University of Twente: on the internet creates an information elite in the Netherlands

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Researchers from University of Twente to claim that on the internet, an information elite emerges. Where higher educated via the internet, their social position would strengthen, use secondary and lower educated the media mainly for entertainment.

The researchers of the University of Twente claim on the basis of their findings that the social inequality on the internet increases. Higher educated people tend to follow, for example, online training courses, participate in digital networks and reading the news online. Persons with a lower education use the internet mainly for chatting, gaming or social media. That trend would be since 2010.

The already existing economic, political, and cultural differences in everyday life are only larger due to the differences in the use of the internet. That effect is according to the researchers, strengthens content skills, such as searching for information. The split is, according to them, contrary to what until now was thought. That 97 percent of the Dutch population has internet access, ensures not that the digital divide is closed, for example, according to the researchers. Instead, it arises, according to them, an information elite that the characteristics of the existing social elite.

The research is described in the article Increasing inequalities in what we do online, that is published in the journal Informatics and Telematics, and in the article Internet skill levels increase, but gaps widen.

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