World Digital Libraries 1(1): 77–78 ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Open access was initially projected as a publishing model parallel to commercial publishing model for scholarly communication to check spiralling prices of journals. The philosophy behind this movement was that global and unr...

This paper aims at contributing to the debate about the digital divide. We first focus on what to us constitutes the root problem: the typical approaches to the development of people through and by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). In contrast to governmental, political and technological attempts that focus almost exclusively on providing access to digital communicati...

Despite stereotypes that cyberspace spells the `end of geography' and promises universal, democratic entree to the electronic highways of the world economy, access to the Internet is highly unevenly distributed both socially and spatially. In this paper I examine the geopolitics of Internet access and its implications. I open by situating electronic communications within contemporary social the...

The evolution of internet access and use in Brazil in the direction of social inclusiveness and to guarantee uses that promote individual and community development is the focus of the present paper. Previous evidence on the subject initially presented indicates the prevalence of contrasting aspects: some outstanding positive initiatives and results towards democratization of the internet, as we...

The telecom industry over the past fifteen years offers a fascinating 'natural experiment' to discuss the much debated notion of efficient market. Market efficiency was actually the central motivation and justification of the liberalization policies devised worldwide in that sector. The current severe crisis affecting the telecom sector provides an opportunity to reconsider this line of reasoni...

Purpose – The last ten years have seen a gradual withdrawal of retail facilities from many local areas and the consequent growth of ‘shopping deserts’, resulting in social and health disbenefits. This paper examines the potential for e-shopping to fill the vacuum and to assist disadvantaged shoppers. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses prior published research to comment on the extent ...

Perhaps because by the 2010s four in five people were using Internet many regions of world, digital divide appeared fixed. This book, however, is a reminder continued social relevance inequalities access to, use of, and outcomes information communication technologies – ‘the problem only starts when everybody has computer, smartphone or connection!’ (p. 47, emphasis original). The Digital Divide...