views of a limited number
of students, the insights may be useful in understanding the factors that contribute to the
existence of the digital divide within certain minority populations. The limited online
payment options may be another factor that contributes to the digital divide that warrants
further study. Development of non-credit-card payment mechanisms such as PayPal may
be an important tool in increasing online shopping activity to bridge the e-commerce
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