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China Gets Wired... But Digital Divide Exists
from the the-power-of-large-numbers dept
The internet is growing in China, as they now have 87 million people online, though they are apparently connecting through just 36.3 million internet connected computers. The number of Chinese netizens puts them firmly in second place, though just about everyone expects them to take first place before long. That 87 million represents just 6.6% of the population, which may point to a bigger issue. While the US worries about the "digital divide," it looks like a much bigger issue in China. Internet usage is much more common in more developed areas, and many seem worried that less developed areas will get left even further behind. While the Chinese government has tried to go online, the study found that most such sites are unused, and many government officials prefer not to use their own websites. None of this is particularly surprising, but it's still interesting to see the data.
Reader Comments
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Do we want them online?
How about having millions of poor rural Chinese online, eager to sell their children, their AIDS-tainted blood, offering their hitman services?
More generally, as the internet spreads to poorer parts of the world where men will kill over perceived insults, will we see more incidents of men who travel around the world to avenge online insults?
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Do we want you online?
That has to be the dumbest comment I've read in a long time.
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Re: Do we want you online?
You think these things don't happen in China? Then you are the dumbest person I have met in quite a while.
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Re: Do we want you online?
DON'T FEED THE DORPUS !
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Mostly through internet cafes.
From the numbers alone, it's clear that most people get access through
an internet cafe instead of a computer at home.
I was there last year, the internet cafes was populated mostly with
young males using the machines for what the article called leisure
activities. In other words, the guys were playing Counter-Strike or
some similar linked FPS game...
I just used it to check the web-based email and hit espn.com-- like
most people would do according to the article.
The cafes are more numerous, had the "lived-in" look (think video arcade),
but otherwise aren't much different from the public ones you see here in
the US.
To get an idea about the ten yuan(US$1.20) figure per month, 1-2 yuan will
get you one hour. One could imagine that most people are stopping by
the corner cafe to check email and surf once a week or so.
My SO has been talking to her relatives over there and they tell her that
the machines over at their internet cafe are now equipped with a webcam.
I'll be picking up a webcam for the home rig today...
-cmh
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