Dynamics of the Global Digital Divide during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need of the population and the economy to use digital technologies has increased unprecedentedly. The level of digitalization has become one of the key factors for sustainability and adaptation to new conditions. Have these changes led to shifts in the geography of the Internet and a narrowing of the global digital divide? The article is devoted to identifying the features, trends and quantitative parameters of the dynamics of digital inequality during the pandemic in order to confirm or refute the hypothesis of a reduction in the global three-level digital divide in 2019–2023. The three-level digital divide model was used as a theoretical basis. The set of research methods included statistical calculations, graphical interpretation of data, comparative geographical approach, logical analysis, and case studies. The data comprised official statistics from international and scientific and educational organizations and analytical materials from consulting and other companies specializing in Internet development issues. The hypothesis about the reduction of the intercountry gap in the area of technical and price availability of high-quality Internet (the first level of digital inequality), as well as in the area of online orders for goods/services (the third level) was confirmed. The hypothesis about the reduction of the second-level gap associated with various aspects of social inequality has been refuted. The analysis showed that as digital services develop and become more complex, the digital divide is increasingly governed not so much by the availability of the Internet, but by the ability and skill to use it effectively. In terms of the number of Internet users per 100 inhabitants, the gap between countries is fourfold, and in terms of the share of the population using the Internet to order goods and services, it is an order of magnitude higher (38-fold). Quantitative disparities are narrowing faster than qualitative gaps related to gender, age, commercial use of the Internet and the distribution of its information resources.