Summarizing the opinions of many scientists working on this issue, digital inequality can be defined as follows: it is a gap between the world’s countries in terms of access of their citizens, households and business entities to modern ICT and its effective use for the purpose of economic growth and development, caused by asymmetry of scientific, socio-economic, institutional and technological achievement levels, which threatens to deepen international disproportions and escalate imbalances among countries. That is, digital inequality reflects the differences among and inside countries in terms of access to infrastructure, including computers and the Internet or even such “regular” communications as fixed telephone lines. The digital gap may exist between developed and developing countries (global gap) or within one country (national gap). It can manifest itself in various demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, income or different areas (for example, urban and rural). Most often, the gap is manifested in various conditions of people’s access to ICT. Mobile access, the number of Internet users and personal computers are also indicators that determine the gap size. It is often the case that a particular country can achieve a comparatively high level in some area, for instance, mobile access, but at the same time, it may lag behind in terms of the Internet access index.
By researching global digital inequality, the International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communications (Orbicom), based on the developed Infostate index, identifies four groups of countries depending on the ICT development level (Table II):
— highest level — 33 countries, including 15 % of the world’s population: 22 European, 7 Asia-Pacific and 2 Arab countries, as well as Canada and the USA;
— high level — 12 % of the world’s population;
— average level — more than one-third of the world’s population, including large countries, such as China and Indonesia, as well as small countries — Jamaica, the Maldives;
— low level — one-third of the world’s population, including 46 countries, 31 of which are African countries [10].
Table II. Groups of countries by the ICT development level based on Orbicom's Infostate index
Source: [10].
It can be said that one of the challenges of modern society is growing digital inequality, or digital gap, which leads to considerable geospatial disproportions in socio-economic development — digital asymmetry of the microsystem. An increase in the digital gap between the world’s regions means that part of the world community is not able to fully use the advantages of ICT resources. Hence, the level of their innovative activity is lower; accordingly, their economic potential is also low. Today, it is important to understand, which forces have accelerated the implementation of ICT. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop a policy aimed at eliminating the obstacles to the introduction of ICT in each individual region, country and even city. Despite the obvious leadership of highly developed countries, the global gap is gradually narrowing due to the dynamic development of such countries as the UAE, Macedonia, Bahrain, Vietnam, Nigeria, Greece and Cape Verde. At the same time, overcoming digital inequality would contribute to the economic growth and integration of backward countries, raising the level of educational, medical, managerial and other services and providing the active attraction of investments and, consequently, the complex-proportional development of the microsystem.
Rapid changes in the level of computer capability, reduction in prices for silicon chips and electronics, as well as achievements in the area of wireless connection have made powerful technologies accessible in many parts of the world, which used to lag behind in terms of technology application. This allows developing countries to obtain significant advantages by joining the information society, especially if a country is focused on raising the level of its readiness for digital transformations. Thus, developing countries enrich themselves by participating in the global digital network gaining the ability to use digital goods and add “value” to the whole community. Obviously, readiness for such changes is increasingly important for the developing world. This readiness creates new opportunities for companies and individuals, erases barriers, which previously presented an obstacle on the way to information, goods and services, and promotes the improvement of cultural, social and political well-being. Among new opportunities offered to countries willing to raise the level of their readiness for digital transformations, one can mention the opportunity for application and development of new forms of business, expansion of access to the global market of goods and services, open access to any information for each member of society, overcoming of physical and virtual isolation, awareness of society members in the area of government policy and economic, social and cultural processes of the country or region and the world as a whole, increase in the level of education, medicine, etc.
Recently, many countries have shifted the focus from the issue of access to ICT to the problem of more effective ICT use in order to promote business innovation and increase management effectiveness and social cohesion. In particular, according to the conclusion of the World Economic Forum, the successful use of ICT is facilitated by the shared environment for ICT, including market conditions and regulatory climate. Such network readiness requires efforts of the entire society, including respective actions on behalf of the population, business and government. At the same time, the readiness to use ICT by all interested parties increases their effectiveness in day-to-day activities. Connection of the population, business and government to the Internet has become an increasingly important factor, as the role of the Internet is growing. The intensive use of the Internet requires high-quality broadband access, as well as fixed and wireless networks.
Governments of many countries invest funds in the construction of digital pipes — national high-speed broadband access based on a combination of fixed and wireless networks — as they accelerate their countries’ socio-economic development.
ICT has become an integral part of life and has a direct influence on people’s activities, the development of the microsystem as a whole and each individual in particular. However, despite the overall high level and positive dynamics, the main distinctions in the sphere of ICT implementation in certain regions and countries are brought to light. Today, IT is viewed as the main driving force, but at the same time, this force is sometimes seen as a threat of widening the gap between technologically rich and technologically poor countries. Thus, according to the majority of researchers, the modern world is divided not ideologically but technologically: the higher the technological capacities of some countries, the more other countries lag behind them.