The digital divide and development

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be both a unifying and a divisive force. Its divisive aspect is known as the "digital divide", which relates to the difference between those who have digital access to knowledge and those who either lack it or don't use it effectively. The digital divide is a complicated mix of varying levels of ICT access, basic ICT usage, and ICT applications among countries and people. The digital divide around the world is usually measured through statistical indices such as the number of stationary telephone lines, personal computers, Web sites and Internet users and their ratio to the total population. Although figures show a trend toward increasing Internet penetration, the Arab region as a whole still rates very low in terms of Internet users and Web sites, the two indices that are more relevant to the level of information development and representative of society's involvement in ICT. The 2002 UNDP Arab Human Report states that main reasons for the digital divide between the Arab region and the advanced world are the high cost of building the necessary infrastructure and the growing brain drain which is depriving the Arab world of its top IT specialists.