Behavioral and Environmental Correlates of Digital Inequality

Inequality between Whites and Blacks has fluctuated since the 1970’s, when a number of technological and structural changes in the economy adversely affected Blacks. In this ‘information age’, researchers concerned with inequality have coined the term ‘digital divide’ to signify the effects of exclusion from these powerful new information technologies. As increasing numbers of Americans have gone online, the academic focus has shifted from the digital divide to ‘digital inequality’, in which attention is given to White and Black levels of Internet social support, navigational sophistication, and Internet knowledge – factors which directly facilitate or inhibit Internet use beyond simple access. Using the Years 2000 and 2002 General Social Survey, this article examines whether what Whites and Blacks are doing online drives them to invest more or less time online, in order to speculate on whether the Web will widen the already substantial access divides between the Whites and Blacks. Results indicate surprisingly similar levels of online time, social support, navigational sophistication and Internet knowledge. Taken as a whole, then, Whites and Blacks have similar Internet activity patterns – although Whites focus more on news, financial, and political Websites, whereas Blacks are drawn to education-related sites. _________________________ Anthony Alvarez is a graduate student at the University of Maryland studying the