Determinants of the digital divide phenomenon and its associated social effects in Egypt

Author

Assistant Professor of Communication at the Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Egypt

Abstract

This article explores the determinants of the digital divide phenomenon and its associated social effects in Egyptian society. Theoretically, it utilizes the Resources and Appropriation Theory developed by van Dijk in 2005, in addition to the valuable literature which has identified three different levels of the digital divide: digital access divide; digital capability and use divide; digital outcome divide. Methodologically, the study employs a field survey conducted by the Arab Barometer (Wave 5, 2019), in which a representative sample consisting of 2500 Egyptian adults were interviewed.  
Agreeing with the theoretical framework and the related literature, the results show that the demographic characteristics of respondents as well as their socioeconomic and educational backgrounds are deemed the main predictors of the digital divide in Egypt. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the digital divide leads to several negative social impacts. To elaborate, non-internet users tend to develop more negative attitudes toward the gender equality issue compared to internet users. In addition, the averages of accepting people from other religions, ethnicities, or countries among the participants without internet access are significantly lower than those among internet users. Similarly, non-internet users are less likely to engage in civic activities or to support more levels of openness to the outside world compared to internet users.

Keywords


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