The Network Society - University of Massachusetts Amherst

34 The Network Society
ber of tertiary education students in the sciences is clearly higher than
the average for the G7 in almost all of the countries included in the
study (Uruguay and Brazil are the exceptions), and the figures for scientists
and investigators in R&D are higher than the half of the values for
the G7 countries (with only the four South American countries below
that average). As far as the PISA literacy test results for mathematics
and the sciences are concerned, only Uruguay and Brazil present values
lower than 90% of those presented by the advanced economies.
It is also in the knowledge dimension, in this case not merely technological
knowledge, that the generational mark that seems to be
common to all these societies manifests itself most. The question of
education is fundamental for analyzing the transition to the network
society with an informational economic organization because, as we
shall see, there is a strong correlation in all the societies between the
educational competences given and the number of users of the basic
network society technology: the Internet.
The Internet use figures constitute one reference value for characterizing
the transition of a society to the network society because they
reflect both the dimension of use in the socialization context and the
market potential. Indeed, without a high number of users, there would
also be no incentive for increasing electronic commerce (be it at the
inter-company level or with private persons).
An analysis of the preceding table shows that the relation between
access and use is dependant on a fundamental conditioning factor, the
education level. Age is also a mobilizing factor, as it facilitates use via
the group affiliation and practices amongst populations attending
school (Table 2.3). However, different studies show that the stronger
direct relationship is established between the education level and
effective use of the Internet.
As far as the comparative analysis of the countries is concerned, the
figures show that in the information societies use of the Internet by
persons who have completed secondary education is between 60% and
90% of the users with higher education, while in the societies in transition,
these values are less than 50%. The exception here is Portugal,
with values of around 90%, as the number of Portuguese citizens who
have completed secondary education is relatively low and, consequently,
is closer in percentage terms to the numbers who have concluded
higher education.