The Internet - A Tool for Social Development?
Information and communication technologies are viewed by some as promising tools for supporting social cohesion. The Internet now plays a dominant role in this process. The development of the world-wide network is often seen as an end in itself. A number of countries even encourage their citizens to acquire the equipment necessary for use of the Internet. Where this is the case, individuals who do not have the skills or equipment may become marginalized. This new form of exclusion often compounds existing social inequities. This paper questions the relationships between Internet use and social development. It examines in particular the place sites of social development organizations occupy on the Web and, through a Web site analysis, it looks at the way these organizations adapt to cyberspace exclusion.