%0 Journal Article %T Re-conceptualizing the Global Digital Divide %A Burri, Mira %J JIPITEC %D 2011 %V 2 %N 3 %@ 2190-3387 %F burri2011 %X The article seeks a re-conceptualization of the global digital divide debate. It critically exploresthe predominant notion, its evolution and measurement, as well as the policies that have been advancedto bridge the digital divide. Acknowledging the complexity of this inequality, the article aims at analyzing the disparities beyond the connectivity and skillsbarriers. Without understating the first two digital divides, it is argued that as the Internet becomes moresophisticated and more integrated into economic, social, and cultural processes, a “third” generation of divides becomes critical. These divides are drawn not atthe entry to the net but within the net itself, and limit access to content. The increasing barriers to content, though of a diverse nature, all relate to somegovernance characteristics inherent in cyberspace, such as global spillover of local decisions, regulationthrough code, and proliferation of self- and co-regulatory models. It is maintained that as the practice of intervention intensifies in cyberspace, multipleand far-reaching points of control outside formal legal institutions are created, threatening the availabil-ity of public goods and making the pursuit of public objectives difficult. This is an aspect that is rarely ad-dressed in the global digital divide discussions, even in comprehensive analyses and political initiativessuch as the World Summit on the Information Society. Yet, the conceptualization of the digital divide asimpeded access to content may be key in terms of ensuring real participation and catering for the longterm implications of digital technologies. %L 340 %K Access to Content %K Cyberlaw %K Global Digital Divide %U http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0009-29-31766 %P 217-225