The inner digital divide: How the web contributes (or not) to political equality
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Type of work: Working Paper
Categories:
Digital Divide | e-Democracy | e-Politics | Politics and Political ScienceAbstract:
This article claims that the digital divide is not the only source of inequality biasing access to information on the web. There is an inner, subtler form of divide that affects how visibility is distributed online. Economic resources and access to traditional news media are significant forces in determining centrality on the web, a niche where the most central pages are the most visited by individuals looking for information. The analyses presented in this paper show that although visibility on the web is (slightly) less concentrated than in traditional media, it still favours significantly the most resourceful agents. The consequences of this gap, which challenges many assumptions about the democratising nature of the web, are assessed.
